Fly-byes..

[seaslug]

In the back yard.

[sejac]

Greg, this birdbath looks like a great place for setting up, and you are getting some great shots here.

Is it possible to fix up the background? That roof is very distracting. Could you shoot from a higher angle, or lower the bath a bit?

Hope I don't sound too negative, as I don't mean to. But fixing the background will give you some wonderful results.

[seaslug]

Greg, this birdbath looks like a great place for setting up, and you are getting some great shots here.

Is it possible to fix up the background? That roof is very distracting. Could you shoot from a higher angle, or lower the bath a bit?

Hope I don't sound too negative, as I don't mean to. But fixing the background will give you some wonderful results.

I hear you Charles but it might be a year or two before I can get the background to where I want it. Being in the middle of a city with all my backgrounds being in neighbouring properties, I'm limited somewhat as to what I can do there.

I've planted a standard grevillia directly behind and two banksias either side but until they grow to where I can mask the neighbour's sheds, I pretty much have to enjoy them as they are. I shoot from the kitchen window and short of climbing onto the roof, my position can't change much. To lower the bird bath brings it to within reach of the neighbour's cat.

Maybe some work in photoshop might give me the results you speak of, but I would need to get better at that too.

Thanks for your input, I am aware of the problem and appreciate you highlighting it for me.. oh for a home in the bush as you have!

[bill jolley]

Greg,,,,,, would it be possible to put a backdrop there, at least until Your plant grows Just a thought

[Alan]

I posted this earlier, but it seems to have disappeared into the ether? Bill and I seem to be on the same page.

Charles makes a good point, but I can see your problem.

My first suggestion would be to provide some photogenic branches for the birds to land on prior to landing on the bath. I have a feeder and bath set up, but I never include them in my photos

Second suggestion, but I'm not sure how feasible it would be, is to make/construct a background while the plants grow. This could be as simple as a couple of treated pine posts with a painted board attached, or some camouflage cloth or netting with maybe some vegetation attached.

Using a shallow DOF might throw it out of focus enough to get away with. But you may not have enough room behind for it to work. But it could be blurred further in PS.

[seaslug]

Thanks all.

I think Alan's idea of the branches might work, or at least be more selective with what I show. The shot of the bird licking the rain drops is in the garden just below the bird bath and the background in that is fine with the fence behind. Getting the birds to sit or fly where you want them for the shot is the hard part.

It's not practical in my garden to put up a screen there. It's pretty much on the fenceline and would have to encroach on the neighbours yard to cover the background area.

I'm just enjoying the birds in my garden and have a bit of fun trying to capture their antics.

[P Plates]

Good capture of the bird in flight and balanced nicely by the one still sitting on the bath.

I know your pain. I actually had my husband move our feeder and bird bath so I would have a better background. Unfortunately the noisy friarbirds have been the first birds I've seen in the bath and it has been in its new position for a few months now. As for the feeder haven't seen a bird near it. The food did keep disappearing overnight so I suspect either a possum or maybe flying fox. Where the feeder used to me, it was quite often smothered in lorikeets and blue faced honeyeaters and if I was late putting out some food the lorikeets would come and peck on my kitchen window - bossy little things.

[seaslug]

I love it... it's not always about the background.