The Magic to Isolation

Great Gray Owls had a good year with lots being seen in Montana and by most folks in Yellowstone. With that said, when one has the opportunity to photograph a Great Gray, we try to make the most of that opportunity. We want to come back with that prize photo of this spectacular member of our wild heritage. That can be easier said than done at times. When they are hunting as this individual was, they are on the move, it takes very little if any, “push” for them to move to the next perch. Since they are hunting open meadows from the trees on the ecotone, they tend to perch in photographically busy locations. Nothing is more frustrating than having a Great Gray surrounded by branches. What to do?

In the perfect world, you can zoom with your feet. Getting closer is a great way crop out those busy elements. That wasn’t an option in this case. That obnoxious branch in the lower right corner (bottom photo) was driving me nuts! Then there were the dead pine needle clump and finally the interesting trunk on the left. I couldn’t get closer physically but I could optically. Without hesitation I added the Z2x to the Z600f4TC, which was already at 840mm. Shooting now at 1680mm, I moved a tad to my right to grab as much darkness as I could (exposure range is a great tool for isolating a subject) and went vertical. With that, I made the most of this very special moment with an incredible critter. It all came together in the camera with the magic of isolation.