How I Captured STUNNING Short-Eared Owl Shots (Step-by-Step Technique)

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you everyone for watching! I forgot to mention that I shoot my video at 4k at 24fps, 60fps and 120fps. I rarely shoot at 8K even though the Z9 has the option. 8K would allow me to crop in to my footage and get 4k (which can be a great advantage) but the video files are HUGE. Merry Christmas and Happy New YEAR! See you in 2024. Chow

[@MrJleash]

Great content as always Matt! Thank you for mentioning the 4k frame rates you're using. For your in flight video content are you using AF-C OR AF-F for your focus mode and what AF-area mode (s)? I actually just got the Z8 so looking forward to hopefully getting the bird mode soon.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

@@MrJleash Thank you! I'm using AF-C for my focus mode. I usually keep it on that unless I am filming myself or a specific product for subject that it's wildlife, then I will switch it over to AF-F. For my AF-area mode I have it set to the largest area focus. The new firmware has done a brilliant job of finding the subject and locking onto it. When the owl gets closer it targets the eye. I hope that helps.

[@MrJleash]

V@@MattShannonPhoto Very helpful, thank you so much Matt! Happy New Year!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Happy New Year! @@MrJleash

[@MrJleash]

​@@MattShannonPhoto Thank you!

[@victorlim5077]

Amazing, Matt.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you kindly! Cheers

[@robertbarrett6904]

Wonderful video!! Thank you for sharing the info about your settings on the Z9. That was very informative and helpful.

[@slyne1000]

Hey Matt, just tripped across your Owl clip, great information! I too live on the rock and in the throws of learning about my Z9 beast. Love to converse with you more about your video settings. Ciao! (The Italian version of chow...)

[@ShopTalkWithDanTheMan]

I always like photographing owls. I got to capture the snow owl years ago. So awesome!! Great Video Matt!! :)

[@MattShannonPhoto]

They are a real hoot 😁. Snowy owls are fun to see and photograph, rare out here along the coast

[@mikestarkwind]

I like the colored image better. Great visual and informative video!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Awesome, thank you! Another vote for color. Cheers

[@TheMadtandemer]

Amazing, love your work. Thank you so much for sharing your settings and tips.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Awesome, happy to hear you liked the settings and tips I shared! Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to watch my video, cheers

[@jonstout7635]

So glad you returned to this location. These owls are fascinating. Thanks for all the tips that will help me in my bird chases. I prefer the color shot of the owl, and enjoyed each image.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! It is great to hear that you found the tips helpful for your bird-chasing adventures. Owls truly are fascinating creatures, and I'm glad you enjoyed the images. checkl for the color shot it is! Thanks for watching and the support, 2023 was a great year, on to 2024!

[@kathyjones6517]

Love the color :-) Great video done,

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Another one for color. Thank you for the compliments and thank you for watching. Cheers and Happy New Year!

[@joncothranphotography9375]

Great stuff Matt! Thanks!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for watching and sharing your kind compliments! Cheers

[@Soumava10]

Beautiful

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@B-kl8vj]

Nikhil needs a camp jacket so he doesn’t photobomb shots. Thanks for all the settings info, very helpful.

[@randyschwager2515]

Awesome video! So much fun to watch and learn from your experience! I prefer the color shot! Thanks for taking me along!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are too kind, great compliments and feedback as always, thank you

[@chrislachouette6310]

Thank you so much Matt for these beautiful and moving images. I have tears in my eyes and my heart beats as I look at them... So wonderful 🤗😍

[@bcrphoto7]

Hey Matt, the video turned out beautiful, that was a fun day, thanks for the plug. Great filming, & music, it was well put together. You're right the slo-mo makes it look easy, it's not at real speed. Glad you showed both.YOU HAVE TO STAY ON THE BIRD and that's not easy, the camera has to stay focused on the bird. Well done Matt

[@soumakbinduwildlife]

EXCELLENT

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers

[@VABrowneMDPhD]

Outstanding videography and photography! Fantastic images, especially the interactions between the two short, eared owls. Thank you for really diving into the real world challenges of capturing this footage in these images. I like the color version of the short-eared owl, because it captures the tonal range of the bird and its surroundings.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the videography and photography, particularly the interactions between the short-eared owls. I really lucked out on a perfect day with a lot of action around me. I appreciate your preference for the colour version. Thanks for watching and your feedback! Cheers

[@Mikedegot]

I need to find a place like that. Love owls.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Where are you currently? Great app to use to see if there are owls in your area is ebird.

[@vacanechaser]

great content as always.. one thing out off the stuff you have listed... you havent said where you get your music from.. great soundtrack with your style. love it.. keep up the great work

[@TerryKontopoulos]

Excellent as always!!! Color for me!...

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Another ✅ for color 🙂👍

[@pathfindercod4638]

AMAZING! Great video Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Great walk through of your settings and thoughts to match them. Excellent tutorials on how you use all the amazing z9 features.

