Barred Owlet in Ray of Light

[Marina Scarr]

Had only two days to photograph this barred owlet this season as it was located in a tough spot/cavity this year. Took advantage of the ray of light which shown on it for a very short period. Did a slight bit of burning. I was standing on the edge of a steep berm on private property, hiding behind a tree trying not to be seen and, to top it off, had Spanish moss flying and obstructing my views. Was glad to come away with this frame. It's actually full frame.

Canon 1D4, Canon 500 & 1.4
F7.1, 1/400 sec, ISO 800, manual mode
Feisol tripod, Jobu head

Your thoughtful comments and critiques are most welcomed.

[John Robinson]

Hi Marina
Like it ! At first I thought he bird was looking straight at the camera. The narrow bit of tree just behind the bird makes the image "fit together" in my view.Hard to explain.
Maybe try a crop but no big deal.
John

[Kirk Benson]

I actually really like images like this Marina. It's great to see the habitat of these birds that we love, and the patience required to capture an image like yours. I don't always need to see the entire bird for it to be a powerful image, this tells the story of the Barred Owlet's trepidation. Beautiful light, terrific composition IMHO. Well done. :-)

Kirk

[Tony Whitehead]

I like this Marina. I would be tempted to crop a bit from the top to raise the bird in the frame as the bright area up there pulls my eye up from the owlet. I really like the way the barring on the owl mirrors the texture and lines on the curved branch

[keith mitchell]

Marina don't think I could better kirk's comment it covers all my thoughts,like this a lot.

Keith.

[Karl Egressy]

Just like Kirk eloquently said.

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the setting, composition, partially hidden owlet and light on it. Excellent image under challenging conditions Marina!

[Robert Kimbrell]

Hey Marina, I love the way the light is focused on the subject and the tree near his face. It really direcst you eye to the focal point. I think we can all relate to you story or now wanting to be seen. Your effort paid off here.

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent image. Superb composition.

Regards,
Satish.

[David Salem]

Very nice Marina! I like the well lit face in the midst of all that bark. Nice details and comp too. Another nice frame from the queen of the owls:) Well done