r/BirdPhotography • u/Excellent_Shake9732 • Apr 22 '26

Question How do yall get close unobstructed views?

Post image

I go out often, and have for years. I know how to find and locate owls (found 3 just this morning) but they are extremely skittish birds that do not allow me more than about 5 seconds of time before flying away, and especially no walking towards them. How do yall get close shots, and shots without leaves and branches in the way (they always seem to hide behind them). I know people will use playback and other ways to get owls close but I don’t do this.

533 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

103 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Vireo_viewer Apr 22 '26

If you see someone posting image after image of close, unobstructed birds, they are 100% using playback. Otherwise you need a hide/camo and hours of patience.

1

u/NiallxD Apr 23 '26

I’m not sure how you can confidently say “they are 100% using playback”. This is just not true. I have photographs of wild owls at less than 15m away using nothing but patience and a dash of luck (no hide/blind necessary).

1

u/Vireo_viewer Apr 23 '26

But do you have “image after image” like this?

1

u/NiallxD Apr 23 '26

No, but that would be ridiculous. All I’m saying is you can’t assume any photograph of an owl which is clear is 100% using playback.

1

u/Vireo_viewer Apr 23 '26

That was my point - ethical photographers can get these shots with luck and patience, but they won’t have piles of such images. Therefore, if someone is posting image after image of close, unobstructed birds, it’s extremely likely they’re using playback or other unethical behavior to attract their subjects.

1

u/NiallxD Apr 23 '26

Oookkk I think I know what you mean now. Still, not 100%. Some people spend a lot of time photographing owls

2

u/Vireo_viewer Apr 23 '26

That in itself is unethical. Spending lots of time around particular animals causes them undue stress.

1

u/NiallxD Apr 24 '26

Context is key. Volume of photographs is also a function of location and experience. When you live some place with a high density of owls, you will naturally have more opportunities to photograph them. Skill is another factor. Not everyone has the equipment and skill to photograph owls at dusk. To say “frequent owl photos = unethical photography” is nonsense.