A very cooperative Short-eared Owl and the quickly changing colors of light at sunrise.
Three days ago I arrived at my distant shooting location before sunrise and immediately found a very calm and cooperative Short-eared Owl on a fence post next to the road. It was dark enough that I didn’t even see the owl until I had passed it by a few feet so I had to back up to get a little further away from the bird and give me a good light angle when the sun eventually came up. As I was backing I was so close to the owl I fully expected ‘him’ to flush so I was delighted when he stood his ground.
I had distant mountains in the background so of course the light hit them before it did the owl. At sunrise the result was a light show of quickly changing colors in the background that were interesting, even if they weren’t always appealing.
1/500, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
6:30 AM: I’m not a ‘pink’ kinda guy but that’s pretty close to what I got when the light first hit the mountains in the backgound and the owl was still in shade. If that’s not enough pink for you…
here’s a horizontal crop of the same image to provide an overdose.
There are two colors that have always grated on my nerves a little, pink and purple, so I’m having a bit of a hard time with these background colors. But when I get an owl this close, and with this much detail, I can put up with just about anything.
As the sun continued to rise, the purplish pinks became more subdued and slowly morphed into other colors. Whether they’re an improvement or not depends on individual preferences.
1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
6:36 AM: Six minutes later, after I’d backed up even further and changed my camera settings in case the owl took off, the mountains transformed into a shade of orange. Depending on tastes that may or may not be an improvement but at least it’s variety.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
6:38 AM: A full nine minutes after I took my first photo of the owl, actual sunlight began to hit the bird and the mountains in the background began to change into colors that I personally find more appealing.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
6:40 AM: Two minutes later I finally had full sunlight on the owl and the background colors were nearly where I wanted them, but wouldn’t you know it – this is the last shot I got before the owl took off.
In the nearly twelve minutes I spent with this owl I took 340 photos of him and got a kaleidoscope of background colors that I find interesting if not always appealing. I found two more Short-eared Owls that morning, one of them a youngster, but neither one gave me the opportunities this one did so I’m grateful to him for tolerating me for so long.
If you ask me, any time spent with a Short-eared Owl is time very well spent.
Ron
WOW! Finally looking on my big screen.
I adore the color in the first and the last the most. All are lovely, but the deep hues really appeal to me. 😀
I’m quite late to this party, but must throw in my 2 pennies’ worth of opinion anyway: Least of all is that I am definitely a pink/purple fan (you should see my closet), so I like those backgrounds quite a bit. But most of all, in that last photo, where the background seems “moodier” and not as appealing to me — that owl looks lit from within! A truly gorgeous raptor! 💕
Your description of your closet has me smiling, Chris. Those colors aren’t for me but… different strokes.
Gorgeous sunrise shots — and with a Shortie as the icing on the cake! 🙂 As I’m quite fond of purple, I am especially enjoying these shots.
(BTW, got some tomatoes from my neighbor and we’ve been enjoying them — skipped the B and the L and have been just having T sandwiches with a little Best Foods mayo and S&P. Sooooo good!)
” a Shortie as the icing on the cake”
Yes icing, that’s what it looks like! And it isn’t chocolate so maybe that’s why I’m not much of a fan…
Sad to say, Marty – for the first time ever my tomato crop is close to a disaster. With my physical limitations this spring and summer I just haven’t been able to do what’s necessary to get a decent crop.
Later on I may have enough for BLT’s occasionally but not nearly enough.
Is there a decent farmers’ market in your area? We have one stand that has really good heirloom tomatoes during the summer, but you have to get there early before they sell out.
I actually found a fruit and vegetable stand yesterday on my way home from buying bird seed (which btw has suddenly become incredibly expensive). They don’t have tomatoes yet but they should have them soon.
Good Luck! 🍅 ❤️
IDK from tomatoes much, but bird seed has gone through the roof in the last year! A 20# bag that used to cost $35 is now $45. But, anything for my feathered friends …. 🙃
Chris, I bought a 20# bag yesterday – $45.57.
I also bought a ‘large’ package of chicken wings which cost me over $20. CHICKEN WINGS for gawd’s sake!
That is about what we pay for our twenty kilo bags. And has been for ages. I shudder to think what they will cost next time.
Echoing all the other comments. Sunrise by proxy. Gorgeous, all of them! And the best model you could ask for. Lovely.
