These eyes are one of those shots that look so good you might think it's fake. Like that colour and clarity!
I always give the photos a critical look since most owls have one eye color, but the Long Ear can have eyes from very yellow to very orange. It always has me looking to see how much manipulation has been done to the image.
Long Eared Owls to me are very striking in navy regards, but to a tasteful, restrained amount. The eyes, facial disc, plumicorns, and overall coloration. They're bold, but not over the top.
It's one of my top owls, but it's usually not so popular here, and maybe that is why - they don't have that one thing to capture attention.
Looks like an owl wizard about to cast Fireball. (or Featherball?)
Hadouken!
That is an amazing shot.
Even though I know some of the principles behind how they do it, I'm still always amazed at how they can capture this stuff so clearly that it looks frozen in time. It still feels like magic.
Digital definitely helps because you can just spam the hell out of the shutter. And I have no doubt that a shot like this has an obscene investment in equipment because I've seen the limitations of my own (still expensive for me, and realistically pretty decent) stuff. But the top end is something different.
Then on top of that equipment, you need some decent work into scouting locations where you can get close enough without scaring stuff away, you need to invest a bunch of time actually in those locations, with a reasonably high degree of focus, understand your camera and settings well enough to maximize the shot for the lighting, and react and get shots lined up in seconds a lot of the time.
Plus actually find a way to make a living on it or do it in your spare time between an actual job that pays the bills and for all your expensive gear. It's seriously impressive and there's a reason most people can't do it.
