Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
I’ve absolutely no idea about anatomy of Owl’s eyes, but this is what I happened to capture.
Canon R 5; 500 mm; 2X; ISO 800; 1/1000 sec. at f 8
Jagdeep, what an intriguing look the owl has! Like you, I know nothing about owl anatomy. Nevertheless, the beauty in the image is obvious. The bicolored eyes capture the viewer’s attention. I also like the touch of pink above the eyes. I am not an owl fan, but I have to say this is a beautiful photograph showing some excellent details.
Beautiful, Jagdeep. A great catch in perfect surroundings. The eye thing is called a nictitating membrane. I believe all birds have them as an adaptation to protect the inner eye from debris-a useful adaptation for flying. If they’re fully deployed the eyes have a slightly dull look so bird photographers usually discard those images unless it’s a rarity for them. However these half-deployed membranes really add to this image. I don’t know how many owl species have them deploy at an angle like that. I’ve seen some bird species that deploy them vertically and some horizontally, but this is the first I’ve encountered with that cool angle.
To my eye, the plumage in the bird looks just a touch oversharpened. Owls are difficult to sharpen because their plumage is so soft and fluffy that it usually looks just slightly out of focus and it’s easy to go too far.
Thanks @Dennis_Plank that was really helpful !
Beautiful look at this owl. The eyes make it special. Wow, @Egídio , I thought everyone was an owl fan. For me they’re something of the holy grail of bird photography. The Oregon Birding Association has a monthly photo contest and if there’s an owl in the entries, it’s likely to make the top 3 (this month 2 out of 3 are owls.)
Also an owl fan, and this is really cool. First, I had no idea there was another species with pink eyelids (the Verreaux’s Eagle-owl from Africa is famous for that trait). Second, this is a great look at the nictitating membrane, and the color combo of those eyes is just bonkers. Fine shot, Jagdeep.
Gorgeous image, Jagdeep. I love the surrounding the owl is in and the OOF foreground. That’s quite a devilish look. I’ve never seen the nictitating membrane deployed at an angle like this before and it’s usually quite clear but this one has color. Super interesting. Like @Dennis_Plank remarked, I always discard those images with the half deployed or fully deployed membrane but this one is really interesting and adds a lot to the image. Superb capture. Oh, and I love owls. They are super hard to find and capture good images of so congratulations.
This is a really nice look at this owl Jagdeep. Those eyes are surreal. Love that you caught them semi-open. I also love the pink above the eyes. What a color palette.
What a wonderful shot of this amazing species. Interesting documentation of the eye membrane as well. Well-deserved EP! Cheers, Hans
