In Episode 9 of the PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared and Annalise discuss their time along the coastal plain of North Carolina before heading to Alaska to lead their Wildlife of Kenai Fjords Workshop. Spending several weeks working in the pocosin swamps of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Albemarle - Pamlico peninsula, barred owls proved to be the star of the show. The area is better known by wildlife photographers for playing home to the densest concentration of black bears. Far from being a one trick pony, however, in the springtime this area can be one of the best wildlife photography hotspots on the east coast of the United States. In this episode, Jared and Annalise dive into everything you could have hope to know about barred owls and how to photograph them. If you want to know more about how to create stunning bokeh filled images of birds no matter what lens you are using? You don’t want to miss this episode! Key Takeaways Understanding their habitat needs and their association with water can help you find and photograph these birds day in and day out - especially once the chicks have hatched. Barred owls are one of the most varied species of owls in North America, but species such of crayfish are a primary food source. Find the food source and you will find the barred owls. Like photographing monkeys in Panama, working with owls in the forest create a host of unique challenges Anytime we photograph in the forest, light cab be a challenge. However, there are specific types of light that makes photographing all forest dwelling species much easier. There is no such thing bad light, there is only the depth of our own creativity.  Forests are cluttered places. It’s for this reason that understanding depth of field is critically important for creating clean and artfully composed images in these situations. However, there is so much more that goes into controlling depth of field than just f/stops. In fact, f/stops and apertures are often the least important component in depth of field. Don’t forget, you can always listen to the PhotoWILD Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio