This female Great Horned Owl cost me a pile of money.
1/200, f/9, ISO 400, Canon Rebel XTi, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
I believe this was the female of the mated pair living on our Montana farm and it’s one of the oldest bird photographs I’ve kept from the very early days of my bird photography adventure. It was taken on May 16, 2007 with my very first DSLR camera and relatively high quality bird lens. As usual for my GHO photos this one is perched in an auger cutout in one of the many old granaries on the family farm.
I’d driven the 700 miles to the farm specifically to photograph the owls and other raptors that were so abundant up there and I did it soon after buying that lens, the Canon 100-400mm. After several earlier attempts at photographing the owls with a much cheaper and lower quality lens (a 70-300mm I believe) in my naiveté I was convinced that with my new lens I’d now have enough reach and enough image quality to almost routinely get high quality raptor images.
I was wrong.
Though my image quality was much improved I still didn’t have nearly enough reach in most situations. Neither the owls nor the various species of buteos (mostly Red-tailed, Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks) would let me get close enough. And when I cropped those images drastically to try to make up for it my image quality suffered badly. After almost a week on the farm and many, many hours attempting to photograph birds, especially raptors, this GHO this one time let me get close enough for quality images that didn’t have to be cropped much.
This bird showed me what was possible if I could get close enough, physically or optically, with high quality glass.
Since I had very little control over how close I could get physically I stewed about the remote possibility of buying my dream lens to get closer optically for the entire 11 hour drive back to Utah. That lens was the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM which I could use with a teleconverter and be shooting at 1120 mm with my cropped sensor camera and still get superb image quality. But I was a recently retired teacher on a budget and even back then that lens cost over $5000 (it’s almost twice that much now for the newer version) so by the end of my drive home I’d decided that my bird photography days were over. If I couldn’t do it well I wouldn’t do it at all. By the time I pulled into my driveway I’d made up my mind to sell my photo gear and go back into my other hobby with a vengeance – furniture building.
And then just a few weeks later came the miracle, an unexpected gift from the estate of my cousin and best friend Ken Dudley. So I was able to buy my dream lens and the rest is history (regular blog followers already know that entire story).
But if this particular owl hadn’t cooperated that single time so I could see what was really possible I almost surely wouldn’t have spent the money. So this was an expensive bird for me but to this day I’m still grateful to her for her few seconds of cooperation.
Ron
Notes:
Part of the reason I’m posting more older photos than usual lately is because birds have been slow for quite a while now. But thankfully they’re finally starting to pick up significantly. In the last few days I’ve been seeing good numbers of Ferruginous Hawks, including a group of five of them together and at least one was a juvenile (when I first published this post I called them Rough-legged Hawks instead of Ferruginous. I do know the difference, I just had a brain fart).
And yesterday morning a Northern Goshawk flushed right in front of my pickup before I knew it was there. It crossed the road low and close to me and then disappeared into the trees. That rare bird really got my juices flowing!
Is this GHO. Photo available for sale?
So great with the black immediate background and the weathered barn wood.
Absolutely Beautiful!
Great story and so pertinent. I’d love to have a lens and sensor like that but at this stage in life I hesitate before buying green bananas!
Grateful to the owl and to Ken! Glad your bird drought is over for the time being. Hope your health behaves itself! (Stay away from knives, scopes, etc.) 😉
Just picked up a puppy foster today. I have entertainment for the next several weeks.
Ha, you call it entertainment. I’d call it something else. But puppies sure are cute so at least you have that. Good luck with it, Marty.
Huge thanks to that glorious owl, to Ken and to you.
Thanks, EC. Ken would appreciate that. Maybe the owl would too…
🙂 I could see this everyday and be happy.
I wish I could see that owl every day, Arwen. So I’ll settle for the photo when I feel the need.
Thank you, Ken!!! It was a gift to so many of us!!!.love this classic shot of A GHO! Reminds me so much of the one I raised…love to hear him whinny. Also love seeing “old” photos again…that’s why they have illustrated books–so we can look at the picures over and over…This is a beauty…couldn’t be better…we like to see the same birds many times, Why not see the same photos of them many times, too???
Thanks, Patty. Actually, when I say “old photos” I don’t mean that I’ve posted them before, I just mean that they’re older photos. Whenever I post a shot I’ve posted before I try to disclose that in my text. I’ve never posted this photo before though I did post another shot of the same bird in a different pose.
