Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I thought this was kinda fun. Quite a crop on this to get the facial, but in my opinion the sensor on the 5DIV can handle it. Just heard him yesterday while playing golf and decided to go out after the round to try to find him. Once I did I noticed there was a pair. As I tried to get his attention to look directly at me, the female decided to split the scene while he, in my opinion, glared at me for interrupting his afternoon snooze. Besides a little color correction in NIK color Efex Pro 4, some softening of the background and a bit of sharpening of only the bird, I also took a little liberty to doctor the eyes with a quick mask and lightened the eyes. The brighter eyes add a little.

5DIV, 600mm IS II +1.4X (840 mm), f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 800. Single AF sensor right between his eyes. The rig is mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a 4th Generation Mongoose 3.6 Gimbal head.

These guys are great birds and hope you enjoy.

PS: I added my HOG name to this post and trust its not too annoying . There are several photographers on this blog that really produce some great work and as I go through the posts each morning, having their name associated with the post would guide me to view their work more efficiently. If you like what I post, in the future having a name associated with the post might be helpful to follow. On the other hand, if you hate my stuff, at least you will know to not bother looking.

(Download)

sholland98 Loc: Benbrook, Texas

Very nice and impressive! Ought to frame this one for sure.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

A great capture.
Looks brilliant in the download format.
Well taken.

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

Nice shot.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

Excellent capture.

angler Loc: StHelens England

Lovely work.

SonyBug

Great shot. Perfectly sharp in download and expand mode.

Carolina Wings Loc: Flew from North Carolina to Pennsylvania

Love these owls...great shot through all those sticks!

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

That's a beautiful portrait!

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Excellent work and beautiful image!

JBruce Loc: Northern MN

Spectacular shot; one to be very proud of. I keep looking for a similar situation, but as of yet, the birds just don't cooperate. And hey, what's to hate in a photo of this quality!? JBruce

Flyerace Loc: Mt Pleasant, WI

I love photos of owls. You can keep on shooting and make a lot of us happy. Thanks for letting me view your photo.
(I really think he is looking at you and thinking "that's a tasty bit".)

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Great close up.

vicksart Loc: Novato, CA -earthquake country

Beautiful image.

shangyrhee Loc: Nashville TN to Sacramento CA

Gorgeous !!! Thank you for sharing. Shang