{"id":13721,"date":"2014-01-20T05:48:56","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T12:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=13721"},"modified":"2025-02-15T08:09:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T14:09:49","slug":"short-eared-owls-photographed-in-fog-and-evening-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/01\/20\/short-eared-owls-photographed-in-fog-and-evening-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Short-eared Owls photographed in fog and evening light"},"content":{"rendered":"

In\u00a0photography the available light and weather conditions can make remarkable differences in the settings that are used for the shot and in the results of the final image.<\/p>\n

\"FemaleFemale Short-eared Owl photographed in a lake fog – Nikon D200, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 300mm, natural light, not baited or set up<\/span><\/p>\n

This female Short-eared Owl was photographed at 8:24 am in a lake fog from the Lower Lake at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge<\/a><\/span> in southwestern Montana. I had taken the first series of images at a higher ISO and then bumped it down to ISO 400.<\/p>\n

I knew my shutter speed was going to be slow but my lens was rock steady on my Noodle<\/a><\/span> and the bird was perched and not very active.<\/p>\n

This image is low in contrast and while the Short-eared Owl is sharp and in focus there is a softness to the\u00a0overall feeling when viewing this photo partially because of the softening effect the fog had on the vegetation in the background.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Short-eared Owl photographed in evening light\u00a0– Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/320,\u00a0ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light, not baited or set up<\/span><\/p>\n

This male Short-eared Owl was photographed in warm evening light at 8:20 pm in Glacier County in northwestern Montana and it has much more contrast than the image of the female owl because of the available light and there are also more fine details evident in the plumage.<\/p>\n

The setting sun added a bit of a golden glow to this image too. Again my shutter speed was slow but my lens was steady and the bird wasn’t very active so I selected ISO 400.<\/p>\n

Both images are appealing to me because I enjoy the foggy softness of the female Short-eared Owl image and the warm, golden tones of the male Short-eared Owl photo.<\/p>\n

I have learned to work with the light and not against it and more often than not, I am very happy with the results.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Short-eared Owl photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Both images are appealing to me because I enjoy the foggy softness of the female Short-eared Owl image and the warm, golden tones of the male Short-eared Owl photo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,27,223,860,12,608,130],"tags":[4004,4114,4021,2663,4433,4070,4175,4062,3967,294,2415,4104,3971],"class_list":["post-13721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-glacier-county","category-montana","category-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge","category-short-eared-owls","tag-adult","tag-asio-flammeus","tag-bird-photography","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-evening-light","tag-female","tag-fog","tag-male","tag-owl","tag-owls","tag-owls-of-montana","tag-perched","tag-short-eared-owl"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/short-eared-owl-female-thumbnail-mia-mcpherson-8624.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3zj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8306,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/05\/06\/owl-see-you-at-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":0},"title":"Owl See You at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I've said before that owls fascinate me; probably more times than I can count, and Short-eared Owls are always a delight.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Short-eared Owl with prey for his young, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/short-eared-owl-mia-mcpherson-8724.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/short-eared-owl-mia-mcpherson-8724.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/short-eared-owl-mia-mcpherson-8724.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/short-eared-owl-mia-mcpherson-8724.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38896,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/04\/27\/the-day-my-short-eared-owl-obsession-began\/","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":1},"title":"The Day My Short-eared Owl Obsession Began","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Six years ago today I photographed my first Short-eared Owl in low light at Bear River MBR and it was the day my obsession and fascination with these beautiful owls began.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Short-eared Owl with a green field, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-grassy-field-mia-mcpherson-9185.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-grassy-field-mia-mcpherson-9185.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-grassy-field-mia-mcpherson-9185.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-grassy-field-mia-mcpherson-9185.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1624,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/12\/12\/short-eared-owl-in-a-fog\/","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":2},"title":"Short-eared Owl In A Fog","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I hope to find some Short-eared Owls this winter in Utah, I think that some snow would make for a lovely setting for these delightful & enchanting birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Horizontal Short-eared Owl female, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/short-eared-owl-female-post-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/short-eared-owl-female-post-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/short-eared-owl-female-post-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/short-eared-owl-female-post-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13922,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/01\/28\/female-short-eared-owl-on-a-snowy-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":13721,"position":3},"title":"Female Short-eared Owl On A Snowy Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"One year ago today the sky was cloudy, the fog was thick and the snow was blowing in northern Utah. I couldn't see the tops of the mountains or across the Great Salt Lake but I did spot this Short-eared Owl perched on a snow-covered bush on the causeway my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Short-eared Owl on a snowy day, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/short-eared-owl-female-snow-mia-mcpherson-4408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/short-eared-owl-female-snow-mia-mcpherson-4408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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