Soren
Jun, 2020Views
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Summer 2020
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at my local wildlife rescue place called Liberty Wildlife in Phoenix, Arizona USA. They had reopened their public hours for a small window and I could not miss the chance to visit them.Time
Their open public hours are only during the morning due to the excessive heat here in the Phoenix desert. This one specifically was around 10 am my time, posing against a wooden wall under the shade, giving it a nicely balanced and soft light.Lighting
The lighting was simple and the cheapest kind you can get, natural light. I made sure to ask the bird trainer to stand under a shaded area and with a wooden wall that would match the normal barn look that would be this bird's normal environment.Equipment
When I go to Liberty Wildlife I carry my normal wildlife kit, a Nikon D800 with a Tamron 150-600 G2 lens and my Nikon Z6 with the Z mount converter and a Nikon 70-200 VRII lens, which is the one I used for this shot. Even in a wildlife preserve or rescue place is important to still keep your distance from the birds to a point where you do not affect their behavior.Inspiration
Barn Owls are are some of the most beautiful and innocent looking birds, especially when you can get a closeup like this one. Getting a chance to see their eyes with this type of clarity is such a rare opportunity out in the wild that, whenever I can, I take the chance to get shots of them, and I share them so people can fall in love with these birds and hopefully engage more actively in their preservation.Editing
These types of photos, in such almost controlled space, the post processing is quite small. I use Adobe Lightroom and the main change is usually a proper crop, some highlights drop and removal of shadows to enhance the clarity of the face of the bird.In my camera bag
I shoot a wide variety of subjects and I have 2 bags, the "anything" bag, which is a Pelican 1650 loaded with 4 cameras and 10 different lenses, going from ultra wide, fisheye and the essential nifty fifty, plus the portrait essentials 24-70 and 70-200, both f/2.8 and my large telephoto Tamron 150-600 G2. I also carry my lens cleaning and sensor cleaning kits with me. The other is a backpack for 2 cameras and 2 lenses plus a tripod that I can carry with me to specific sessions where I have already prepared for and completed my pre-session research and preparation.Feedback
Anybody wanting to learn the basics of bird photography should start with bird feeders at home, which allows you to learn about bird behavior. Also, find where your local wildlife rescue and ask about their open public hours. Also, learn how your telephoto and zoom lenses perform by practicing as much as you can, so you know how they will perform when you are out looking for your wildlife sessions so you don't miss the shot for lack of practice. That will save you plenty of time and frustration once you go out shooting. Good luck, and remember, skills are acquired with practice, try, fail, adjust!
