Old Burrowing Owl Image Reprocessed

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
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160714untitled shoot-_7D23813-Edit-2.jpg
160714untitled shoot-_7D23813-Edit-2.jpg1607×2048 1.93 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Back in the summer of 2016 someone on NPN posted some really nice images of a burrowing owl taken by Tule lake on the California Oregon Border. I asked for specific directions and went down as I’d been hoping to get images of this species for a long time. We found it in mid-morning brilliant sun and an owl was out when we got there (backlit of course), so I took some shots, more as records than expecting to get anything decent. When I went back in the evening to try in better light about 15 minutes after I got there a weasel came out of the burrow, so I figured that was the end of it. I think I posted a record shot after we got back. I was going through old files looking for images of a cat we just had to have put down, ran across this series and thought I’d try processing one of the images with another 8 years of experience and associated tool improvements.

Specific Feedback

Anything. I tried blurring the horridly ugly background and foreground without making it look unnatural-not sure how well I did. I also am interested in how the harsh light on the bird came out.

Technical Details

Canon 7DII, Sigma 150-600 Contemporary @ 374 mm, f/8, 1/2500, iso 800. Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 2508x3196 from a horizontal original. Taken July 14th, 2016 @ 9:38 AM.

1 Like
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The owl is nicely detailed and stands out very nicely from the BG. I wouldn’t have thought it was blurred in post. I see maybe a hint of an imperfect selection along the right side. But the camouflage BG helps it drop out, for me. I’m teased by the legs – it looks like the leg on the left is the left leg and the body is facing away from us, with a classic owl head swivel. But my brain wants to make that out as the right leg. The buried feet add to the puzzle. A good thing to keep me looking at the image. It looks like it was worth the effort. There is still some noise in the bird but that’s better than looking shrink-wrapped.

I’d bet my old BO images are a lot worse than yours. I wonder if I can even find them…

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Hi Dennis, I like the pose you caught and those piercing eyes. I think you did well with the processing even though I see what Diane is talking about concerning perhaps an imperfect selection on right just at the top of the primary wing. I think a tight crop was a good choice.

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Hi Dennis, I think back lighting makes this image work nicely. I like the tight crop too. If it were mine, I might consider darkening the bottom foreground and maybe trying to match the color and tonality of the far background. Just a thought.

Love the stare…