Tips for photographing short eared owls without fast glass

[Bill G.]

Hi,

There is a place about 90 minutes from my house where a number of short eared owls are known to frequent about an hour before dusk. I currently have a 200-600 lens which isn’t ideal for low light photography.

Any tips on how to best photograph these owls with the equipment I have?

Thanks,
Bill G.

 

[DRwyoming]

Static portraits should be fine, just start with higher shutter speed/higher ISO insurance shots and work the shutter speed and thus ISO down but with good long lens technique and ideally a solid tripod for support those shots should be fairly easy.

For flight shots you’ll need higher shutter speeds and with associated higher ISO but the same idea applies. IOW, take some shots with faster shutter speeds knowing the ISO will be higher than you like and then see how much you can lower the shutter speed and ISO and what you can get away with perhaps panning with their flight path when possible. Again a solid tripod can help a lot.

When you get home, using good noise reduction in processing may yield some high ISO keepers but with luck some of the slower shutter speed shots may work as well. Remember folks were shooting shots like this of owls at dusk back when we were limited to ISO 50, 64 or 100 slide film and at least owls tend to be very still when perched and roosting allowing crazy slow shutter speeds when shooting with good long lens techniques from a solid support. It’s not ideal and fast lenses plus modern high ISO capabilities helps a lot but you might be surprised at what kinds of slow shutter speeds you can get away with at least for owl portraits.

Really good advice here on long lens technique that can help when it comes to reducing shutter speeds:

Long Lens Tripod Technique - Backcountry Gallery

It can be a real source of frustration. You get this fancy new telephoto lens, hang it off the front of your camera and are more than a little disappointed with the not-so-sharp results. So, you do a little digging and discover that maybe a tripod is what you need to sharpen up those photos. […]

backcountrygallery.com

 

[Bill G.]

Thanks for all the great info - much appreciated.

 

[pomkiwi]

You may well find that they are out earlier as the winter sets in - especially on a day after a period of wet and or very windy weather. I've often seen them out is late afternoon sunshine when fast shutter speeds are certainly possible.

I have had a lot of fun (and some success) photographing SEOs with my Nikon 180-600 which is also a f/6.3. A lot of their flight is relatively slow - gliding or with slow wing beats and exposures of 1/400 can produce very good results. Even if they are moving more vigorously the slight blurring of wing tips can add some dynamism to the image.

Hopefully they will hang a round for a while and give you the opportunity to visit on a few occasions.

 

[Bill G.]

Good points. Maybe I’ll be able to get there a few different times to experiment with various settings. Hopefully I’ll get some keepers. Thanks!

 

[pomkiwi]

Good points. Maybe I’ll be able to get there a few different times to experiment with various settings. Hopefully I’ll get some keepers. Thanks!

Hopefully you will - time spent with owls is always time well spent!

 

[Abinoone]

Hi,

There is a place about 90 minutes from my house where a number of short eared owls are known to frequent about an hour before dusk. I currently have a 200-600 lens which isn’t ideal for low light photography.

Any tips on how to best photograph these owls with the equipment I have?

Thanks,
Bill G.

I completely agree with Dave's advice. One other factor to consider is the timing of your visits, which may seem obvious but can make all the difference. On those dreary, overcast upstate NY days, I don't even try to shoot SEOs - it's just too frustrating - but will content myself to watch and appreciate their hunting skill. My best luck getting keepers is when the weather is clear or nearly so, or the sun comes out from behind clouds when it's low on the horizon. Not only is the light gorgeous, it makes acquiring and maintaining focus on flying shorties with my 200-500 pretty easy. Bottom line, if I'm keen to fill my card with shorty keepers, I always make a point of going when the weather gods are kindly disposed.

 

[Bill G.]

Ah, some more good advice - thx. Hope you have gotten some great shots of them over the years.

 

[jcollins]

What camera do you have? A fast f4 or f2.8 lens can certainly help in low light, but it isn't a silver bullet especially when you want action shots. For static images you can get creative with 20fps burst shooting + stabilization in modern cameras like the Z9. I took this shot (handheld, 60ft+ away) of a Great Horned Owl 30 mins before sunrise, right at the start of civil twilight, when there was practically no light available. 600mm f8 (my Z186 is weak at f6.3 IMO), but was able to drop SS to 1/13th of a second and get a sharp enough image at 2200 ISO. Not an award winner, but I love it, and viewed on my monitor at 12"x12" I'd judge it perfectly fine for home printing at medium-large sizes

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

 

[ricardo00]

Hi,

There is a place about 90 minutes from my house where a number of short eared owls are known to frequent about an hour before dusk. I currently have a 200-600 lens which isn’t ideal for low light photography.

Any tips on how to best photograph these owls with the equipment I have?

Thanks,
Bill G.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to see and photograph owls (of all kinds). In fact, just tried again last night. Several thoughts that haven't seen mentioned yet. First, this is the toughest time of year. As the days get longer it is better than as the days get shooter. My feeling is that the owls adjust to the light changes slower then the light changes themselves. Also, in late spring the parents are out hunting for the chicks so hunt earlier and later (ie. when there is more light). And when the chicks start hunting themselves or accompanying their parents, they will start when there is some light.
Finally, you might try getting a lens (rent or borrow?) with a wider aperture (e. an f/2.8 lens). It is amazing the difference when you use a lens which lets in more light. I have an older f/2.8 300mm lens and when the light gets low, switch from my longer higher f lens to the f/2.8 lens. For example, the following pic required shutter speeds that couldn't not be done with my longer lens (a 600mm f/6.3):

 

[Bill G.]

