Photographing a Western Screech Owl in the forest. How I photograph Owls in low light W/O a flash.

Photographing Owls and other birds and wildlife is truly addicting. But finding them can be a real challenge. How do I find the Owls and other wildlife I photograph? A few weeks ago I did a video about Great Gray Owl photography and talked a bit about how I find them and photograph them. In this week's video, I'll continue the discussion and talk about how to find Owls to photograph and how to do it ethically. I hope you know by now that to me, the animal's well-being is always more important than my desire for an image. As I set out to photograph Western Screech Owls this week, I'll discuss how to do so without disrupting the Owl or harming it in the process. I'll cover how to photograph Owls and other birds in incredibly low light without using a flash or spotlight. This is something I've practiced for years now and it has really helped me get crisp images in very low light scenarios.
I hope this video helps you and I hope you come away from it with some useful information. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks so much for the support, we'll see you next time!
As always, thanks for the support, it's greatly appreciated. If you're new to this channel, please consider subscribing and if you liked this video, please share it around, that helps me out so much. Have a great week everyone!
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[@ronmacdonald3043]

Thanks Jimmy for another lovely video and for promoting ethical photography that puts the welfare of wildlife uppermost in how we wildlife photographers conduct ourselves. 😊👍🦉

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks for watching and the support, Ron! I've always believed that good ethics are the most important part of wildlife photography. Thanks again 😊

[@rovleculina8237]

Wonderful footage Jimmy and such a beautiful animal. Love your take on ethics side of wildlife photography.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you so much, I appreciate that. It's all about ethics to me, I try to make it my top priority 😊

[@keithmacdonald4805]

Thank you, what an excellent message you have sent out today. I wish that anyone that photographs Owl would watch this video. Over the years I have seen so many photographers disrespect Owls in so many ways. Also excellent footage of the little Owl and great images considering the lack of light, great techniques. I checked out one of the Barred Owl nests this morning but so far no action yet, checked the Great Horned Owl nest on Friday and same result. Still a little early but it won't be long. We lost our Eagles nest this year, the nest tree was blown down during one of our winter storms, hopefully they will build a new nest that we can photograph. Thanks again and have a great week!!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you Keith! I've also seen so many people disrespect so many different Owls over the years. I think the best thing we can do is set a good example and respectfully educate those whose behavior is harmful to the Owls. It's too bad you lost the eagle nest, maybe they'll nest in an even better spot to get pictures of this year 😁 I'm looking forward to see what you get of the Owls, it's such an exciting time of year!

[@cmeluzzi]

Inspiring work, Jimmy. Thanks for the explanations about ethics in wildlife photography; this is a subject that should always be present. It is one of my main concerns, as some beginners may be tempted to disturb the animals to get a picture. And it's amazing to see how you learned the owl's behaviour. Congratulations!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks so much, Cláudio! I couldn't agree more, it's a subject that should be considered more and taught somehow to wildlife photographers. I've found the issues I see aren't exclusive to beginners, but just those who are concerned about getting a picture over respecting the animal. Yeah, it's amazing how much you can learn from just spending time observing animals!

[@terryroth2855]

Awesome video of the Screech owl, Jimmy. Yet another owl I have yet to see. Hope you are enjoying winter.👍👍

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you, Terry! They're tricky owls to find, but surprisingly they're one of the easiest Owls to get to use an Owl box in your yard. If you have the space, maybe you could give it a try. Who knows, you may get a backyard visitor!

[@tokyo8236]

Great video, tips, and remarkable attitude towards wildlife.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

I appreciate you watching. Wildlife deserve the best from us, just trying to share that as much as possible 😊

[@DKtracks]

Thank you so much for these beautiful calm views at that creature of the night. I am into wildlife photography for years as a hobby. (My work is industrial photography/videography so equipment overlaps sometimes) but I have never been able to take pictures of wild owls. Thank you so much for telling everyone not to disturb the animals. I always get angry at people feeding bread to ducks, I can not even imagine some people doing stuff like that.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it! To me, ethics are essential with wildlife observation and photography, I'm glad you enjoyed the video's message 😊 Best of luck to you in your wildlife photography, it sure is an amazing endeavor!

[@anniepierce4308]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful video and pictures. Great ethics, I’m glad you respect the animals welfare. I enjoy hearing my owls hoot during the night. Looking forward to more videos.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks for watching, much appreciated! The welfare of the animal is always my top priority, at least I try my hardest for it to be. Owl calls at night are one of the best things there is, so much fun to hear 😁

[@alexsams4174]

Another great video Jimmy. So great to see positive ethics being discussed as well as what NOT to do! 🙂

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks so much, I appreciate you watching and for the nice comment! Definitely a subject that needs to be discussed more.

