GIANT EAGLE OWL

Owls aren't easy subjects - firstly they tend to spook easily and secondly, to get interesting behavioural shots you generally have to shoot at night, which is unpredictable in terms of controlling the light. While I appreciate the many virtues of flash, taking natural looking shots of wildlife in the dark isn't really one of them.

So I was chuffed to capture this evocative shot of the largest owl in the world - the giant eagle owl. It was shot without flash in the early evening. The light source was actually a land cruiser spotlight with a red lens - red light disturbs animals less than white light, so many safari vehicles use it on night drives. When the time came to process the RAW shot, I simply altered the red cast to a more moonlighty blue.

There are very few images which I would alter in this way- I sit firmly in the camp that says photographs should be left 'as shot', and I would never manipulate a wildlife shot to change the core image. But in this case, the pose of the owl and the detail of the branch were so aesthetically pleasing that I felt justified in modifying the colour to enhance the mood of the shot.

The owl seemed quite intrigued by our belching, rattling land cruiser, and let us get to within a couple of metres before spreading its immense wings and taking flight with a whoosh of air and a sudden absence of owl.

Maybe I deserve a slap on the wrist. And I won't be able to enter this image for any competitions. But I really like the result.