Whoooooooo loves owls?

[Marko]

I quite like shot 2 here. Good eye sharpness in shot 1.
Some general tips imo:
1 - always focus on the eyes
2 - For bird shots I'll usually want shutter speeds in the 1/500 to 1/1000 range (when possible of course).
There was room to have upped the shutter speed and/or aperture by manipulating the ISO in shot 2. The eyes could have been even sharper and the white area around the birds face (clipped) could have been saved.
3- Check your histogram on trickier exposures.
4 - Practice. Bird photography is hard.

Hope that may help!

[aubintbay]

Nice set! i like that 1st one.

[Kevin McRae]

Thanks guys.

I appreciate the help Marko. I'm going to see if I can find some more next week.

[asnow]

I also like that first one.

[Hillbillygirl]

That first one is a real cutie, and the Snowy is quite nice also.
I know many may not like this advice, but we use flash even in bright sunlight, (as do many wildlife photographers, especially avian). It would have filled in that Snowy Owls shaded areas quite nicely, and brought out some detail. If you are looking at mostly wildlife/birds then an investment in a Better Beamer or similar flash extender would be one of your best cheap investments, along with a light softener such as Gary Fong Lightsphere, for closer shots.

[susan]

I quite like shot 2 here. Good eye sharpness in shot 1.
Some general tips imo:
1 - always focus on the eyes
2 - For bird shots I'll usually want shutter speeds in the 1/500 to 1/1000 range (when possible of course).
There was room to have upped the shutter speed and/or aperture by manipulating the ISO in shot 2. The eyes could have been even sharper and the white area around the birds face (clipped) could have been saved.
3- Check your histogram on trickier exposures.
4 - Practice. Bird photography is hard.

Hope that may help!

Kevin -- what a wonderful opportunity you have to catch these beautiful birds with your lens!
Marko - Thank you for taking the time to break it down for those of us who want to photograph birds but aren't in the know of how to do it!