From Carsten Arnold

Whenever I photograph an old barn up close I’m always aware that there may be a barn owl inside. Especially in the Fraser Valley where they are still fairly common. With permission of course, whenever I have access to an old barn interior I make sure that I approach any area that they can be in with slow movements and my camera 100% ready with my finger on the shutter button. They are extremely skittish and will only tolerate you for a very short time before flying off.

Best advice if you know they are there and you want to photograph them is to put your camera on silent mode, slowly place it through a doorway or opening, and point in the general direction to start shooting without exposing your entire self.

Photo shown is from my last encounter with two barn owls. I was on the other side of a large door with just my camera lens visible through the opening.