[@DCFotographs]

I havent met Nik yet; but been following him on IG and dudes awesome! Great work and energy. Great to see him on here

[@steve_colwill]

SEOs are certainly the bird of the moment! It is a good year for them here in the UK and I am lucky enough to have several hunting most evenings only five minutes drive away from my home. My favourite of yours is the shot at 24:50 of the two together. The colour images get my vote 👍🏻

[@manajorymanajory7751]

What an excellent job in detailing your settings & thanks for comparing the slow motion versus real time flight patterns of these incredible Owls. A couple months ago I got the opportunity to photograph these Short eared Owls 2 hours from where I live, I was so wonderfully overwhelmed that I forgot to video them, must have been 50+... 1 & 1/2 hours before dark. No doubt I'll be returning to that spot using the tips you gave here! I'm not usually a fan of B&W photos but it does look good in this shot.

[@kennypringle4580]

Color gets my vote

[@BFassassin]

Nice video especially showing the difference between real speed and slow motion. It would be nice to see a video picking some of your shots (Especially the flying shots) and explaining how you took them and then edited them.

[@NicholasOldman]

Wow, what a beautiful shot you caught in the first second of the video!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I certainly was lucky! I couldn't believe how much I say in just one day of shooting. Thanks for watching

[@huntingfortheshot]

Amazing, thanks for explaining your settings! great video.

[@jeffcampbell6458]

Well done Matt another wonderful video on the ever speedy short eared owl, I envy the photographers that can get real quality photos of them as they are always a challenge for me. I plan to go over to Vancouver in the near future and try my luck. Cheers.

[@DrNick8002]

Wow.....impressive presentation

[@alanclark4951]

Great video, thinking of going up to z8 from d500 and 200-500 5.6. This info will help alot, thanks Matt, happy shooting!

[@keithmacdonald4805]

Great video Matt, some super footage and great images. The info on your settings is very helpful especially the video. I haven't taken much video with my Z9 but my next trip I plan on tying to get some footage of the Owls. I am planning on going over again soon but I am waiting on a better weather forecast and this week with the King tides it is not easy to access. When I was over 3 weeks ago it was during a King tide and we had to wait until late in the afternoon to be able to access the marsh area. Thanks for sharing your tips and experiences, Happy New Year and great shooting in 2024.

[@montananorthern]

Another great video Matt. It just happens that the short-eared owls have made it down to Nashville this week and I am headed out to photograph them. This video was perfect timing. Always a fan of your videos. Happy New Years.

[@noneedtochange9413]

Your tripod and video head is a nice setup. Crazy how fast those owls move.

[@randyschwager84]

More fantastic advice as I continue my quest to shoot wildlife videos on my Z8. You are simplifying the process for me. How do you take still photos while shooting video? I prefer the color image of the owl. Thanks, Randy

[@PDogB]

Color!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers

[@mustafakasapoglu]

What a great video Matt. After watching, I marked the link to watch again together with my Z9 settings to compare and improve mine as well. Thank you so much. Happy new year. 🎄 ❤

[@SaltyCypress]

Great job man

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers

[@ericsmith9777]

Thanks Matt for another fine video, entertaining and informative !! As I own the Z9, I changed a couple of things in camera that you mentioned, which should make life a little easier. Happy New Year, looking forward to upcoming presentations. Cheers,

[@KissingTrails1]

Thanks for this video. Very nice shots and cool to see how you work in the field

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for watching and the kind words, I appreciate it.

[@allanhalladventures]

Thanks for the great video. By the way, love the colour image better.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Awesome, thank you very much! Another vote for color, thanks! Cheers

[@georgetran1766]

Awesome videos and shots. There are quite a few Northern harriers and short-ear owls in one big private property (farming and with swamps) in Bow, WA so photographers just stand along the roads and wait for them to get closer. Thank you so much for sharing. Happy New Year.

[@CrazyWormLady]

Can you talk a little about the status of the land where you shot these owls? Is it public land or private property? I’ve been shooting these guys for a decade or so in a specific area near my home. It’s private farmland and I always shoot from my car, using it as a blind. How is it you and your friends can just roam freely here? In any case, your captures are simply stunning! Thank you! 🦉 PS - I much prefer the color version!

[@gillyguevara8986]

No cars on the dikes except park rangers.

[@WildlifeOnFocus]

Nice Video..Greetings from Germany.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for watching and sharing your kind compliments to my video! Cheers

[@craigwallace166]

Thanks so much for this video, the information is very helpful. I shoot the z9 and still experimenting to find the right set up for the way I shoot. I love how you included video at real speed. Keep up the good work, can’t wait for the next one.

[@MarkRLawrence]

Great images Matt. Where in Vancouver was this shot in Steveston perhaps?

