The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
The second of two phenomenal days at Sax-Zim Bog (3/3/2025). This is one of 7 great grays I saw. This one was around sunset on the second day, and I got to spend an amazing 10 minutes completely alone with this owl while it hunted along the road. It was really magical.
Specific Feedback
I love the light of the setting sun here and the action of the owl. I removed some trees on the left side, then cropped it, not sure about the crop or the tree removal. I can post the original if it would help…
Gorgeous light, Debbie and I love the pose. I’m a big fan of partially obscured birds and this one works very well with just enough branches in front of it to convey habitat without really obscuring anything. Great job on nailing the focus through the branches as well. They have a nasty tendency to grab the focus from the bird.
Gorgeous light on a gorgeous bird. I love the pose as well.
The tree removal has worked well. I might consider a little more room on the LHS?
Once I edited birds for the clean backgrounds and foregrounds with no protuding sticks or ugly leaves. Now, I seem to be looking for more ugly leaves and a bit more habitat in general. Whilst I find the twigs in the birds face a bit unfortunate, they seem to work here. If I was processing this I would certainly consider removal just for comparison.
Hi Debbie, great light on the owl and a wonderful pose. Love the upward wings. I agree with Glenys on trying a version to remove the branch in front of the bird’s face to see which frame you like best. Great catch.
@Allen_Sparks, @glennie, @Dennis_Plank - Thank you! I reworked it to add more room on the left and removed one of the twigs from its face. The other one I left since that is an opposite branching and removing one side would either look odd or lead into a rabbit hole of how far to go.
Excellent job on the repost, Debbie, and I fully agree with leaving that one twig over the face. It would look really weird if it were removed and the tree would look strange if you removed the matching one as well.
Debbie, it sounds like a wonderful experience. The pose and the lighting here are excellent. The thickness of those furry legs are impressive. It would have been nice to not have that oof tree right behind it, but animals and birds especially are so easy to spook.
Wow, you’re really catching some great birds ! This pose is wonderful, as is the environment. I think the bird could use some selective lightening, but just a touch so as to not spoil the great mood. Well- done!
What a fantastic owl shot. The subject, lighting, and environment are really working. I don’t know about you but I really covet getting an owl in my crosshairs. Well done!
