I didn’t see my first owl in the wild until I was an adult. Owls had always been this sort of mythical creature for me. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to see them. It seemed they only became visible when my eyes were closed, and they would vanish into thin air when I opened them. One of the first opportunities I had to photograph an owl had an immediate and long-term impact on me. I was out hiking early one morning and noticed a large bird fly between two trees, then land not too far from where I was standing. I raised my binoculars and saw that it was a Great Horned Owl. I was off-the-charts excited. I immediately ran back to my car to retrieve my camera. Then I set up my tripod, connected the camera, checked the battery and memory card, and set off to photograph this elusive bird of prey. The owl was still on its perch when I returned. I slowly weaved through the brush to get into the best position to photograph the bird. As I reached the optimal spot, the owl flew from its...