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FollowTwo Great Horned Owlets in TX park
Two Great Horned Owlets in TX park
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Eddieuuu071
March 23, 2018
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful Owl photo! Congratulations, I have placed your photo into my favorites file from which the winner will be chosen! Best of luck!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at a stopover visit on the way to South Padre Island in Texas at another park. I always peek in tree cavities, especially in the spring when owlets are possible to see. I obviously was not disappointed!Time
This was mid-afternoon, when we happened to be wandering about, and had no real idea what we would find. There were plenty of domestic ducks, as well as Pied-billed Grebes and Blue-winged Teal. I also thought that I heard a hawk in the distance, and since my first love is raptors, I was hunting for the hawk, which I never found. However, this great photo op came along and I took it.Lighting
Natural light has always been my friend, but I had to increase the light manually, since it was dark in this cavity. If you look closely at the photo, you'll notice that there is a difference in the size of the pupils in the rear bird, who just happened to awaken.Equipment
My equipment was standard fare, a Nikon D7000 with a Sigma 150-500mm 5-6.3 DG HSM lens and a Manfrotto model 290 tripod. I don't leave home without a camera and tripod.Inspiration
I have always been somewhat fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, and this was no exception. I always take an opportunity that presents itself, as you never know what could be hiding in the picture. As a matter of fact, I happened to get a nice shot of a Pied-billed Grebe in the same park with a turtle's head in front of the grebe. I never saw that turtle when I took that particular photo.Editing
The only thing that I ever do is crop. A friend said that she could bring out the owls a little better than I was able to get them naturally, so this was the end result.In my camera bag
Other than the camera, which is now a Nikon D7100 with the same Sigma lens and tripod, I oftentimes carry an extra battery.Feedback
Know your birds and where they will normally be found, especially during the spring if you favor youngsters. Before I was interested in photography, I volunteered at a bird rescue organization on the east coast, so I have a good idea on behavior and where to locate birds. Now that we have changing habitat with global warming, this will open up an entire new genre of southern birds, so I will keep up with those birds, too.