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Photo of the day: January 2013
- Thread starter avro707
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That is lovely picture. The other owl shots are really nice too.
I notice all the owl shots seem to be Canadian. Are Canadian owls particularly friendly? Seeing an owl here is quite a rare thing (unless you know where say, a tawny owl roosts). We also have the barn owl which is stunning if you see it - it sort floats around in the twilight like a ghost.
Thanks Jeremy
I'm not a bird or owl expert by any stretch of the imagination so someone like Rowbear or mikeschmeee may be able to add a comment. However, in general terms I will say…
In the area surrounding Toronto, we are very fortunate to have a number of outstanding wildlife conservation areas. They're not parks for camping/barbeques/picnics etc. but areas that provide a natural habitat for wildlife of all kinds (including owls).
Most of the conservation areas are a combination of protected marshland and forest where wildlife thrives year-round. We also benefit from being directly on the north side of Lake Ontario and that means we're a rest-stop in the path of spring and fall migratory patterns.
One other reason the wildlife stays or returns…"birders" have a deep and abiding respect for all things wildlife. Case in point is Rowbear's comment about "hoping to catch some flight scenes". People will wait for hours to catch the coveted flight shot without ever thinking of disturbing or scaring a bird, like the owl, into flight.
Sometimes I think it's about knowing where to look and who to look with.
^
You got that right. You have to know where to look for certain birds and learn when and where they migrate. I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It's right along the Pacific Flyway, which is a major north to south route of travel for migratory birds in North America, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Many species of birds migrate every year to travel some or all of this distance both in the Spring and in the Autumn season, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds or travelling to overwintering sites.
You can spot many birds during the Winter season of British Columbia and most wildlife photographers and bird watchers make the most of it as the second Spring comes around most birds just seem to disappear, especially the Owls. They migrate to the next spot but they'll be back.
If you don't have a super telephoto lens then you need to be patient when it comes to birds. I've been going to the same spot to capture a few photos of that Short-Eared Owl and it was pure luck that I was able to get a full frame shot but I was consistent and super determined to get the photo I wanted. Hence, being there as much as I can for the past three weeks.
When I took the photo of the Owl looking straight at me, everyone was watching a Peregrine Falcon but I heard the Short-Eared Owl call a few feet to the left of me. I looked around and there it was, less then eight feet away. So I slowly took a few steps back so I don't invade its space and I snapped one with my 70-300mm VR. I still visit that particular area in order to capture a better photo of the bird when its sitting on a fence post.
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Look closely at the owls feet, you can see it caught a little vole or perhaps its a mouse. If I was only 5-7 feet over to my left I would of had the best shot of the day but the second I thought about slowly moving over, the Owl flew down to the bottom of the fence and hid itself to enjoy its meal.
I find birding to be super intense yet very satisfying, plus I truly enjoy the great outdoors so its a good way for me to get some exercise, fresh air and use my camera. I recommend birding to everyone but definitely show your respect and try not to scare them. There was an article in a local newspaper where a lady set her dog on one of the Snowy Owls that migrated here in order to capture a photo of the Owl in-flight. So just like Cheese&Apple said, people will wait for hours in order to capture a in-flight photo, others not so much.
Sorry for rambling on haha. Feel free to message me if you want to chat.
You got that right. You have to know where to look for certain birds and learn when and where they migrate. I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It's right along the Pacific Flyway, which is a major north to south route of travel for migratory birds in North America, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Many species of birds migrate every year to travel some or all of this distance both in the Spring and in the Autumn season, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds or travelling to overwintering sites.
You can spot many birds during the Winter season of British Columbia and most wildlife photographers and bird watchers make the most of it as the second Spring comes around most birds just seem to disappear, especially the Owls. They migrate to the next spot but they'll be back.
If you don't have a super telephoto lens then you need to be patient when it comes to birds. I've been going to the same spot to capture a few photos of that Short-Eared Owl and it was pure luck that I was able to get a full frame shot but I was consistent and super determined to get the photo I wanted. Hence, being there as much as I can for the past three weeks.
When I took the photo of the Owl looking straight at me, everyone was watching a Peregrine Falcon but I heard the Short-Eared Owl call a few feet to the left of me. I looked around and there it was, less then eight feet away. So I slowly took a few steps back so I don't invade its space and I snapped one with my 70-300mm VR. I still visit that particular area in order to capture a better photo of the bird when its sitting on a fence post.
Look closely at the owls feet, you can see it caught a little vole or perhaps its a mouse. If I was only 5-7 feet over to my left I would of had the best shot of the day but the second I thought about slowly moving over, the Owl flew down to the bottom of the fence and hid itself to enjoy its meal.
I find birding to be super intense yet very satisfying, plus I truly enjoy the great outdoors so its a good way for me to get some exercise, fresh air and use my camera. I recommend birding to everyone but definitely show your respect and try not to scare them. There was an article in a local newspaper where a lady set her dog on one of the Snowy Owls that migrated here in order to capture a photo of the Owl in-flight. So just like Cheese&Apple said, people will wait for hours in order to capture a in-flight photo, others not so much.