“the best model you could ask for”
I totally agree, Carolyn.
You are a far better photographer than I am. So it feels strange and a bit cheeky to be critical. Like the first one best. It’s a great photo, but the bird to background ratio also deemphasizes the background color. I just don’t know about that pink.
“I just don’t know about that pink”
I don’t know about it either, Michael. But I figured that at least some viewers would like it and after all, it’s a Shortie, so I just went with it.
The backgrounds make the image for me – Love it! (I am a pink kind of girl).
Thank you, Rene.
Ooh! I totally love the pink! These are gorgeous and the pink focuses your eye totally on the owl especially with the sunlight shining on it! What nderful!
Thanks, Beth Ann. I’m glad you love pink.
Not long ago I saw a guy driving an older GMC pickup that was… pink. I won’t say any more…
Gorgeous series. So nice to see details of this beautiful bird, no matter the background.
“no matter the background”
That’s kinda how I look at it, Kathryn. For me, Shorties are so special it takes more than background colors that aren’t my favorite to take my enjoyment out of the photos.
Wonderful Series!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
Great series! Very cooperative subject for showing changing light effects .Was there no smoke involved?
“Was there no smoke involved?”
Now that’s a perceptive question, John. No, there was no smoke but something else had a somewhat similar effect.
There was a thin layer of clouds, so thin they were hard to see, directly above the mountains where the sun was coming up. Those clouds dispersed some of the light onto the owl, even before direct sunlight hit the bird. If it hadn’t been for that light dispersion to the owl, with that bright background the owl would have been much darker and showing less detail. The very thin clouds also caused the light to be warmer than it would have been otherwise.
Good question.
Oh my, Ron! What a series! Coffee always tastes better with a Shortie!
Anything tastes better with Shorties, Diane!
Definitely time well spent! All of the backgrounds are nice to my eye. I like how the story changes as the sun rises.
Bruce, I photographed a lot of in-between colors too but I had to draw the line somewhere.
Ooooh. And ahhh.
This girl could warm to pink if it always looked this good.
Many, many thanks.
Thank you, EC.
I truly admire shot #1–that particular hue is one that I’ve always labeled
“amethyst”– it’s between pink and lavender, but slightly smoky, modifying
the cloying effect that clear-hued tints often have–to my eye, it’s a
perfect background for setting off this gorgeously-marked bird !
“Amethyst”, I’ll try to remember that Kris, but knowing me I probably won’t for long.
One could assign chameleon-like abilities to this Owl as he changes colors with the background.
I’m struck with the way the primaries go from dull to brilliant gold as the sun rises.
I seem to recall another of your photos where the bird has a dark inclusion on the cornea.
I like how you pay attention, Lyle – the inclusion in his left eye isn’t all that easy to see at this size and resolution. I almost posted a closeup photo of it, but didn’t.
Oh these are beautiful! The sequence with shifting light gives me the sensation of being right there at sunrise myself. thank you.
Good. Thanks, Kate.
Just beautiful, Ron. Thank goodness for cooperative SEOs! 🙂
Thanks, Cathy.
Outstanding – like all the colors from start to finish. The owl’s coloring looks really neat as the sunrise colors change. Love those Betty Davis Eyes.
I often take sunrise photos here and it is so interesting to see the minute by minute changes.
Thank you, Everett. Early morning is the best in my opinion, for lots of reasons.
Beautiful! 🙂 SEO really did cooperate – last 2 shots the light is best, for me anyway. Sunrise/sunset can change SO fast! Have gone back to the house for the camera – maybe 100 yrds. – and it was, in effect, “gone”.
Little rain – wind obscene most of the day……..
” maybe 100 yrds. – and it was, in effect, “gone””
Yup, that’s what it’s like, Judy. At that time of day, if you’re not a fan of what it looks like now just wait a few seconds and try again.
Just one word: WOW!
😊
Gorgeous! All of them!
Thanks, Terri.
What a wonderful series of photos. I like all the colors, although I appreciate the detail in the photo with full sun.
Thanks, Nancy. I have amazing detail in those early photos before I moved further back.
Beautiful, the owl does look great with a pink background!!
I’m glad you like the pink, Dick. I’m still working on it…
Stunning photos! Thanks for sharing and starting my day in a great way!
Thank you, Cindy.