A pleasant surprise hidden deep in my photo files.
Yesterday while searching for something else in an older computer I accidentally clicked on an area in my photo organizer I hadn’t visited in ages and up popped a photo I didn’t even know (or remember) existed. I probably overlooked it because the bird is fairly small in the unprocessed frame and at the time it was taken I knew the conditions for photographing birds in flight were horrible so the bird was almost certainly soft.
He wasn’t.
1/640, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
It’s an older photo of a male Short-eared Owl delivering a large vole to his family at the nest at Montana’s Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. This particular bird was usually easy to recognize because of a missing primary on his left wing and another damaged primary on the same wing.
It was mostly overcast that morning so much of the time the owl was in poor light and I had far too little shutter speed for flight shots. But for a brief few moments when this photo was taken the sun peeked out through a hole in the clouds and lit up the owl with the deeply shaded Centennial Mountains in the background. I love the resulting spotlight effect.
So yesterday I was surprised, even amazed, when I opened the image perhaps for the first time and the owl was sharp. Flight shots at a shutter speed of only 1/640 are almost a guaranteed recipe for soft photos but when I looked at the owl at 100% he was sharp and that had to be mostly dumb luck. I must have been panning my lens at exactly the same speed and direction he was flying and caught him at a moment when he wasn’t flapping his left wing.
The high contrast between the owl and the dark background probably helped my active focus point to lock on but even so it was a near-miracle.to not have any motion blur, except for a little in his right wing that we don’t see much of anyway..
My old friend Murphy must have slept in that morning.
Ron
Serendipity! One of my favorite words, since the old children’s show of the same name back in the ’70s. Glad Ol’ Murph let you alone on this one. (Gems like this one are why EC, Patty, and I often offer to go though your “slag” to look for some leftover gold. 😉 )
I’m always happy to see that hard-working Shortie daddy! Given some of the longevity records, I wonder if he might still be around.
I’ve often wondered the same thing, Marty. Now if he was always missing that primary on his left wing I’d be able to tell… but I’m glad they can replace them.
And we know that we would find gold too – and have a heap of fun in the search.
Beautiful light! I have been rereading and reading new articles on wildlife photography, they talk about camera settings, recommended lighting and lining up animals in uncluttered background, which includes MOVING your location to a different view. I get the settings and the goal, but it is finding that wonderful animal that allows you to move if your angle is poor or cluttered. They must live in a different world than I do! The majority of time as soon as I lift my lens all I see is a fleeing butt shot! Many use blinds that are staked out for days, I just can’t do that in my life.
April, I find one thing that really helps in that regard is to think about backgrounds as I’m pulling up on a bird. As you know stopping just a few inches earlier or later, or even rolling your window up or down if your lens is resting on it, can make a big difference in backgrounds. It doesn’t always help but it often does..
Again, I’m ridiculously redundant. What a glorious image!
But I fear I can’t help but default to comedy. “Nothing to see here!” said the owl. “Just helping this mouse cross the street!” I’ll go ahead and apologize profusely up front. That’s just where my mind is this morning–celebrating the absurdity of things. Sigh! That happens when I’m so far beyond frustrated that it’s ridiculous.
I’m sorry you’re so frustrated, Laura. I think it’s past time since you deserved far fewer bumps in your road of life.
Murphy is a cantankerous sod. He cut you a break with the missing softness and then ensured you didn’t even look at the photo. Which is a stunner.
EC your wonderful comments make me miss my Australian friend dearly. You often say similar things I’d hear from her. With covid we have not taken any trips together or talked much, just texted. She is still working in the schools and in students homes so she has been vaccinated. I hope to be soon so we can continue our travels and adventures together.
Thank you April. I hope you can resume your travels soon. I assume your friend has had the first dose – mine is months away I think.
“and then ensured you didn’t even look at the photo”
This far down the road I’ll forgive Murphy for that part, EC. Finding the photo almost 11 years after I took it was a wonderful treat, if much delayed.
Great find. Like you, I am surprised at the sharpness in the photo under the conditions you encountered. There is much to like in it, but a couple items stand out for me —
– composition of the contrasting values of dark brown and white which stand out from the moody sky
– the sense of soft flight from the wing tips and the underneck feathers. What really emphasizes motion are the streaks of dark feathers wavering on the breast.
Thanks, Kent. I see what you mean about the sense of motion we get from the color streaks on the breast.
That reminds me…I need to get breakfast.
😀 😀 😀
🙂
What a lovely find! Really enjoy your flight photos with ‘food’ included (when it’s not a bloody mess LOL).
Prey adds another dimension for sure!! I’m also curious if that vole was instantly dead at the claw-strike because it seems to be hanging limply during the owl’s flight, or if owls like to bring “live and kicking” prey to their nest to demonstrate the kill method to their offspring? Anyone know?
It varies, Terri. I’ve seen them carrying voles that were obviously dead but more than once I’ve photographed vole prey that was still struggling with its eyes open and a catch light in its eye.
Thank you, Kathleen.
The overcast sky you’ve captured seems to me like a gray velvet curtain–
a wonderfully textured backdrop for the beautifully-spotlighted furred and
feathered “stars” of that drama–everyday life becomes art !
“
Kris, it’s actually shaded mountains in the background but I see what you mean.
I like Lyle’s reference to the “digital attic”. Bet there are some really great finds among all those photos. Yes Murphy definitely cut you a break on this one. Beautiful in-flight photo with excellent color and background. Even the vole’s tiny little legs and tail are very clearly seen.
Everett, that poor vole looks pretty pitiful hanging there but I sure think it added a lot to the photo.
Nice spotlight on the guy that delivered so much food to his family that year.
He sure did, Pam. He gave me a lot of needed practice with birds in flight too.
Beautiful! Murphy definitely was “napping” that morning. The “spotlight” really isolated the owl while not creating a “solid” background for him. The vole shows up clearly as does the detail of the owl. Wonderful “find”…..😍
I’m glad you like it, Judy. Thanks.
Wow! Outstanding action shot! The precision of the details is astonishing on his prey too. The backlit in the flight feathers is just fabulous and brings a lot to the image beauty. Have a great day, Ron!
Thank you, Laval.
The kids are in for a sizable treat.
Finding amazing photos like this in some dusty old corner of my computer happens to me all the time. Not. You should rummage around in your digital attic more often
Lyly, my ‘attic’ is much too large to rummage around with any efficiency but I still do it occasionally.