Donna Sturla
December 2025 - Burrowing Owls
About the Image(s)
These tiny owls nest in "caves" they dig and I went with two friends to try to photograph them. We went in the evening and I was very unhappy that my friends invited three other people, and I was concerned about scaring the owls. In addition, they brought a phone app that made the sound that these owls make, to lure them out of their "nest". I took a few pictures without a tripod and left.
I used my Nikon D7000, Tamron 150-500 mm lens and shot at 450 mm, 1/100 sec., ISO 1250, F 8.0. I used Topaz Denoise and Sharpen due to this being hand-held and low light.
Any ideas on photographing owls and how to make this a better shot would be appreciated.
4 comments posted
Donna, I have never photographed burrowing owls, or used "bird" call app. I do really like the composition using 1 eye on each owl. You did very well on making the eye on the front owl to be sharp. You probably tried to get the front bird in focus but the eyes are the secret. Using a newer cam body (Even a used D750) would of allowed a much higher iso, using existing lenses, and combined with your Topaz software made you happier with all your images, I think. Posted: 12/12/2025 16:22:25
Donna, very interesting image. I am drawn to their eyes which are beautifully in focus. The owl in the foreground needs sharpening as it appears to be blurry. I might also use a tighter crop with the rock on the left as it is also not sharp.
Posted: 12/12/2025 19:58:37
Posted: 12/12/2025 19:58:37
Even though you were disappointed with your outing Donna, the image you have made shows the owls well in their habitat, particularly the standing owl which is absolutely clear in its focus. It was a good choice to use deNoise and Sharpen. The background is nicely blurred too. Well done.
I'm not much of a bird photographer, so won't attempt to offer wise advice but if you enjoy the challenge of photographing birds, keep at it. Posted: 12/14/2025 17:51:21
I'm not much of a bird photographer, so won't attempt to offer wise advice but if you enjoy the challenge of photographing birds, keep at it. Posted: 12/14/2025 17:51:21
Dona, I love bird photography. I used Sigma 150-600 mm lens which is par to Tamron 150-500. I could hardly belief you shot the birds at speed 1/100 sec @ 450 mm - hand held. You said you used Topaz AI Denoise and Sharpening. You likely doing perfect masking only some part of bird fur that was sharpened and allow the rest in its soft and fluffy. I also saw bird eyes strong and bright. It suggest me of excellent shooting skill out in the field and very fine post processing technique. It convince me your rank in bird photography. Posted: 12/19/2025 03:28:53