Sunday, February 9, 2014

Snowy Owls Everywhere, What a Winter!

As I stated in my last blog entry, this is an irruptive year for Snowy Owls. There are three being seen consistently in Biddeford Pool, and another three have been reported in the Scarborough Marsh area. Others have been seen up and down the coastal areas of Maine. Closer to my home in Auburn, there has been a single Owl seen in Hebron, also consistently for several weeks. It was quite a joy to capture that first owl with my Canon EOS 60D, using the Sigma 150-500mm lens. Bird photography is the main reason I purchased this lens a couple of years ago, and I have gotten some great shots with it. This weeks blog will be to highlight the different ways you can photograph the bird, or process the photo after the shot.

 

This shot was taken with the sun behind the bird, I was trying to get some rim light on his head and tail, without losing a lot of detail in the feathers. This was shot at f11, 1/2500 second at 500mm, and ISO400, It would have been nice to picture the Owl in natural habitat, not on a man made telephone pole and wire. Sometimes we have to document the sighting, and take what shot is offered. I watched this owl for over an hour, and it was not moving. I can not stress enough, not to move too close and cause the bird distress. They have a very hard time surviving the winter and should not be forced to expend energy that is necessary for hunting.


This is the same bird, shot from a different angle, with the sun more on the front. The Snowy decided I was no threat, and took a little nap while I was observing it. It is not often you can photograph wildlife, especially birds, at your leisure. It was a cold, crisp day, with a beautiful blue sky for a background. This shot was taken at f20, 1/1000 second, 500mm and ISO 400. Even though it was a beautiful, clear day, I bumped up the ISO to 400 to get a faster shutter speed. Just in case the owl decided to fly.

 
 
This is the same photograph, processed in LightRoom as Black and White. Don't be afraid to try different processing from time to time. Black and White, or Sepia, can put a another look to a favorite shot.
 
My only disappointment, was not getting to capture the bird in flight. Oh well, maybe next time, and I always have to think, there will be a next time.
 
I hope you enjoyed reading this and seeing the Snowy Owl. March will find me shooting a Pageant, and then on to Wedding Season. I do love shooting people, as well as my nature photography. I find as the years go by, I am concentrating more on my people photography, but I still love to get those nature shots.
 
Now is the time to book those Spring and Summer Portrait sessions, both in and out of the Studio. Contact me if you would like to discuss a Photo Shoot. You can e-mail me at: walker@megalink.net, and see more of my work on my web site: www.jimwalkerphotography.com. I also do Corporate Head Shots, as well as Senior Photos.
 
Thanks for reading, and hope to see you back here for the next entry.

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