Agent Starling..........
Starling spreading its wings to frighten off a rival............
Starling spreading its wings to frighten off a rival............
Read less
Read less
Dec, 2015Views
5856
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in 500 awards Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 24 Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Birds Of A Feather Photo Contest
Canon EOS 60D
Contest Finalist in Open Wings Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Premium
slinkdot
May 03, 2016
This is absolutely amazing. The focus is tack-sharp and the colours are marvellous. Can I ask what lens did you use?
Huge congrats on this winning capture.
Huge congrats on this winning capture.
PRO+
PRO+
CathieMoog
May 28, 2016
What a personality! Great capture. Love the sharp focus on the face and feathers. Lovely colors but non-distracting background. Excellently executed image. Well done!
Platinum
Platinum
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my garden (backyard), the garden has been designed with wildlife in mind, the creation of Natures Haven has taken over 6 years. The development of Natures Haven has been a labour of love to create a wider range of attractive habitats for the visiting creatures.Time
When I'm in the garden with the birds time is unimportant to me, as the saying goes time flies..........I'm almost on a different planet when I'm with the birds, so I had to check the data to find out the time the image was taken, I was surprised to find that the time was 16.21....Lighting
The lighting was the natural light of the day, I don't use any artificial lighting for my images, it's daylight or nothing......LOL.Equipment
My camera is the Canon EOS70D which is fitted to the Canon 500mm lens EF500mm F/4L IS USM which is mounted on a Gitzo GT3540LS tripod with a Wimberley head. I never use flash for my outdoor photography. The Canon 500 is permanently protected by a camouflage pattern neoprene jackets. In my own environment I do not use a bird hide, I'm far enough away from the hub that I don't disturb or scare the birds, I leave the the scaring of the birds to the local Bird Of Prey...............the Sparrowhawk.Inspiration
The photograph was not planned, it was a spontaneous image, taken at a moment in time.....wild birds in my experience will not do as they are told, they are independent creatures, so all of my bird photography is that moment in time imagery, this type of photography is great fun as you do not really know what you may of captured, which is an exciting part of my photography, the not knowing.Editing
My post-processing is mainly cropping the image, sharpening and white balance where needed, I like the natural look for my birds.In my camera bag
As I mainly shoot from home I have my normal gear (as above) with my Canon 1.4 x by my side, I also have a second body with a 55-250mm STM lens attached. The 55-250mm lens is an amazing addition to my equipment, for a cheap lens the quality of the images produced are amazing. If and when I visit a reserve this lens is my main companion along with my Canon camera.Feedback
My advice to any budding bird/wildlife photographer is learn about the subject you want to photograph, have knowledge and respect for the creatures, learn about their likes and dislikes, learn about the environment you are in, learn about light and how it can affect your plans (especially in the UK). Have lots of patience, Be prepared to spend a lot of time with your subjects and when it comes to checking your images on the PC you have to be ruthless and discard the not so good ones. My motto is: Practice Practice Practice and Learn Learn Learn.
