Helpful Posts: Because I have so many birds in/above my garden (over 30 species at the last count) I have plenty of opportunities for action shots. So I thought, just for a change, I would try some really close up portraits. I say close up because the birds are so used to me that I often take pics from just over a metre away, I could get closer but my lens wouldn't cope. So i am interested in any feedback on these as portraits. The first two are of a juvenile butcher bird, the third is a crested pigeon and the fourth is a somewhat bedraggled lorikeet sheltering from the rain. My thanks in advance for any comments and suggestions.
Peter
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13th December 2013, 07:05 AM #1
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Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
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13th December 2013, 07:34 AM #2
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Excellent series Peter, the lorikeet especially. Great detail, sharp and good colours my only suggestion is to keep shooting and posting them.
Grahame
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13th December 2013, 07:36 AM #3
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
All are nice shots and I would just mention if you want to get closer and the camera lens will focus to one metre the addition of a one dioptre Close-up lens will bring you into 20 inches or half a metre A two dioptre I find very useful and would enable you to be between 20 and 13 inches from the subject. From memory of the third bird in my local aviary they are quite large so though you can get close with the CU lens you can also zoom back to get the composition you want.
My birds which I regularly feed every morning beat a hastie retreat the moment I open my door
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13th December 2013, 10:36 AM #4
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Excellent series...I have no nits at all...I thought the lorikeet looks funny and all wet.
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13th December 2013, 10:47 AM #5
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Great images Peter,fantastic detail,keep them coming.
Cheers David
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13th December 2013, 12:02 PM #6
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Beat a hasty retreat, I should be so lucky!! Every morning as soon as we open the curtains we have a couple of cockatoos who immediately zoom down and start tapping on the window asking to be fed. And if it happens to be one of those mornings when a little romance is in the air I can tell you it can be quite off putting having insistent wildlife looking over your shoulder. If we don't feed them as quickly as they deem appropriate then we suddenly hear a loud clunk..... which means the fly screen door is being attacked, cockatoos don't understand patience. And of course they win because they have us well trained so I end up standing there pretending to be filling the seed tray but in actual fact I am making sure that each bird takes a proper turn in sticking its head deep into the seed box I am holding. Then the butcher birds turn up wanting some meat which they will fly to my hand to take, they even bring their babies over to us to be fed. (But only small amounts of proper food so as not to mess up their natural diet.) Certainly a photographers paradise, but of course there is a downside....I spend a lot of time cleaning up bird s**t. Its worth it though.
Originally Posted by jcuknz
All are nice shots and I would just mention if you want to get closer and the camera lens will focus to one metre the addition of a one dioptre Close-up lens will bring you into 20 inches or half a metre A two dioptre I find very useful and would enable you to be between 20 and 13 inches from the subject. From memory of the third bird in my local aviary they are quite large so though you can get close with the CU lens you can also zoom back to get the composition you want.
My birds which I regularly feed every morning beat a hastie retreat the moment I open my door
BTW thanks for the comments I really appreciate them.
Peter
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13th December 2013, 04:45 PM #7
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Stunning close ups....excellent shots
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13th December 2013, 08:28 PM #8
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
I like your attitude towards your dole bludgers...
Originally Posted by conkerwood
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13th December 2013, 11:17 PM #9
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
What a fantastic opportunity you have, Peter! I think I would make an attempt to get a portrait of each. For the full length images, something more comfortable for them and better looking than a fence might be nice! Excellent sharp, clear captures!
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14th December 2013, 03:11 AM #10
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Great pics, I am inspired
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14th December 2013, 03:21 AM #11
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Wonderful images.
Not show me some cockatoos.......
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14th December 2013, 07:44 AM #12
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Hi Bobobird, yes I will post some cockatoos over the next couple of days but in the meantime you might like these. They are tawny frogmouths. They sit very still during the day pretending to be broken branch stumps and then they hunt at night. Probably not the prettiest bird and quite difficult to photograph because they hide away in the centre of a tree so you have very dappled light to deal with. But I love the fact they visit my garden, stay for a day or two and then wander off somewhere else. Hope you like them. Originally Posted by Bobobird
Peter
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14th December 2013, 08:02 AM #13
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Excellent images, Peter, all technically well executed. You live in the land of birds to be sure. You positioned yourself for lovely BGs for all three of the first post and the frogmouth is fascinating. I saw that one in the book I picked up while down there. A very similar bird in both appearance and behavior to the whipoorwill which inhabits the southeastern USA where I grew up.
For most of our trip I was enamored with the lorikeets until we got to the blue mountains where I had better chance to observe the crimson rosellas. They were just as beautiful but a seemingly much more tranquil creature. I truly hope to be fortunate enough to travel down under again or a few more times in coming years.
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14th December 2013, 09:53 AM #14
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
What a great set of images Peter. Love 'em all but the Tawny Frogmouth is something else.
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14th December 2013, 12:13 PM #15
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Re: Birds, not flying, eating or hunting, just chilling out.
Yeah it is an amazing bird, I just feel very lucky to be able to get that close. You rarely get to see them because their camouflage is so good. Glad you enjoyed the pics. And my thanks to all for your feedback. Originally Posted by John 2
Peter
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