Eastern Screech Owl

[Isaac Grant]

• Digital Photo Professional

Since there have been a number of owls posted lately I figured I would post this one. I have followed this pair of Eastern Screech Owls for quite a while. We found their nest about 5 years ago and they always stick in the same general area. This is the first time I have ever gone in there at night to photograph them. This pair frequents a pine tree and a spruce tree and they come and go most of the night from those trees. They are remarkably tame. In a true New York City moment while a friend and I were there the police came and spot lighted us. Asked us what we were doing and were quite surprised when our response was photographing owls. We showed them the pair who didn't fly, even after the cops drove up, shined their light, hit the siren and then got out of the car. They were really happy and both said it was the first owls that they had seen. Cops wished us luck and then went about their business. For quite a bit of the time that we were there the birds were within minimum focus distance. At one point they got into a bit of a lovers quarrel and were fighting right at our feet. Truly an amazing wildlife viewing experience. I took a few photos of them when they finally landed far enough away that I could photograph them and then left. From Staten Island, New York.

Canon 1dx mark ii and Canon 600 f4 ii. ISO 1000, F8, SS 1/200. Flash used along with a very low power and warm flashlight. Flash settings were ETTL, Flash power at 0. As a note, a good starting point for flash at night is to be in the ISO 800-1000 range. Wide open if possible. In my case the birds are so close that I had to stop down to get them in focus. Can only go so far back because of low hanging branches that obscure the views. Shutter speed should be in the 1/60-1/100 range. You can experiment from there. Hope the quality shows through as I had to lower the quality to 69% to meet the size restrictions for the site.

Note that the branch color is accurate and has a reddish/magenta cast to it. Not sure what kind of spruce tree this is but all of the branches are that color.

 

[Walker Noe]

Pretty much a perfect image you have here, and a good warm up for things soon to come. Love the BG, really adds interest more so than a black background would. Good luck this next week :c3:.

 

[John Mack]

I hear great horned owls in Ithaca. Never have seen one in person. Everything looks good here. Nice pose and nice perch. Love those eyes.

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Nice one Isaac I haven't seen one of these. Love those whiskers around the beak! A couple of questions if I may:
Flash power 0 - I am assuming this is without a better beamer?
Did you increase contrast at any point?
Do the owls react to the flash or are they indifferent?
I am guessing you did not meter for ambient light as a reference?

 

[David Salem]

Wow!! Great look at this owl Isaac. Those up-close details, great colors and cool perch really make this a solid shot. Nice flash work, especially for a newbie. Oh, and I really like the red these of this species too. Well done

 

[Isaac Grant]

No better Beamer. The owls did not respond to the flash at all. Now I'm not saying that every owl won't respond but these ones didn't. Owls are typically really tame at night and seem somewhat curious. Can't meter for ambient light when flash is the only source. It doesn't work. Have to use it differently than you would if using it as fill flash. I was in the woods, it was fully overcast and a few hours past sunset so it was really dark in there. We listened for the sound of the birds landing and that's how we knew they were in front of us.

 

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Isaac, great eye contact, and excellent detail all round, especially seeing those talons. Im not familiar with too many Owls, but I like the colours, as they pop against the darker BG. The subtle use of flash has really worked well.

 

[William Dickson]

Looking real good here on the 5K. Perfect detail and I love the colours. I must say I looked at it earlier on my laptop, and the bird looked over saturated, but on here it is perfect. Love the stare. Well done Isaac.

Will

 

[Daniel Cadieux]

Pretty cool. I love the intense eyes. The oof branches in the BG adds some positive interest there. I thought the branch looked natural even before I read your comment.