More Owls; More Light, Less Snow

[NorthernFocus]

Just a few more owl shots in some different lighting conditions. My favorites are the white on white/high key shots such as those that I posted previously. But that's not everyone's cup of tea so here are a few with "better" lighting conditions. They weren't any easier to shoot because when the snow/rain stopped it got bitterly cold/wind chill.

Uploaded reasonably large so best viewed in the light box.

1) Dawn of a new day.



2) Golden hour hunt. The snow was followed by freezing rain. The reflective surface is the crust of ice on top of the snow. The ice also resulted in some strongly reflected blue skies which were intentionally not "corrected".



3) A really dark bird in my favorite position, the lookback.



4) Another one skimming low with a bit more interesting surroundings.



5) Nice wing position and just a nice look at a bird. Not much in the way of BG.



6) A much lighter bird maneuvering low to the ground. These rascals are pretty fast for their size.



7) And one that shows what was going on prior to the clear skies.

[Rita]

Dan, your bird images are truly fantastic. Keep them coming, I for one, am totally enjoying them.

[Shadowman]

Nice series, cool and crazy conditions.

[Wavelength]

It is as if he/she is your obedient model; i am wonder struck to see them all

[lovelife65]

Fantastic. I'm just amazed at your "look back" shot. Like the bird was posing for you, or you called it's name.
Originally I though #1 was my favorite, but I really can't decide

[Urbanflyer]

Wonderful!

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you folks enjoyed the shots and thanks for commenting.

...I'm just amazed at your "look back" shot. Like the bird was posing for you, or you called it's name...

Sharon, it's not readily noticeable watching in real time but these guys are constantly looking around when in flight. Once in a while the shutter trips at the right time to catch them at it.

[Tronhard]

Dan you have an amazing talent with these animals... beautiful shots. I like the one of you!

[NorthernFocus]

Dan you have an amazing talent with these animals... beautiful shots. I like the one of you!

I just show up and operate the equipment, Trev. If you look closely you'll note the camera strap in the photo says Canon so clearly it isn't me. The conditions were getting so rediculous that I didn't think anyone would believe it so I fired a shot of my fellow tog to document the insanity. My favorite shots of the trip came from that day but I suspect for emotional reasons rather than based on pure merit.

[Dave Humphries]

Great series as usual Dan

[ScoutR]

Magical shots of a magical creature (the birds that is )

That last shot is pretty good too. Amazing what you guys go through to get these shots. I'll stick to blue jays in my back yard.

[gregj1763]

Brilliant images Dan made all the more amazing with the conditions you had to endure to get them

[rpcrowe]

Wonderful and masterful captures...

Slightly off subject: I was talking to a snowbird member (A snowbird is a person who spends the warmer seasons in the North and migrates to more Southerly climes during the cold seasons). She told me of a raptor preserve in Ontario, Canada, that has a special for photographers.

One of the things that they do at the preserve is for one handler to stand in back of the photographer holding bait while the other handler releases a raptor which, obviously, flies right to the bait and right by the camera.

Perhaps it is "cheating" or perhaps not. It all depends on how you look at things. She did have an image saved on her smartphone that she had shot with her Sony camera and 70-200mm lens. The image was of a bald eagle flying directly at the camera and was wonderful...

We have a city, Ontario, California, just about 70-miles or so from my home. When my friend was talking about the Raptor Preserve in "Ontario" I was thinking Ontario, California and said, "I think I will take a quick drive up there to visit the preserve".

[Tringa]

All of these shots are brilliant Dan, but number 3 is superb.

Just go away now and stop taking photos of Snowy Owls - you won't get any better than that one.

Dave

[Donald]

What king of bird is that in No 7?

People have already said it, but it's worth saying again - these are wonderful.

I photograph the landscape - things stay still and you get time to make sure focus is spot on and the exposure is accurate. This is a different ballgame and I am in awe of the skills required to capture such pictures.

[MillennialDusk]

Wow. These are amazing! It's been said before, but it's as if the animals are being posed for the shots, or at least aware of and showing off for the camera. #3 especially. #5 would be numbered among these, but the bird also has the distinct look that it has tired of your photos and is considering how suited you are as prey. #6, though, is actually my favorite. They are all superb photos.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for all the comments, guys. Glad you enjoyed the post.

Dave, I agree that no.3 will be hard to top. I love dorsal shots of birds looking back at the camera. Though I wish it had been a lighter bird as I prefer them. Then again, due to the striking eyes of the snowy I like the straight on shots like no.4 also.

Richard, last year I was actually looking into visiting a raptor center in Ontario that had opportunities for photography. Wonder if it's the same one. Can't imagine there are multiple of them.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

And here I thought I was cold when I was out shooting the Blue Blood Moon the other morning.

Nice job sir, hats off to you for enduring that cold.

[NorthernFocus]

...I photograph the landscape - things stay still and you get time to make sure focus is spot on and the exposure is accurate. This is a different ballgame and I am in awe of the skills required to capture such pictures.

Much is a matter of expectations, Donald. I imagine that you expect to get the image right every time. I'm pretty content if I get one every now and then that's worth sharing. Between the animal not cooperating(not my fault), having a goofed up BG(partially my fault), losing focus or blowing the exposure beyond repair(all my fault), let's just say I waste a lot of electrons.

[Manfred M]

Another fine set of images Dan. I really like #3, but frankly for my taste the previous thread with all of the high key shots are far more interesting simply because one doesn't see shots like those all that often.