Waxeye g 10 9 15 v2
Sep, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Featured
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 2
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Thebazile_gonzo
October 30, 2015
Wow, it looks like an illustration from Marjolein Bastin, great work
nandicmb
November 06, 2015
Congratulations on your Contest Finalist win in Image of the Month Photo Contest Vol. 2!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I am an amateur photographer and these birds (waxeyes) frequented my garden to feast on the ripe fruit. I identified a particular branch that they habitually landed on close to the fruit. I set up a screen of white frost cloth behind the branch. I did this because I wanted a complete uncluttered background.Once the birds were used to the cloth and freely using that branch again, I set up my camera on e remote wireless trigger and then spent hours, with many missed shots, till I captured this interaction.Time
Late afternoon, when the birds were coming in for their last feed of the day.Lighting
The lighting was late afternoon, but taken on a dull day to minimise shadows.Equipment
The image was shot with a Canon 6D and a Canon EF 100L f2.8 macro prime. (ISO 1600, f/8, 13200/secInspiration
I love the challenge of getting clear shots of these beautiful and very active little birds. Sadly in many shots the background clutter of trees and twigs detracts from the interactions, so I set myself the challenge of capturing some of their delightful behaviour without detracting backgrounds.Editing
Very little, a lift of light using levels, some noise reduction, and and tidying up of ripples in the background cloth.In my camera bag
Canon 6D body, Canon 100 f2.8 macro prime, Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime, Sigma 150-600, Tamron 24-70 f/2.8. Remote triggers and a canon flash complete the main kit.Feedback
A tripod and remote triggers made all the difference for me. I tried with hides and blinds but this was never very successful. Once the birds got used to the camera and tripod they would either ignore it completely or land on it. The rest of it is all about balancing the elements of ISO, shutter speed and aperture to get those clear shots of interaction. I tend to use an shutter speed between 1/1000 sec and 1/300 sec to get enough detail in the wings without completely freezing them as I like a little bit of motion blur.