Ron, you poor, poor soul! I am more convinced than ever that you are hopelessly…NUTS!!! If it’s a pleasure to see a bird more than once, why isn’t it a similar pleasure to see a great photo of one more than once???? That’s why we have illustrated BOOKS…so we can look at the pictures over and over!!! I LOVE to see your “old” photos..I could very happily see them MANY TIMES!!! …This one is such a classic!!! (I don’t see how it could be much better)…I HOPE TO SEE IT MANY TIMES MORE…Because I raised one of these magnificent birds when it’s mother was killed, it is a super special treat for me to see this great image. Thank you!!! (Your generous inheiritance was a gift to so many of us, Including me!!!)
Fantastic shot and a great story Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
And this is exactly how, and why I ended up with the 800. Nothing is more frustrating than running up against the limitations of your equipment.
“Nothing is more frustrating than running up against the limitations of your equipment.”
So true, Thomas.
Except running up against your personal limitations.
Yup, I’m realizing that more and more these days.
Definitely not a passing fancy Ron as the wonderful images you share with us confirm. Like others, selfishly I am really pleased you purchased the lens.
Thank you, Frank.
She doesn’t look too concerned about how much $$ she cost you! VBG – easy for me to say! Gorgeous shot, beautiful setting!
Just had a quick glimpse of a weasel carrying a Meadow Vole. No wonder our rodent population has diminished this year!
Congrats, Dick. I know how excited you get about weasels and that’s another thing we share.
Love the story even if parts are a rerun for me and others…… 🙂 Of course, GHO’s are my favorite birds around here. 🙂 The $$$ on equipment is a challenge – sometimes hard to determine it it’s the glass or the photographer. It was a great choice for you and I and others have also reaped the rewards of you choice……:)
“sometimes hard to determine it it’s the glass or the photographer”
That can be true, Judy. Early in my “career” it was both for me but I made a point out of learning to tell the difference before I invested that much in the 500mm.
Love that owl photo. I think framed photos like this one are special. Sorry it cost you so much money, but we who get to view your beautiful feathered photographs are the beneficiaries.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett. High quality bird lenses are expensive, there’s no getting around it short of theft… 🙂
Hi Ron, I feel for the plight you described. I participate in another forum where many photographers go thru the same issue about having new equipment. They refer to the syndrome as GAS. GAS is an anachronism for “gear acquisition syndrome”. I think all photographers get GAS periodically, some more than others, some for the right reasons, but probably most because they have the disease. I will say, in your case, your GAS was was handled appropriately and the acquisition of your lens provided the the appropriate cure. I currently have a major case of GAS as I eye some of the Sony gear. I hope the disease will cure itself!
Yes, I had GAS so badly I literally couldn’t sleep at times, Frank. Thankfully I made the right decision for me but I was sure afraid I might spend that much money on a passing fancy.
Thank you, beautiful bird…. and thank you, Kenny!!! You have both made the world a more incredible place!
I’m sure you’ve seen that very owl, Shelley – probably several times. And yes, I’ll always be grateful to Ken although it goes without saying that I’d much prefer that he was still with us.
We are all grateful to that bird too, Ron!
Thank you, Art.
Great story, Ron. I am glad things worked out for your the way they have! We all get to see your stunning photos and read your interesting blog.
A Nothern Goshawk! Wow, I look forward to seeing some photos. That is a serious motivational sighting.
Ha, I’d have to be awfully lucky to get photos of that Goshawk. But hot-damn, it was sure exciting just to see it – especially so close. It was a beautiful gray adult and as it flared in flight low to the ground I had a great look at it’s entire dorsal side. I’ve only seen two or three of them in the last 10+ years so that bird made my morning. Be still my heart!
Thanks, Ed.
Love the story. It gives hope to us fledgling photographers! I’m still using the 100-400. I work so much I haven’t justified to myself the big expenditure of the super lens. Plus I like hiking and the big lenses are huge and heavy to carry. Did you use a tripod when you first got your 500?
Joanne, The 100-400 is a very good lens and I still use mine regularly when I’m close to my subjects. In fact I used it yesterday on Wild Turkeys. But as I’m sure you know, in many (most?) situations it just doesn’t have enough reach for birds, especially small ones.
I bought a quality tripod immediately after buying that heavy 500mm but I rarely use it because I’m usually shooting from my pickup. But when you need a tripod you REALLY need it with that lens. I wouldn’t be without one.