One Last Snowstorm

jsecordphoto · Apr 2, 2015

I was really excited over the weekend to find what is likely to be the last Snowy Owl I'll photograph until next winter while on the coast of Massachusetts.

The really cool thing about this owl, is that it is part of a tracking program called Project Snowstorm. You can see the wire of the solar powered transmitter on the right side of the owls back in this photo. It doesn't seem to hinder or negatively effect the bird at all, and it provides information about the migration patterns of these owls as they come back and forth from the Arctic, where they spend the summer months.

Another photographer reached out and got confirmation that this Adult Male was relocated earlier in the season from Logan Airport.

tirediron · Apr 2, 2015

Very nice.

jsecordphoto · Apr 2, 2015

tirediron said:
Very nice.

thanks!

NancyMoranG · Apr 3, 2015

Beautiful shot of a beautiful creature!
With all of the white, how did you keep from getting 'whiteout' in the feather details?

jsecordphoto · Apr 3, 2015

NancyMoranG said:
Beautiful shot of a beautiful creature!
With all of the white, how did you keep from getting 'whiteout' in the feather details?

These owls can be the trickiest thing to expose correctly, especially one like this that is mostly white (some of them have more black feathers mixed in). This was only half an hour after sunrise before the light gets too harsh, which made it a little easier. I basically have to pay really close attention to my histogram to keep the highlights in check. I think I set my exposure compensation to -1/3ev for this shot. Later in the day, I have to underexposed by at least a stop and just pull my shadows a ton if I can