Lovely images Cog! I shoot a lot of "unspectacular" birds myself and it gives me great joy when I manage to capture images like these. They have this peaceful quality to them, that I cannot explain. Beautiful bokeh!Cog said:
Upvote
0
Show your Bird Portraits
- Thread starter 1982chris911
- Start date
dolina said:Hank thank you!HankMD said:Dolina, as a fan of your work I hope one day you'd share with us how you go about getting your shots. One thing I do know is you don't go camo in order to avoid getting shotHere in Taiwan, though, it's something of a fashion statement for hardcore bird photogs to wear full or semi-camo. Anyway, please keep posting!
If you want to stay in one piece you do not use camo while in the Philippines. I can explain it to you fully but I'd probably offend one set of people or another.
What is important to keep in mind are the basics. These are namely food, water and shelter. If you figure that out then you're set.
Knowing animal behaviour is key as well. Like people they are creatures of habit and have routines.
Practice, practice and more practice. If you have a background as a hunter or poacher then you're a far better birder than I will ever be. I used to go birding every week when I first started but recently I only go birding once a month if I am lucky.
Having a network of birding friends helps whether they be bird watchers or bird photographers. Being a member of a birding org helps but it isn't a prerequisite.
A lot of foreign birders find Philippine birds the most challenging to enjoy the hobby/sport. Through hard learned experience Philippine birds know to avoid Filipinos as my countrymen often have no source of livelihood but to hunt and eat the birds or else go hungry, poach the birds for pet collectors and traditional medicines. Habitat loss due to illegal loggers who just clear cut tropical rainforest to try to satisfy the demand for fresh lumber.
In a nutshell the Philippine birds are doomed to be only found in zoos, museums or in my photos.
Thanks for sharing, Dolina, both your portraits and your advice. Practice is definitely a must. It's something I'd like to do more, time permitting.
Yesterday, on my way back from the dentist, I decided to re-visit this small strip of relatively diverse ecology where herons, egrets, kingfishers, black drongos, and others could be counted on to show up. Well, it's mostly gone now. The new "soundscape" is of insects and a few swallows. (Okay, I saw one BCNH.) While this was just on a very small, local scale, it's not difficult to imagine a future where bird photographers will have to work much harder to find their favorite subjects.
Regarding your work I particularly enjoy the "bird-in-context" style. Although I do love subject isolation ("bird-and-the-perch"), sometimes it can be a bit dry and uninformative. When the perch is a setup, well, the ecological context is just gone. I suspect both approaches have their places.
Below is a recent (mid-May) shot of a Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris). It is a bird found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They "eat insects for which they forage actively among low bushes or tall grass. These active, slender birds may hop up grass stems to scan the surroundings, making lively and loud calls. But at the slightest sign of danger, they dive down into the tall grass, or flies low over the grass-tops for a short distance before dropping into cover." (naturia.per.sg)
Note I could have -- should have -- used a lower ISO, but I was trying to capture BIF (yes, with a 6D) when the subject suddenly hopped onto the grass stem. As it often happens, in the moment of excitement techniques go out of the door.
6D, ISO 800, 600mm, f/6.3, 1/4000
Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
This seems to be woodpecker week 8) So here's an acrobatic Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker:
Grey-capped Woodpecker Curled Up
Upvote
0
Hi Folks.
Lots of great pictures, great inspiration. Inspired me to subject you all to some of mine! :-[
I was driving home and saw a bit of a commotion, I think whichever one was sitting at the nest didn't want to leave so they were squabbling about it, whilst I was queuing for lights I spotted the nest so went back later with camera gear, here are some of what I got. All taken with Sigma 150-500 @ 500mm, tried not to intrude and didn't go anywhere near as close s staff would.
The circle of life.
IMG_5239 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Mum what's that big eye looking at us?
IMG_5236 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Where you going mum?
IMG_5244 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Ok now I'm tired of you standing there.
IMG_5237 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Cheers Graham.
Lots of great pictures, great inspiration. Inspired me to subject you all to some of mine! :-[
I was driving home and saw a bit of a commotion, I think whichever one was sitting at the nest didn't want to leave so they were squabbling about it, whilst I was queuing for lights I spotted the nest so went back later with camera gear, here are some of what I got. All taken with Sigma 150-500 @ 500mm, tried not to intrude and didn't go anywhere near as close s staff would.
The circle of life.
IMG_5239 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Mum what's that big eye looking at us?
IMG_5236 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Where you going mum?
IMG_5244 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Ok now I'm tired of you standing there.
IMG_5237 by Valvebounce25, on Flickr
Cheers Graham.
Upvote
0
