Barred Owl

[Platalea ajaja]

I recently went on an afternoon boat trip to a near by lake with a local pro and 4 other photographers to try and find some barred owls. We found a few pair and were able to get some shots. I surprisingly liked this one. I have some others with much less cluttered backgrounds, which I usually much prefer, but somehow I liked this one. To me the owl still stands out but is shown in it's environment. Curious what everyone else thinks. Thanks for looking.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Woody Meristem]

It's a good photo, showing the owl as it's usually seen. Barred owls are woodland birds and this image illustrates that. Their feather patterns also serve to camouflage them from their chief predator, the great horned owl, and this photo demonstrates that as well.

 

[NorthernFocus]

I like it. Shows the bird in its environment and demonstrates its natural camo. Not better or worse than a closer shot with more isolation. Just different.

 

[coachjohn57]

I recently went on an afternoon boat trip to a near by lake with a local pro and 4 other photographers to try and find some barred owls. We found a few pair and were able to get some shots. I surprisingly liked this one. I have some others with much less cluttered backgrounds, which I usually much prefer, but somehow I liked this one. To me the owl still stands out but is shown in it's environment. Curious what everyone else thinks. Thanks for looking.

I really like this image; showing the owl's environment makes it a stronger image for me, not a weaker one. Well done.

 

[Viathelens]

I think the image is very nice and I like the color tone a lot, but if someone likes it or not has more to do with their expectations than yours. Some of us like the wider shot with more of the natural setting and some of us might not like that as much. I'd like to see less of the natural setting and more of the owl, but still just enough of the surrounding background to tell the story. It just all depends on what story the photographer wants to tell and if this shot tells your story the way you want it then it really doesn't matter what we say. I usually try to get it all when out on a shoot and then pick the one I like best.

 

[Platalea ajaja]

Thanks for everyone's feedback, I really appreciate it. I did get some closer shots, and some I cropped more, but I did like this one personally. Thanks for taking the time to respond.