10 Comments Posted On: January 16th, 2012 In:Lighting, Photography

Many people have been asking me how I took the shot of a Great Horned Owl.

It was a relatively simple shot. Since I couldn’t transport him to the lighting studio, I brought my equipment with me to the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge in Wilmington, NY, and set up. Since I needed low light, but not too low as to frighten or blind the bird when my flash fired. Considering the power they have in their wings and their sharp talons and beak, the consideration was also given for the safety of myself and Steve Hall.

 

As the sun was setting, I went out with Steve and he brought Utah away from any walls or objects in his enclosure so nothing would be caught in my key light. My key light for the night, a simple YN-560 Speedlight paired with the amazing Lumiquest ProMax System (using the white insert and the diffuser). Set with that, I dialed in as tiny as I could f-stop wise (f-16), held my light about 2 feet to the left of the owl, and began. I loved the look the ProMax system gave me, and the f-16 gave me some wicked sharp detail of all those feathers. I have a slight fascination for birds, so this was a real treat.

 

He didn’t seem to mind once we got started. Although generally he looked very pissy, Great Horned Owls rarely look thrilled to be anywhere.

 


10 Responses to Lighting the Owl

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