The Barn Owl

Not often a great horned owl lands on our barn at The Old Brabender Place, so when it does, I want to take a memorable photo. I spotted this one through my office window in the house, about 150 feet from the far end of our barn.

These wise birds have keen eyesight and hearing, so I didn't dare step outside to try to get closer. It was dusk and starting to get dark. The only chance I had was to take the photo through my window, with a slow shutter speed, and my lens zoomed to its maximum, 270 mm – a recipe for a lousy image if I were to hand-hold my camera. A tripod was my only answer. Fortunately the owl stayed long enough for me to set up and take two images, this one and a blurry photo of it taking flight.

​Tip: Have a tripod handy when you need it. Photo by The Ashton Photographer.