[@bestpix100]

Wonderful footage and images. What super tutorial on how to respectfully photograph owls. Thanks so much for your time and effort

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Many thanks! It's the least I can do for these beautiful owls 😊

[@ottrebane8269]

You have a superb attitude towards wildlife photography! Thanks a lot for sharing Your tips and tricks.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

I always appreciate your support, I'm happy to share the little things I've learned over the years. Thanks again, have a great week!

[@randyschwager84]

Thanks so much for sharing this amazing experience! Great advice and thanks for showing so much respect for the owl!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks for watching, it means a lot 😊 Those Owls deserve a bit more respect than we give them, always happy to promote that!

[@jeffmayart]

Great episode! Such a beautiful owl!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

They really are amazing, thanks for watching!

[@jfwatson8892]

Great video and beautiful stills! I agree totally with your views of respecting the animals (and the land too). Also very good tips on reducing image blur. I am a belever in using a tripod whenever possible, even with VR, IS, etc available. Excellent work Jimmy!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks so much, I always appreciate it! I also try to use a tripod whenever I can, unless I'm hiking and I think I may have a chance encounter while on the trail and I need to take a picture quickly. But even then, I try to keep my tripod handy.

[@kikakapu1]

Thanks for bringing us along on your adventures and sharing such important ethics point of view.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks for coming along! I always love making these videos and I'm glad that you enjoy them. Be safe out there!

[@GiuseppeGessa]

Fantastic pictures Jimmy and thanks for the tips about owls.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

They're so fun to see and photograph! Thanks for the nice comment 😁

[@GiuseppeGessa]

@@JimmyBreitenstein you're welcome

[@Walkinginthewoods]

Amazing footage and stills Jimmy. Well done. The more difficult the subject the more rewarding it can be to photograph.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you, and very well said! Most of my favorite photographs I've ever taken have been of subjects that I put more work into than any other. Have a wonderful week!

[@ajax_jones]

Great video! Screech owls are one of the most difficult owls to find, at least in my opinion. They definitely take some effort.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

They can be quite tricky for sure, but the effort is always worth it in my opinion 😊

[@faerphoto]

Great video! Thank you so much for the in depth discussion on ethics with regards to owl photography as well as alternate solutions to get the shots. When I first saw the trigger on your camera, I was worried it was for a flash and that I had misread your title. I couldn't believe knowing how important ethics are to you, but that was my fear. I've been learning that a lot of photographers that seem to have high ethics then do something in other situations that seem questionable, either from different viewpoints or amount of knowledge in that particular area, so I was worried that might be the case here. I'm so glad I was wrong and worried for no reason. I'm sorry to have doubted you. Thank you again for showing us all ways to get great shots while putting the animals' safety above all else. :) Paula

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you Paula, I'm glad I didn't let you down 😊 I like what you said about people sometimes acting in a way that may not be best for the animal due to a lack of knowledge or different viewpoints. I know there are some people out there that just don't care, all they want is their picture. But for the most part, I like to believe that people care and simply don't understand how their actions affect the wildlife at times. The goal behind this video is to help in those situations. Thanks so much for the feedback, always appreciate it! Have a wonderful week!

[@SeantheBioBro]

Great video & Cool owl!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you, awesome Owls for sure!

[@renesch438]

Just wonderful, thank you

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you very much 😊

[@alexandrutomutaphotography]

Great ethics lesson!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks for looking!

[@obxwave]

Great footage, and great video!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thanks so much, always appreciated!

[@stevenzilverberg6458]

Great advice and great photos. As a side note about using a flash with owls is that a flash will ruin the shot by causing red eye.

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Much appreciated! That's a great point, something I hadn't even thought of, yet another reason to not use a flash 😜

[@laku4412]

Love your ethics!

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

I appreciate the support! 😁

[@tridentroy]

Keep it up brother 👍 god bless u 🙏

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Many thanks, I appreciate the support!

[@joshuahorner2639]

Beautiful photos and great information once again. We’re the first two still images taken on a different occasion or did you increase the exposure in post-production?

[@JimmyBreitenstein]

Thank you very much! Wow, you have a great eye. They were taken on the same day, I just had a little bit more light to work with when I took the first photo and no reflection from the sunset clouds. Thanks again for watching!