An Owl Print for the Birdwatcher in Your Life
Birdwatchers are patient people. They will wait in the cold for a single glimpse, and they remember every species they have seen. If you are shopping for one, you probably know that the usual bird gifts fall flat. A photograph of a species they love, shown doing what it actually does, has a better chance. Owl Eyes might be that kind of gift, so let me describe it the way a birder would want it described.
Road tripping Highway 395, I took a side road to Twin Lakes. Along the way, birds. Lots and lots of birds, but nothing of note. However, on the way back, after the coldest swim of my life, an owl sat upon a fence post.
Pulling out my Tamron 150-500mm lens, I spent an hour locking eyes with this owl.
Additional Information:
Please allow 5-10 days for printing and shipping.
I have the ability to print custom sizes and material (like wood, gatorboard, etc.). If this interests you, please reach out to dj@dalton-johnson.com for a free quote with the size and material you desire.
The subject is a short-eared owl. Unlike many owls, this species is often active around dusk and dawn, and it hunts over open fields and grassland. The bird in my photograph was perched on a weathered post beside a farm field, watching the ground, blinking, and now and then looking straight at us. A birder will recognize that posture and that setting immediately.
Field marks are visible, which matters to this crowd. You can see the pale round face, the bright yellow eyes surrounded by dark rings, and the small ear tufts that give the species its name. The plumage is layered in warm browns, and the post beneath it is a weathered gray. I did not retouch the image into something unnatural, because a birdwatcher would notice.
How I made the photograph is worth knowing too. I stayed in our van and shot out the window with a 500mm lens, from about 50 to 80 feet away. Earlier, when I stepped outside, the owl flew off, which taught me the lesson again. Birders tend to share the same ethic, which is to give the animal space and let it choose. Nothing was baited, and nothing was chased.
The print is a vertical portrait, which is uncommon for wildlife. It puts the eyes just above the center, so your attention lands right on them. It will suit a tall, narrow bit of wall, like beside a window where the person keeps their binoculars, or above a shelf of field guides. That is a suggestion, not something I can vouch for personally, since I have not seen it hang in a birder's home.
Choosing a material is easy enough. Paper is the least expensive with a frame, and it lets the fine feather detail show. Canvas is warm and textured with little glare, and larger sizes cost more. Metal is the most durable and the most striking, but it is the priciest and reflective in bright light. The palette is warm and earthy, so I think all three look good.
Size depends on the space and the budget. There are seven, from 8x10 to 24x36, and prices begin at $26.95. Prints usually arrive in 5 to 10 days, so order before you need it.
A simple way to make the gift personal is to include a short note about where the owl was seen, near Bridgeport in Mono County, California, and why the photograph was taken from a vehicle. Birdwatchers love context, and they love a good field story.
Consider the little details that a birder will linger on. The owl was in a hunting posture, alert and still, with its gaze fixed on the field and only an occasional blink. Those behaviors are why people watch owls for hours, and they are the reason I wanted to keep the photograph natural. It shows a bird being itself, in the light of an ordinary evening, with nothing added.
It is an open edition, made from a real photograph, and I do my best to sign each print.
Go check out all the prints by Dalton Johnson.
About the Author
Dalton Johnson is a photographer, writer, and filmmaker who tells stories about real people pushing themselves in the outdoors, from the High Sierra to the far reaches of every continent. He has shot and written for brands, tourism boards, and editorial outlets, including Nike, Patagonia, Four Seasons, PBS, GoPro, and Ford, with more than 160 campaigns and hundreds of published articles to his name. Off assignment, he bikepacks, trail runs, swims open water, chases big waves, and rock climbs.