What camera do you have? A fast f4 or f2.8 lens can certainly help in low light, but it isn't a silver bullet especially when you want action shots. For static images you can get creative with 20fps burst shooting + stabilization in modern cameras like the Z9. I took this shot (handheld, 60ft+ away) of a Great Horned Owl 30 mins before sunrise, right at the start of civil twilight, when there was practically no light available. 600mm f8 (my Z186 is weak at f6.3 IMO), but was able to drop SS to 1/13th of a second and get a sharp enough image at 2200 ISO. Not an award winner, but I love it, and viewed on my monitor at 12"x12" I'd judge it perfectly fine for home printing at medium-large sizes

View attachment 103010

Very nice

 

[Bill G.]

I spend a fair amount of time trying to see and photograph owls (of all kinds). In fact, just tried again last night. Several thoughts that haven't seen mentioned yet. First, this is the toughest time of year. As the days get longer it is better than as the days get shooter. My feeling is that the owls adjust to the light changes slower then the light changes themselves. Also, in late spring the parents are out hunting for the chicks so hunt earlier and later (ie. when there is more light). And when the chicks start hunting themselves or accompanying their parents, they will start when there is some light.
Finally, you might try getting a lens (rent or borrow?) with a wider aperture (e. an f/2.8 lens). It is amazing the difference when you use a lens which lets in more light. I have an older f/2.8 300mm lens and when the light gets low, switch from my longer higher f lens to the f/2.8 lens. For example, the following pic required shutter speeds that couldn't not be done with my longer lens (a 600mm f/6.3):

Appreciate the comments and the behavioral aspect of your response.

 

[Frogger]

This may be stating the obvious, but in my experience, the best bet for success at a short eared owl spot (and in fact with many wildlife situations), is to spend as much time there as you can. Some days they'll pop up and start hunting early in the afternoon, other days not till it's almost dark. Some mornings they're still flying past sunrise, other days not. Some days there's good light for flight shots, other days not so much. If you know their general area of preference, stay near some likely perches and hope that sooner or later one lands on a stump or fence post and you are in reasonable position for a shot. Pick a spot and stick with it rather than scurrying around the marsh. The more days you are there, the more likely you are to see a pattern on where they focus their hunting, or where they perch to rest. Obviously 90 mins away from your home is a lot of driving, but the best chance to get some good opportunities is to be there a lot and eventually have things line up just right. Also if there is snow on the ground, your available light will go further than if there isn't. Sometimes you spend the whole evening frustrated that they stayed on the far end of the meadow, only to have one land on a road sign by your car on the walk out.

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

 

[Bill G.]

This may be stating the obvious, but in my experience, the best bet for success at a short eared owl spot (and in fact with many wildlife situations), is to spend as much time there as you can. Some days they'll pop up and start hunting early in the afternoon, other days not till it's almost dark. Some mornings they're still flying past sunrise, other days not. Some days there's good light for flight shots, other days not so much. If you know their general area of preference, stay near some likely perches and hope that sooner or later one lands on a stump or fence post and you are in reasonable position for a shot. Pick a spot and stick with it rather than scurrying around the marsh. The more days you are there, the more likely you are to see a pattern on where they focus their hunting, or where they perch to rest. Obviously 90 mins away from your home is a lot of driving, but the best chance to get some good opportunities is to be there a lot and eventually have things line up just right. Also if there is snow on the ground, your available light will go further than if there isn't. Sometimes you spend the whole evening frustrated that they stayed on the far end of the meadow, only to have one land on a road sign by your car on the walk out. View attachment 103021

Great advice about going back multiple times. The story and the accompanying photo made me smile. Stuff like that happens all the time. Thanks!

 

[arbitrage]

In the PNW they can fly all day long on the days they decide to fly. I've seen some days where they don't fly at all or just an hour before sunset. But other days they are up non-stop all day long.
The other good thing about SEOs is you can get flight shots down to 1/800, even slower sometimes. You won't get sharp shots when they do an abrupt turn and dive at those SS but for their graceful flight over the fields you can certainly get a lot of sharp shots at much slower SS than you would feel safe with for most other BIF.
Get out there and see what you can get away with for SS based on your own technique and see if they are flying during brighter hours of the day.

 

[Bill G.]

Thanks to everyone for all of your great input. Hopefully I’ll be able to grab some keepers throughput the winter months .

 

[Calson]

For single images there is the option of using high ISO settings and then cleaning it up with a NR application. I would also use a Kelvin WB setting and not rely on the camera's Auto WB in late evening light. A chennel imbalance with Auto ISO used will add more noise to the image.

 

[tomcat]

Hi,

There is a place about 90 minutes from my house where a number of short eared owls are known to frequent about an hour before dusk. I currently have a 200-600 lens which isn’t ideal for low light photography.

Any tips on how to best photograph these owls with the equipment I have?

Thanks,
Bill G.

How far away are you from these owls? Just wondering if the Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8 would work?

 

[Bill G.]

Unfortunately they are quite far away. Even a 600 will have trouble.

 

[ricardo00]

How far away are you from these owls? Just wondering if the Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8 would work?

I have contemplated renting/buying one for my owl photography but just too short for most opportunities I get with an owl. Even a 70-200mm f/2.8 is too short for me though have used it at times.

 

[tomcat]

Unfortunately they are quite far away. Even a 600 will have trouble.

Get an adapter to connect your camera to a telescope. I saw one today from Ronco...."just in time for Christmas and if you order now, you can get a 2nd one for your friends---just paying handling and shipping"

 

[tomcat]

thought you might like this