Rufous-banded Owl (Ecuador)

[Glenn Bartley]

It seems like everyone is in full-fledged Owl mode this winter. So here is a tropical species to add to the plethora of Great Grays...



Camera Model: Canon EOS 7D
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: 5.6
Flash: On
ISO: 800
Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x

[Tony Jay]

Owls are right up with my favourite bird species.
This little fellow is magnificent.

Tony Jay

[Rocco Penny]

man I at first thought okay, this guy gets the occasional one off pretty great maybe half luck shot.
Now Sir, if I may,
I've never seen anything like it.
Over and over bam~!
Feathers aren't that easy...
you are a really good bird photographer

[tim wolcott]

NO.  Glenn is a great bird photographer.  He continuously get the great feather photo.  Would like to no Glenn are you selling these and what do you do for a living.  I can't believe you don't make your living from selling these thru out the world.  Hope that is the case.  Tim Wolcott

[Praki]

Glenn ... another outstanding picture. As a person not used to flash in distance photography, Isn't flash at this focal length (the subject being so far away ~ 20 - 30 m) of pretty nominal use? How much did it contribute? Look forward to some education on this subject.
Thanks,
Praki.

[Tony Jay]

Glenn ... another outstanding picture. As a person not used to flash in distance photography, Isn't flash at this focal length (the subject being so far away ~ 20 - 30 m) of pretty nominal use? How much did it contribute? Look forward to some education on this subject.

Not to steal Glenn's thunder, however, flash is often used in bird photography for two reasons:
1. Fill-flash to bring detail to shadow areas on the bird; and
2. To bring a bit of light into the bird's eye.

I routinely use flash for bird photography at distances much longer than 20-30 metres - up to 50 metres.
I would also be interested to know how frequently Glenn uses flash in his work.

Tony Jay

[Glenn Bartley]

man I at first thought okay, this guy gets the occasional one off pretty great maybe half luck shot.
Now Sir, if I may,
I've never seen anything like it.
Over and over bam~!
Feathers aren't that easy...
you are a really good bird photographer

Thank you for the kind words :-)

[Glenn Bartley]

NO.  Glenn is a great bird photographer.  He continuously get the great feather photo.  Would like to no Glenn are you selling these and what do you do for a living.  I can't believe you don't make your living from selling these thru out the world.  Hope that is the case.  Tim Wolcott

Thanks for the very kind words!

I am a full time professional wildlife photographer. I make my living travelling to photograph birds, write books, magazine articles and lead tours for folks who are hoping to take their own wildlife photography to the next level. Not a bad gig! 

More info here - http://www.glennbartley.com/about.htm

[Glenn Bartley]

Glenn ... another outstanding picture. As a person not used to flash in distance photography, Isn't flash at this focal length (the subject being so far away ~ 20 - 30 m) of pretty nominal use? How much did it contribute? Look forward to some education on this subject.
Thanks,
Praki.

At night the flash is doing most of the work (used as the main source of light). During the day you generally want to use flash as fill.

Lots more info about the use of flash in bird photography in my new e-book - http://www.theguidetotropicalnaturephotography.com/

Sorry for the plug...but I swear there is a whole chapter dedicated to the use of flash in bird photography 

[sdwilsonsct]

2. To bring a bit of light into the bird's eye.

That's one single thing I have found to take issue with these consistently outstanding photographs: the reflection of the flash in the owl's eyes reminds me that there is indeed a photographer between me and this image. The other pictures are like a magical view into a super-natural, normally hidden world.

[Praki]

Glenn: You have to give a discount on the eBook to your fans on LuLa!

[Tony Jay]

Scott, unfortunately one cannot make an omlette without breaking at least some eggs.
It is true that I try to let natural sunlight do the job but that is not always possible.
Fill-flash is also often required or the shadow detail gets lost and not many bird images are worth anything  without the eyes.

Tony Jay