Ever locked eyes with a wild owlet? Louise Norris did – and fortunately had her Canon camera paired with a 100-500mm telephoto lens ready to capture the encounter.
Her image, A Gazing Owlet, won the Birds category at the LCE Photographer of the Year competition. Shooting with the Canon EOS R6 Mark II – a camera known for its near top-tier specs – and a long telephoto lens – a type of lens generally considered heavy – Norris operated handheld.
What makes the image so compelling is the direct eye contact between the owlet and the lens. The composition uses softly blurred foreground leaves to create a natural frame-within-frame, while the owlet's lighter tones stand out beautifully against the dark, green backdrop.
'A Gazing Owlet'
A Gazing Owlet by Louise Norris
Winner of the Birds category
Tech info
Gear: Canon EOS R6 Mk II + 100-500mm lens
Exposure: 1/50s, f/7.1, ISO 10,000
Norris says, "Looking vertically between the gaps in the leaves, handheld at 1/50s due to the lack of light, waiting for this delightful 4-weekold little owl owlet to look down and make eye contact. Moment made by the rim light catching on the owlet fluff!"
Winner of the Birds category
Norris' A Gazing Owlet won the top prize in the Birds category at the LCE Photographer of the Year competition. At the live ceremony at The Photography & Video Show 2026, it faced strong competition, including Heron in Flight by Michelle Jackson and Company of Gannets by Frank Urban.
Sophia Spurgin's Fish Eyes was awarded the competition's overall winner and earned her the LCE Photographer of the Year title.
To discover more winning images, visit the LCE Photographer of the Year website.
You might like...
Browse the best professional cameras, the best cameras for wildlife photography, and the best lenses for bird photography.
Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from March to July.
