Barn Owl

[RayJ]

Taken at the Raptor Rehab Center in Hudson Valley, NY.

[mavb]

Looksa like a wise old owl pondering the difficult things in life.

Nice job. it looks a bit grainy to me. Is that intentional?

[RayJ]

Thanks, mavb. He does look to be deep in thought. Graininess was not intentional.

[Padre]

Really nice detail Ray. I agree it might enhance this shot to eliminate some of the noise from the background. Its worth a try.

[RayJ]

Thanks for the suggestion, Padre. I'm pretty new to the technical aspects of digital photography.

Can noise reduction be accomplished with good photo software as well as in-camera adjustments?

[mavb]

You'll find that sometimes noise is inevitable (some cameras are better at not introducing noise than others). There is software out there that can greatly reduce the noise in PP. I use a free program called "Neat Image" http://www.neatimage.com/ . I like it but have nothing else to compare it to since it is the only one I've used.
Give it a try.

[dougsmit]

Noise reduction software can get heavy handed and reduce image sharpness at the same time. This image is one that relies on the feather detail but suffers from noise in the out of focus background so I would conside selecting the background area using a soft edge so you do not see a ledge between background and subject and de-noising only the background. The noise exists in the entire image but it is harder to see where there is detail than in the smooth areas. Since every image is different, I tend to prefer not applying any noise reductions in camera but saving that for postprocessing when you can evaluate the situation and act accordingly. Others who feel the need to process thousands of images every day won't have time to do this individually and will select something that fits what they do most. You will have to decide which way fits your type of photography.

[RayJ]

Thank you mavb and Doug. I appreciate that you both took the time to give me some excellent advice. And thanks for the Neat Image Link, mavb, I will check it out.

[mavb]

Ray,
Just remember to pay it forward
Have a great day.

[dean1401]

Beautiful capture. She/he does look deep in thought.

[RayJ]

Thanks you, Dean. I appreciate your comments.

Mavb...I will surely remember to pay it forward.

Thanks again.