Shot Christmas morning with a Canon 30D and 400 f5/6L USM lens handheld on a very cold morning.

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/72135160.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/72135161.jpg

Jim! Those are both remarkable. Very well done. Curiously, are you using anything like a 'Better Beamer?"

Cheers,
James

James,

Not on these. I do have one a like it but these were lit with light from the rising sun. I need to get an Adaptor from Metz for my flash show it will work properly with the Canon.

What a wonderful Christmas present! Nature does seem to give us the best gifts.
Beautiful

Okay, what is a Better Beamer and will it work with the Canon?
Off to the net to find out more about another toy.

The better beamer is a fresnel lens that attaches to the head of a flash and focuses the beam giving you furthur distance with the flash. You just need to measure your flash head and buy the one that fits your head. It stows flat so it's easy to carry into the field.

Jim, she is beautiful. I was admiring your Barn Owl shots on your site yesterday. Is it a species you see often?
You really are tempting me to get out and buy a 400mm L!

Actually this is the 1st Barn Owl I've gotten shots of. I usually see Burrowing and Short-eared Owls out in the day around here but never a Barn Owl. Then on the morning of the 1st at another site about 30 miles away from this one I ran into another one. Both times they buzzed me with fly-bys giving me good shots. I wonder if the hunting is poor now and maybe they are hunting late into the morning because they are hungry. It was certainly quite cold and windy the morning I saw the second one. Froze my butt off that day!