Barn Owl

[sadiedane]

I was at a photography workshop this weekend. They had some birds that we were able to photograph. I took this shot & didn't include the whole owl because I didn't want to include the tether on the feet. Do you think the composition works? Any other comments appreciated.

Nikon D90
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/5.3
Focal Length 220 mm
ISO Speed 200

Charlie

[gunners67]

I quite like this shot actually. there is great detail in the owls feathers, the background is nicely blurred and the green works well with the owl.
Composition wise its not too bad, although maybe a bit front on and central overall though a good shot.

[Stina3246]

beautiful shot, very crisp. I personally would like to see just a tiny bit more of the owl. Maybe cropped just a little lower but that's just me. I'd certainly be happy with that shot if I'd taken it.

[gturner]

Originally Posted by gunners67

I quite like this shot actually. there is great detail in the owls feathers, the background is nicely blurred and the green works well with the owl.
Composition wise its not too bad, although maybe a bit front on and central overall though a good shot.

Agree with that. giving the bird a little more space in front of his eyes and a little less behind him would work better.

What metering mode did you use for this? If you sport meter on the white face, you could have increased that shutter speed a little. 1/100 at 220mm is camera shake country, especially when trying to capture minute feather detail. Maybe take the ISO up to 400 and cancel the noise in PP.

otherwise nice capture!

[sadiedane]

Originally Posted by gunners67

I quite like this shot actually. there is great detail in the owls feathers, the background is nicely blurred and the green works well with the owl.
Composition wise its not too bad, although maybe a bit front on and central overall though a good shot.

Originally Posted by Stina3246

beautiful shot, very crisp. I personally would like to see just a tiny bit more of the owl. Maybe cropped just a little lower but that's just me. I'd certainly be happy with that shot if I'd taken it.

Originally Posted by gturner

Agree with that. giving the bird a little more space in front of his eyes and a little less behind him would work better.

What metering mode did you use for this? If you sport meter on the white face, you could have increased that shutter speed a little. 1/100 at 220mm is camera shake country, especially when trying to capture minute feather detail. Maybe take the ISO up to 400 and cancel the noise in PP.

otherwise nice capture!

Thanks guys. I think I agree with you on giving more space in front. Stina3246 I wish I could show more of the owl but this is all there is (all I captured). gturner I used matrix metering. I was shooting off a tripod with a cable release so shutter speed wasn't a big concern (unless the bird moved). To be honest I didn't even consider shutter speed, but I should have. I really appreciate the feedback.