More birds

[wigz]

The weather looked like clearing this morning so I went for a walk at Eagleby Wetlands. Quite a few birds about, but rather shy as usual.

All taken with the D800 and 500mm PF f/5.6

1. Egret. 1/400 f/5.6 ISO 100


2. Fairy-wren (Superb I think). 1/320 f/5.6 ISO100


3. Double-bar Finch. 1/320 f/5.6 ISO 125


4. Grey Butcherbird. 1/500 f/5.6 ISO 220

[Isac]

Great images Alan. My budget doesn't allow for such high end expensive gear as yours so it's good to be able to see it deliver great quality by a great photographer. TFS.

[Ozzie_Traveller]

+1 to both parts of the above response
Phil

[wigz]

Thanks Isac and Phil, I think.

I actually would appreciate some constructive criticism on my photos. These photos are ok, not great, mostly let down by the distracting backgrounds. I think I am a reasonably competent photographer, again not great.

As to the gear, well I can't really afford it either.

The camera was fairly high-end but it's now almost nine years old and I could only afford it subsidised by a substantial gift from one of my sons. He can be embarrassingly generous at times.

While the lens is very nice, it is not quite in the same class as, say, a 500 f/4 which is almost 3 times the cost. I was looking for something to replace the Sigma lens, and considering more affordable lenses such as the Nikon 200-500 or Sigma 150-600, when I saw this lens in stock at a local camera store at 15% off. I had a bit of cash available, decided it was now or never, took a deep breath, and bought it. I'm glad I did as it has given me more consistent results. It is also about half the weight of the Sigma, which was beginning to be a strain on my aging muscles. My budget is now significantly constrained.

Up until the last ten years I have always got by with the lowest cost gear that seemed able to do the job, so I really appreciate having decent gear now.

[Isac]

Me first? Good reply Alan. I still think (regardless of your gear's age) that you've got some quality gear - so good on you (I wish I had a boy like yours )
My camera is middle of the road APS-C and I do the best with what I have, which most times is probably better than average.
As far as CC goes, with birds, that's where you mostly see them, in trees. I don't think the backgrounds on your images are a distraction, as the birds really stand out as the main subject. Backgrounds are part of the environment for them so we accept it. If the BG is a bother, it's easily changed to really make the bird pop. Every tog edits images, some more than others, but that doesn't worry me one bit, as it's the bird that matters - as long as that stays relatively unchanged - perhaps lighting adjustments, sharpening etc. Keep shooting and posting, we all enjoy your work.

[HansE]

Nice haul. Been on holidays and never got close to a bird. One lady bird watcher told be there were a group of Egrets in breeding plumage but by the time I got there they were many meters away.
My pick is the Fairy wren. Pops nicely from its background.

[wigz]

Thanks Hans. I agree on the Fairy Wren

[Ozzie_Traveller]

wigz commented
Yesterday, 12:51 PM

Thanks Isac and Phil, I think.

I actually would appreciate some constructive criticism on my photos. These photos are ok, not great, mostly let down by the distracting backgrounds. I think I am a reasonably competent photographer, again not great.

G'day Alan
Okay - so you would like good feedback as well as the occasional pat on the back! ie- just like the rest of us

#1- Egret ...
Obviously sharp and in focus - excellent rendition of the whites. With the quite prominent out of focus stuff in the foreground - I would consider cropping it away, so that my eyes / the viewer concentrates on the bird. My 100% would be to crop from the top the dark foliage at top-right and the bottom, the foliage across the bottom - changing the image from a 6 x 4 shape to maybe a 6 x 3 .... 6 x 2-1/2?? shape

#2- Wren
I am very impressed with this image - again excellent use of flash to add highlights to the image without bleaching the bird nor forcing the background into a coal-mine impression. If I'm wrong about the flash, more brownie-points to you for exposure in a difficult location. While my eyes are okay with the OOF stuff to the left, I would (maybe) have tried to clone over the oof stuff at the bottom right to give a solid base for the twig to continue right to the edge of the frame

#3- Double-bar finch
the feather detail seems 'almost' there - not sure whether the lens was stretched to its limit or what? Q- is there any possibility of zapping thay tiny twig from the bottom left corner that points up towards its beak ...... I find that it constantly draws me away from the bird

#4- Butcher bird
a very nice shot showing the bird's eye / head profile indicating that the bird is studying something with great interest .... good to see as so often a bird on the branch is half-asleep with one foot tucked into the belly feathers for warmth. As with #1, excellent exposure with beaut detail in the whites / feathers and a confirmation of your abilities

Hope this helps
Phil

[wigz]

Thanks for the your perceptive feedback Phil.

#1. This was actually a throw-away shot as the bird was quite far away, but when I saw it on the computer I rather liked it. It is already heavily cropped but I’ll have another look.

#2. This is natural light - no flash. At the time I thought I had totally nailed this, but on the computer saw that there was a lot of distracting twigs. I have removed some but I will try your suggestions.

#3. I’m not sure what happened here. It is a huge crop, but either it slightly missed focus or the image stabiliser has introduced some strangeness. Well spotted, and you are right about the twig, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort for this image.

#4. Thanks. I had finished shooting and was walking back to the car when I saw it sitting on a branch above the path. My first thought was to ignore it as they are so common here, but got off a couple of shots anyway.

Thanks for taking the time for the detailed feedback.