Well... A long story on this shot. I'll try to be as brief as possible. Hawaiian Owls (also known as "Pueo") were once plentiful on the island of Lana'i. When pineapple was still being grown here, one could find Hawaiian Owls easily. They used to hunt the field mice in the pineapple fields, and could be seen sitting on fence post on the road through the Palawai Basin leading down to Manele Bay. One day, about 8 years ago, I was in a hurry to get through the valley on my motorcycle. I was speeding along the road when a Pueo flew up right in front of me. I tried to swerve, but I hit the bird head on. I looked back and the owl was fluttering in the middle of the road, mortally wounded. My heart sank. I turned around and went back to where the owl lay. He was fading fast. I got off the motorcycle and knelt beside that magnificent creature as it lay dying... wondering why I had to have been in such a hurry. For some reason, I put my hand on the owl as his eyes slowly glazed over and closed. I made up my mind, then and there, to try very hard not to ever get in that sort of hurry again. From that moment on... I started to try and get a good photograph of a Hawaiian Owl... to remind myself to slow down... and to try and repay something. I tried for 8 years to get that photograph, and the owls that I did find always seem to stay just out of the reach of camera lens. Finally, I saw a Pueo on a fence post, almost in the exact same spot that I had hit the other owl 8 years before. For some reason, this time, the owl stayed still just long enough for to snap off 5 frames. This shot was the best one. He was looking right at me just before he spread those beautiful wings and floated away. A frozen moment in time. A beautiful bird, in a remote valley, on a remote island... pausing just a moment... reminding me to slow down just a bit... All posters are printed on archival, semi-gloss paper. The "joewestphoto.com" watermark is for webstore security and will not appear on purchased posters. Posters are shipped, via USPS, rolled in sturdy mailing tubes (frames not included). Please allow 1-2 weeks delivery time. Custom posters are available for all images... call or write for details. haowlpo$49.95Poster: 24"x36" All photographs appearing on this site are the property of Joe West Photography. They are protected by U.S. copyright laws and are not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Joe West Photography.