Short-Eared Owl

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

I caught this short-eared owl at twilight last April as he was beginning his evening hunt.

Twilight%20Catch%20Light
Twilight%20Catch%20Light1600×2000 211 KB

What technical feedback would you like if any?

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What artistic feedback would you like if any?

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Pertinent technical details or techniques:

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Canon 7DMkII with 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM + 1.4x III at 420 mm.
1/1250 @ f/8.0, ISO 800

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2

Now that’s a nice catch, Patrick ! Wonderful bird and the light is very nice. As is the birds wing position. The face and eye catch the light wonderfully. You may consider some noise reduction and if you have the room, I would suggest giving the owl a bit more space. Other than that, a more than fine shot ! Congrats, Hans

3

Very nice pose and light. IMO also, needs more room all around. It would be easy to add if you don’t have the pixels in the original.
The partial wing bothers ma a little, but not sure what would be better - cloning it out altogether, perhaps.
Fine image!
Sandy

4

Mighty fine image. The only thing I might consider would be to see what it would look like with the shadows lightened a little.

5

Very good, Patrick. I like the head on lighting with just a bit of skim lighting on the sides and wings; it really conveys the time of day. The owl looks nice and sharp even in the largest image and the noise, while there, is not at an objectionable level.

Excellent work.

6

The light really makes this one work. It could use more room, especially on the left side, allowing the owl to fly into some space. A program such as Topaz AI Clear (you would need to download the free Topaz Studio program and then buy AI Clear [which has a full feature free trial for 30 days])would reduce noise and sharpen appropriately.