I finally got around to processing my photos from two October Yellowstone trips, so I thought I’d share something here. And there’s a dearth of monochrome images in Avian at the moment anyway.
During my second fall visit, I was fortunate to have a few chances to see Great Gray Owls. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to come up with something “new” or different compared to what I’ve captured in the past. I did like this moment, however, as this owl hovered briefly over its hunting grounds. The relatively dark background (I did perform a little burning in post—rare for me, even with black and white work—to even out some of the tones) helped the lighter plumage of the bird stand out nicely.
Wow. I just love the mood of this image. B/W works really well, the pose of the owl with the wing position against the darker background is really nice. Some might complain about not seeing the face. Doesn’t bother me in the least as it shows the owl hunting.
The only thing I’d look at is the lighter “line” (guessing OOF tree) running through the left wing of the owl.
This is tremendous! The light tree could be burned more, but darn this is dramatic and arresting. I love the dangling feet and the spread of all the primaries and the tail. The markings are so wonderful.
I love how the owl is so symmetrical, outstretched wings, tail, feet and legs! And the head looking down adds a dramatic, exciting, scary feel of just before the swoop and catch! It’s a beautiful moment you captured!
