Herb , I really enjoy your images , this one included , your skills are special. I am assuming the Owl is being baited, a concept which I have been trying to deal with now for a couple of weeks even before Conrad's post, having tried to get a similar image but from the front without the mouse included. If it is a natural strike then the image is really very incredible.
I still haven't come to a satisfactory conclusion for my photography . Thanks for sharing . The intensity and the focus is really a special capture . Alan
Although I commented favorably on this photo previously, I now realize that there's no reason a wild mouse would be in a position like that. When it snows on a mouse's territory, it scurries around underneath it on the ground, making tunnels for itself. There's no food on top of the snow, but plenty of danger. You see videos of foxes and coyotes listening for mice under the snow and then leaping high and plunging straight down to grab them. Only if a predator has somehow flushed a mouse out of the snow, would it be exposed on top.
I'm not going to do anything to lure in birds for a shot, but if I was going to catch an owl diving in like this and had put out a mouse, I'd keep it out of the frame. Wouldn't it be likely that such a shot would be taken in a burst mode? The one that came just before this, would not likely have shown the mouse and if it was sharp and un-blurred, would be a better pick to show.
Steve McDonald wrote:
Although I commented favorably on this photo previously, I now realize that there's no reason a wild mouse would be in a position like that. When it snows on a mouse's territory, it scurries around underneath it on the ground, making tunnels for itself. There's no food on top of the snow, but plenty of danger. You see videos of foxes and coyotes listening for mice under the snow and then leaping high and plunging straight down to grab them. Only if a predator has somehow flushed a mouse out of the snow, would it be exposed on top.
I'm not going to do anything to lure in birds for a shot, but if I was going to catch an owl diving in like this and had put out a mouse, I'd keep it out of the frame. Wouldn't it be likely that such a shot would be taken in a burst mode? The one that came just before this, would not likely have shown the mouse and if it was sharp and un-blurred, would be a better pick to show....Show more →
If everybody took pictures as you do, if you even take wildlife pictures at all.
It would be a boring stagnant forum, with all the pictures being the same.
Unless it is against the law, it is this photographers right (and others) to shoot what he chooses and how.
Wether you or I approve or not.
tfoltz wrote:
If everybody took pictures as you do, if you even take wildlife pictures at all.
It would be a boring stagnant forum, with all the pictures being the same.
Unless it is against the law, it is this photographers right (and others) to shoot what he chooses and how.
Wether you or I approve or not.
Wow!!!
At least Steve is educated enough to know the behavior / habitat of the prey as opposed to being blindly in approval of the "ridiculously special" and "technically perfect" shot shown here.
Have you ever seen a GGO (or any other owl for that matter) truly hunting on its own?
I have already said this in another thread but I will say it again here:
"The image shown here tells the wrong story. It has the wrong educational purpose." It was posted on a public forum. The "wow" factor is limited to a semi private group of people which was bound to result in at least a small number of negative comments: although most who disagree with the way the image was taken, and the subject of the image, would likely stay away from commenting.
On the educational point, I am sorry to say that it may be giving the wrong idea to a photographer who is just starting in the craft. I am sure that such person is going to be green with envy of such shot and see the author of the image as a God in the wildlife photography world. I am sure that Herb is a nice guy and very skilled photographer but when it come down to this photo, some may find the posting offensive. I do ...... and believe me, I do not have the pretention of being an angel.
And to make this post legit:
The overall image need some improvements compositianally: a bit more room on the right and top (IMO). Since this shot was taken under controled environment, I think that deeper dof would have been a better choice in order to avoid the far wing to be slighly out of focus. There is also a lack of detail on the mouse's fur towards the neck. Another suggestion would be to have the mouse face the other way as eye contact from both subjects would be better / almost perfect. But really, I am nit-picking on that last point.
But then again, wildlife photography is a combination of techinal skill and field craft. Given the nature of this controled situation, one does not really need much of the latter. As we often say, "Should be happy with what we get and we can always look forward to the next time for perfection". Happy baiting.
I think it's a crackin shot Herb. Who cares if it's baited? The owl got some lunch, Herb got a wonderful shot. Win-win. If the mouse is it's regular food, then it's absolutely ridiculous to complain if the shot was baited. I'd do it in a heartbeat! Now if the person providing the mouse/food supplied something which was not in the owl/bird's diet, then... that's messing with the food chain/nature, and that ain't cool.
It's like when someone buys you a beer or a burrito. You can't say, "sorry this was unexpected and I was baited". NO, you drink that beer and thank you. I'm sure the owl was thankful it got a free meal, because it'll have to work for upcoming meals in the winter for sure. If anything you were helping the owl through the winter, and thus a true American.
Awesome shot. Nothing but appreciation for this in every way. Totally jealous too.
johnmueller wrote:
Who cares if it's baited? The owl got some lunch, Herb got a wonderful shot. Win-win. If the mouse is it's regular food, then it's absolutely ridiculous to complain if the shot was baited. I'd do it in a heartbeat! Now if the person providing the mouse/food supplied something which was not in the owl/bird's diet, then... that's messing with the food chain/nature, and that ain't cool.
With all due respect, if you believe that feeding animals doesn't alter their behavior and "mess with the food chain/nature" then you are simply uninformed.
There are arguments to be made about exactly how harmful baiting is, how much is too much, and where there might be mitigating circumstances... but none of it is as simple as, "it's the animal's natural food therefore it is okay" so please don't dismiss the discussion as irrelevant or unimportant.