[@1arjen8]

Owl recommend this channel to my photography friends.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

That would be awesome, thank you! I hope they think it’s a hoot 😄🦉

[@aser75]

great vid, thx!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you and thanks for watching! Cheers

[@jasonball9166]

Awesome footage can I ask what your set up is

[@frankventre7420]

Very well done and good advice. I have many of the same settings on my Z8. I like the color shot. But I'm a bit of an oldie for B&W. Well done

[@miguelortiz5270]

Great Info. Two days ago i justo spotted a place to shot short eared owl ("Nuco" in my country). Counting days to come back and get some shots. Greetings from Chile.

[@Chorok-TV]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@JamesAndrewMacGlashanTaylor]

I like the color version MUCH better.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I agree. I thought the poll would be a bit more tipped like 60/40 or 70/30 but so far it is 100% in favour of color. Thanks for the feedback!

[@coffeeatitsbest1500]

Awesome, did you bring coffee with you out in the field?

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Yes I did! Always haha

[@yorielgenuinocompany]

What kind of monopod would you recommend when using Z9 with a 600mm f4 lens, I just got my lens and shot a few handheld but I’m wondering if a monopod with the right head/gimble like would come handy.

[@israkinta]

Hi from Spain. One question; when do you disable the vibration reduction from de zoom? I'm not very sure when I have to use it; allways without tripode? Thanks

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I turn Vibration Reduction OFF if I am using a tripod unless it has Tripod Vibration Reduction as an option. When I am hand holding my camera gear, I always keep it on.

[@richardpesce5325]

The color one.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

another check for the color! Thank you

[@rocketmanab]

Amazing shots, and as always, so much great info and know-how being shared...thank you! Question...when you're on the tripod shooting birds, do you have stabilization turned on? I really wanna try stuff like this. Not sure if I can pull it off with a Z7ii and the 100-400 but I'd like to give it a shot 😅 Thanks again - Adam

[@photographerwithawalker]

I toggle zoom in photo mode behind programmed video record button

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Are you using a Z9 or Z8? I've used the Zoom mode a few times, I should try it some more. Do you find you use it often?

[@photographerwithawalker]

@@MattShannonPhoto I use Z9 and Zf. I use it that way often, in Z9 for wildlife and Zf with manual lenses.

[@kenwilcox5418]

Color shot for me.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Another for color. I thought it was going to be a 50/50 split but I can see why color fits peoples preference.

[@karenslagle6831]

What is the screen on top of your camera?

[@doriangray8007]

Do you mind me asking what lens you used? Beautiful images!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I used a Nikkor 500mm f/4 VR lens. Link to the lens is here: geni.us/1o2glEx

[@undeaddave]

Would love to be in that part of the world Mat. Another great video. But could you tell me what capture device you was using to film the evf display. Thanks.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Yes, I will share the monitor I used on top of my Z9, I forgot to put the link in the description: geni.us/AjpA

[@daveb1313]

What lcd do you use on your hotshoe? Great video btw. greetings from the Netherlands

[@MattShannonPhoto]

This is the monitor I use thats added to my hotshoe: geni.us/AjpA Thank you for the kind words and thank you for watching! Netherlands is on my list to visit!

[@newguy2878]

What l bracket do u use on the z9?

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Here is a link for the Nikon Z9 L Bracket I use: geni.us/YZIAi

[@timelapsescapes]

HI Matt, Have you pulled images from the video files? if so how has the quality been? I want to do more video then photos and hope that the image would be awesome... what do you think?

[@maxmillion4216]

Matt do you use eye detection ?

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I do yes. Depending on how close the bird/wildlife is, it will close in on the eye which is great.

[@jasonball9166]

what lens you using Matt

[@MattShannonPhoto]

In this video I am using the Nikkor 500mm F/4 VR G lens. I have a 1.4TC but I don’t think I used it during my time photographing these owls.

[@jasonball9166]

@@MattShannonPhoto Thanks Matt you mentioned it in the video and also advised about a link...i need to pay more attention! Anyway brilliant presentation, i didn't quite absorb this blue line set up for focusing not that I think i would use it. but thanks for the quick reply Jason East Sussex England.

[@mlevesque33]

I prefer the colored photo of the owl.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for the feedback! Cheers

[@richardfink7666]

Photos to make you jeaulous. A 600/4.0 with build in converter would be nice.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Oh man.....600 f/4 with the tC would be a dream. I'm still chatting with some Nikon Canada executive employees regarding some gear use. Perhaps with a few more subscribers, they would be happy to share their gear 😉. Fingers crossed. Don't tell me you have one now??

[@richardfink7666]

No better🤣! I have an Olympus OM1and the 150-400/4.5 with a buiilt in converter! Smaller, lighter, cheaper and almost as good with DXO.@@MattShannonPhoto

[@Abdulsamet172]

Türkiye den merhaba

[@RTReview.]

Aswesome pictures, but pls turn down that music. Its way toooo loud.

[@sabelli33]

Better than Sony a9 III ????🤔🤔🤔🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MyContestPix]

Nice!! Thanks for the narration and beautiful photography!!