View 2
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
We’ve been seeing Barn Owl activity the last two or three weeks just before full dark (including the neighbor’s cat being strafed) so we were pretty sure we had a pair with young. A couple of nights ago the oldest started emerging from the nest (far too dark for images). This morning I went back to the small clump of Douglas Firs where my bird blind and pools are because they’ll sometimes start branching in those firs (very close to the nest box). I had been looking up into the trees and was moving around to check another clump when I looked up and saw this one perched on one of the light slats I use to support my deer fence which is temporarily pulled back to get it out of the background for my pond shots The light was already quite harsh, but I went in and got my wife and camera. These are a couple of the results of getting the camera.
The will often spend the whole day on the same perch or move just a bit to get a more secluded position, so I’ll be looking again to see if I can get more even light.
Specific Feedback
I shot these just avoiding blowing the highlights, so I had to raise the shadows a lot to get any kind of detail in the darker areas. Do they still look realistic? If not, any suggestions for bringing up deep shadows?
Technical Details
Sony A1 FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC, monopod, f/9, iso 2500, shutter speed to control exposure. Preprocessed in DxO PureRaw 5. Cropped from horizontal originals.
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1 Like
We no longer have barn owls in Michigan and they will sometimes show up during migration. Its nice that you have a successful breeding pair on your property. I think that there’s enough in the shadows to convey nocturnal owl activity. I like the remnants of down that were captured in the highlighted areas of each image…Jim
Hi Dennis, I think you handled the lighting well given what you had to work with. I see the detail and color in the shadows with the lit areas under control. Nice portrayal of a great encounter.
Unique and fascinating, and a great opportunity! I wonder if just a touch of fill flash would work well with this subject? If the TTL pre-flash spooks him, go to M power. You can get an idea of the power with a setup somewhere else. A flash extender can work very well in situations like this but it can be challenging to prevent it drooping and get the center of the spotlight in the center of the frame.
Hope to see more!!
@Diane_Miller I think about flash every year, but haven’t brought myself to use it yet. I know it’s been used on owls almost as long as it’s been around, but I’m just not comfortable with doing so. At this stage of development, they’re not flying at all well yet and if they get out in the open, they can end up getting literally harassed to death if crows or ravens discover them. Usually, I can find better lighting conditions, but we had bright early morning light yesterday and when I went back out in mid afternoon it had moved somewhere and I couldn’t locate it again-hopefully somewhere safe.
Good point about owls, Dennis. I’ve only used it with songbirds, and not in very dim forest lighting.
Hope you can find it again!
BTW, do you know the book “Alfie & Me” by Carl Safina? It’s the story of his rescue of a baby screech owl, interwoven with his insights into our place in the universe. He’s an author I hadn’t known about but incredibly worth following. (Stony Brook ecology professor, MacArthur Genius fellowship, … )
Hi Dennis. From my point of view, the lighting is very successful. The contrast and abstraction make me blink my eyes and actually think about the photograph.
I actually like the darkness conveyed in the image which I think perfectly indicates the lighting usually associated with capturing owls. I would not worry one iota about the blacks and shadows. I love the juvis because of the little white down feathers poking up through their regular feathers. I hope you’re able to locate them again. Terrific find.
