Into the Valley of death go I
Mar, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my backyard. I've set up a feeding table next to my bird bath that I call Kooks Tapas Bar. With all the birds that visit there is usually some Argy Bargy as they sort out who is who in the pecking order. The boss of the table is Cedrick the Lorikeet. But every now & then, Button a young Kookaburra tries her luck. Looks can be deceiving. Cedrick won this battle.Time
This was taken at midday on an overcast day.Lighting
The overcast conditions offered a softer light, and also helped with any over exposer problems that I might have had due to the Kookaburra's white chest.Equipment
All my photos are taken on a GoPro Hero3+ camera. Because it has remote control facilities, I can set the camera up next to the Tapas Bar and work it remotely from my veranda position without spooking my birds.Inspiration
I have had a relationship for the last 3 years with a family of Kookaburra's. I decided to get my camera & start a blog. http://bradsburras.blogspot.com.au to document this. When I put in the Tapas Bar, all sort of other birds started to arrive. Along with all these species, there is usually a few squabbles. This photo is just 1 of those squabbles. Right time, right place.Editing
I did crop the original photo in "Paint" but that's it.In my camera bag
I have various attachments for the GoPro housing. I can mount it on my head for when I'm hand feeding my Kookaburra's. I also have another mount that allows me to attached it to a 4' length of doweling rod. This allows me to position the camera any where in the backyard. All the Tapas Bar photos (including this one), the rod was placed next to their feeding table, so the camera is 6 or 8 inches from its subject.Feedback
I can't recommend my GoPro strongly enough. It's not suitable for shooting birds that are more than a few feet away, but if you have a situation like mine, where the birds are going to congregate in a confined space, the GoPro with its remote control really changed my photography for ever.
