Nick Delany, QPSA  


Hunting Owl by Nick Delany, QPSA

May 2022 - Hunting Owl

About the Image(s)

Great Horned Owl photographed at a Raptor Rescue Center on Vancouver Island. This Owl was able to be coaxed to fly for his handlers for suitable meaty treats. However, at this moment a rabbit appeared from under a bush close to the demo ground and he took off in pursuit. The rabbit got away so no creatures were harmed in the creation of this image …. :-)
Due to the contrast in the feathering, I believe that Owls make for potentially good B&W images and I am asking for some feedback on this notion.

Nikon D850 & 180-400mm f/4

ISO 5000 1/2500 s f/4 390mm

Processed in color in Capture One with a crop and standard HDR adjustments. Converted to B&W using CEP4 with Digital Extractor and B&W Conversion filters


This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted




Peter Clark   Peter Clark
A superb capture Nick - wings in perfect position and the menace in the owl's eye draws the viewer in.
I find the post in the lower right a major distraction and IMO the image benefits from it's removal. A crop off the right could be beneficial for balance.   Posted: 05/04/2022 06:06:21
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Nick Delany   Nick Delany
Peter...thank you for the input with which I agree. I regularly forget that it is B&W and I can make that type of change to the image.   Posted: 05/09/2022 18:41:15



Ella Schreiber   Ella Schreiber
HI Nick... I love owls! Your image even captured the water droplets coming off his/her feet at take-off. If this were my image, I might also consider removing the post and adding 1 - 2 inches of canvas space to the left-hand side of the image. That would give the owl a bit more room to fly in the image and also give you the ability to adjust the crop so the bird is more or less centered.   Posted: 05/04/2022 09:49:39
Nick Delany   Nick Delany
Thank you Ella, I agree with Peter & yourself about cleaning up the post. In this version I cropped it harder than Peter's version into a portrait. Unfortunately I have no space in front of the Owl as he moved like lightening when he decided to go !   Posted: 05/09/2022 18:45:43
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Peter Clark   Peter Clark
Your crop improves the image, but as Ella noted a little more space in front of the owl would be beneficial.

Relative;y simple to achieve by enlarging the canvas to the left and transforming a background selection to fit. A square crop seems to suit the image well. See below ....   Posted: 05/10/2022 04:17:05
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Nick Delany   Nick Delany
Brilliant!
Thank you   Posted: 05/10/2022 09:34:33



John Gilkerson   John Gilkerson
Nick, a very well caught image indeed.

Peter's suggestion is very interesting and is a technique I had forgotten about.   Posted: 05/12/2022 01:18:19



Ed Ries
Hello Nick. Intriguing image, well caught. The eye is in excellent focus which is important for bird images. I believe it does very well in B&W. I like Peter's suggestion and I will remember the technique for future use.   Posted: 05/21/2022 14:21:03