Sorry for rambling on haha. Feel free to message me if you want to chat.
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I'm certainly not a bird expert per se. I'm more a photographer who enjoys protographing birds because I like nature and the great outdoors. My Lightroom library probably has as many bird shots as any other type combined.
In my part of the world (Ottawa), this year we are seing an invasion of Owls, and this happens every 4 years or so. There is an area about 25 minutes from my home where 3 and maybe 4 Great Gray Owl have decided to spend the winter, and they will stay until mid March.
As others have said, patience is key. Its not uncommon to wait long hours if you want to get an in-flight shot , and so far this year I haven't been lucky. Static shots are much easier. These birds are usualy active in the mornings and late afternoons. Some photographers will use baiting to make them move, and even that doesn't always work as once the bird is satisfied with the food he has eaten, he will rest for long hours. Unfortunatally, you'll often see 40 photographers in one spot trying to feed a bird with mouses, and that becomes a circus.
The Great Gray Owl is not afraid of humans who remain calm and approach them slowly. I took many full frame pictures at 150mm. Here you can see that its possible to get quite close. A friend of mine was at that same spot for more than an hour before I arrived, and I waited an hour after that, but the bird remained there the whole time, making fun at us
![large.jpg]()
In my part of the world (Ottawa), this year we are seing an invasion of Owls, and this happens every 4 years or so. There is an area about 25 minutes from my home where 3 and maybe 4 Great Gray Owl have decided to spend the winter, and they will stay until mid March.
As others have said, patience is key. Its not uncommon to wait long hours if you want to get an in-flight shot , and so far this year I haven't been lucky. Static shots are much easier. These birds are usualy active in the mornings and late afternoons. Some photographers will use baiting to make them move, and even that doesn't always work as once the bird is satisfied with the food he has eaten, he will rest for long hours. Unfortunatally, you'll often see 40 photographers in one spot trying to feed a bird with mouses, and that becomes a circus.
The Great Gray Owl is not afraid of humans who remain calm and approach them slowly. I took many full frame pictures at 150mm. Here you can see that its possible to get quite close. A friend of mine was at that same spot for more than an hour before I arrived, and I waited an hour after that, but the bird remained there the whole time, making fun at us
First attempt of the Brenizer Method in Hugin. Not the most exciting subject matter, but when you're stuck home with the wife recently out of hospital, you do what you can within a minutes walk!
It's a 35 shot stitch. Hugin wasn't all that scary to use either, I was placing control points pretty easily and they worked well apart from in one spot.
I learnt not to do this with trees blowing in the background and quite a few other things too.
I've got quite a few ideas planned for this with my panoramic head unit, when the damn thing arrives... Did this one with my macro tracks to get rid of any parallax issues. Basically pivoting the camera on the focal spot of the lens.
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It's a 35 shot stitch. Hugin wasn't all that scary to use either, I was placing control points pretty easily and they worked well apart from in one spot.
I learnt not to do this with trees blowing in the background and quite a few other things too.
I've got quite a few ideas planned for this with my panoramic head unit, when the damn thing arrives... Did this one with my macro tracks to get rid of any parallax issues. Basically pivoting the camera on the focal spot of the lens.
Brenizer does it shooting from the hip.
Have fun with it. That is something on my todo list as well.
"Cardistry" Self Portrait
Among the many other things that I do, I am also a Magician (or at least I used to be professionally; just getting back into it again.) This is a "publicity" self portrait with an added oil paint effect, giving it a hyper-realism look. Still working on it though...
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Among the many other things that I do, I am also a Magician (or at least I used to be professionally; just getting back into it again.) This is a "publicity" self portrait with an added oil paint effect, giving it a hyper-realism look. Still working on it though...
Two very well thought out photos. The tendency with shots like these is to zoom in on the colors of the insects and not pay attention to the surroundings in the composition. You avoided that and the results have nice framing of the butterflies and their backgrounds. Enough of the fern and the red berries are included to allow the frame to breath while not making anything look cut off. I like the colors, too.
Dale
The Lincoln Memorial
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2013-01-24 at 15-35-08 by jeffstarkovich, on Flickr
A recent trip to the Lincoln Memorial. A quick handheld shot turned out better than I expected it would.
2013-01-24 at 15-35-08 by jeffstarkovich, on Flickr
A recent trip to the Lincoln Memorial. A quick handheld shot turned out better than I expected it would.
my last one for jan.
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day 31/365 || jan 31 - College of San Mateo by Bhupesh Patel Photography, on Flickr
day 31/365 || jan 31 - College of San Mateo by Bhupesh Patel Photography, on Flickr
Nice job with that shift/tilt lens you have. I like the balance between the ambient light outdoors and the indoor illumination. Was this a double exposure?
Just curious
Greg
Ahhh, it's February already. Where's the Feb thread? Tempted to start it but I don't think I'm legal to do so. Maybe everyone is like me, just off work and heading to the pizza place
February