EarthShots.org Photo of the Day Contest

Wednesday, 16th July 2008

Hiding Owl

by Mart Smit

This young little owl was calling for his brothers and sisters. They were all searching for a branch to enjoy the late sun.

Equipment: Canon 40D + Canon 300 mm/ 2.8 + 1.4 converter

Mart Smit

I am Mart Smit, 17 years old. Living in the northern parts of Holland. I am very interesting in Nature and because of my father, I started photographing nature at a young age. With some succeses in photo competitions like BBC wildlife photographer of the year and Argus I could buy my own equipment.

Website: www.martsmit.nl

Hiding Owl by Mart Smit was photo of the day on Wednesday, 16th July 2008. It is tagged Birds, Owls. You can leave a comment below.

27 Comments

Katherine Lee Strassburg

16th July 2008 at 1:51 am

This is a great natural pose. Young owls seem to be as curious about us as we are about them, and you caught his intense eyes perfectly in the shadows. He’s feeling pretty cocky in his natural habitat–I’m so glad you shared this photo with us!

Anurag

16th July 2008 at 6:16 am

Just brighten up the owl a little bit in Photoshop and a great shot becomes a truly outstanding one.
Kudos!!

Ahmed Sharif

16th July 2008 at 6:33 am

great scary eyes!!…….. the eyes in the shadows are the most interesting part of the pic……. the shadows make the eyes pop!!…… the details on the wood add to it….. well done!!

realimage

16th July 2008 at 6:38 am

Nice shot, and it is good as it is.
The Owl is clearly visible and sharp enough so there is no need for changing anything in my eyes. It also would may destroy the hideous atmosphere of the stump hole…

Paul Dass

16th July 2008 at 6:51 am

perfect capture, may be a slight increase of light will help for a better view.

Malta Photography

16th July 2008 at 8:52 am

cool shot, i would be very proud if this was mine. its sharp and very intriguing.
well done

Pauline Jones

16th July 2008 at 8:53 am

Hi Mark,
this is a lovely shot; it could have done with cropping and brightening so that we see more of the owl than the tree. If you can’t afford photoshop you can download Picasa from Google for free. It is easy to use but doesn’t save the changes, however if you burn them onto a CD and reload them they become permanent. I also use photostudio 5.5 which I got free with a canon printer. You don’t need to start with expensive equipment; a decent compact will do. I would recommend a Casio Exilim with as many megapixels as you can afford. Compacts are getting so sophisticated these days that they are not so very far behind DSLR’s. Remember it’s the eye behind the camera that takes good pictures; the equipment is useless without that. I wish you well with your photography; you have a good eye and should go far.

Photo Buffet

16th July 2008 at 2:43 pm

Marc, congratulations on winning the BBC photographer of the year! That’s quite an accomplishment for someone your age. This owl photo is wonderful, and gives us a closeup glimpse at this amazing bird.

poster boy

16th July 2008 at 4:08 pm

Great capture, well done! Keep up the good work

16th July 2008 at 4:20 pm

Congratulations! He/she is so adorable!

Sue gagnon

16th July 2008 at 6:26 pm

This shot is FABULOUS!!!

Justin

16th July 2008 at 9:18 pm

That is one of the nicest photos I have seen on earth shots! Amazing capture!!

Marie Dunphy Harding

16th July 2008 at 9:38 pm

I wouldn’t have known it was an owl!
Wonderful creatures & you didn’t scare him!

Renee

16th July 2008 at 10:29 pm

This is a amazing photo! I really like this one!

mike yoase

16th July 2008 at 11:26 pm

Great Photo. Keep up the good work.

mike toase

16th July 2008 at 11:28 pm

Brilliant Photo. Wish Mine was as so good.

Lakshmi

17th July 2008 at 2:47 am

Love how the owl is framed by the tree. Am not too bothered by the darkness as it pops the owl’s eyes even more apart from telling us how dark the owl really likes it!
Thanks for sharing.

Laurie

17th July 2008 at 5:02 am

This photo is perfect as it is…
a truly natural shot. The owl is hiding in the dark hole, “camouflaged” as God intended.

Too much PhotoShop makes artificial pictures.

venus

17th July 2008 at 7:54 pm

Excellent shot, well done. Nice balance, the flat surface to the left brings out the impact and significance of the hole that is somebody’s home, complete with rustic overhang! The concentric patterns seem to draw me in to the dark shadows within the mysterious hole, from where a half hidden creature’s eyes are staring right into my soul. Looks all cutesy furry and deadly vicious at the same time (imagine the picture through a mouse’s eyes). Good frame, good light. And good luck with your future, not that you need any.