Bird spot colouring
Mar, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo of a Spotted thick-knee was taken in my back yard. I am a self taught photographer living in South Africa. I take photo's of a variety of subjects and themes that interest me, from Landscapes, Close ups, Cemetarys and Abandoned scenes.... the list goes on! I also do some freelance work.Time
I was just relaxing outside watching the birds while having a braai (called a barbeque in the usa) with my family at 13:35 pm.Lighting
This was shot on a cloudy day which suited me as it was midday. I usually shoot early morning or in the evening.Equipment
I used my Nikon D3000 with a Tamron 70-300mm lens handheld.Inspiration
Well Spotted thick-knees stay in pairs and they have been living in our yard for over a year now. I had been watching them for a few weeks but never really felt inspired to take a photo of them until my brother walked towards them, as he got closer they spread their wings and screeched in a defensive position. When they in this position they can get pretty scary haha. I ran into the house to get my camera and told my brother to walk towards them again. I got a few good shots of them with their wings spread and when they calmed down i took a few more snaps and got this one of its somewhat pissed off cheeky face :)Editing
I used simple processing with this image. I usually process with adobe camera raw and photoshop. I did all my usual lens corrections, sharpening, contrast etc adjustments in adobe camera raw, desaturated it in photoshop, was happy with the way it looked in B&W (usually i do a few adjustments for B&W photos) and used the black brush to spot colour the eyes and legs.In my camera bag
I have a Canon 600d with a 10-18mm wide angle lens, 18-55mm, 55-250mm lenses, macro filters, hoya circular polarizer and a Manfrotto Tripod. I usually have my Nikon d3000 mainly for infrared photography. It is not IR converted but with my cheap 720nm filter and long exposures it does alright i guess. Lenses for the nikon are my 55mm kit lens and 70-300mm tamron, i have a bunch of vintage Nikon lenses which i have mount adapters for my canon digital and a Nikon F2 film camera for those real moody B&W film photographs which i later develope in my bathroom/darkroom.Feedback
Advice for a photograph like this one? I think anyone who is interested enough could capture an image like this with a bit of camera and post processing knowledge. A Telephoto lens is usefull. Study your scene/subject or animal, try different angles, Use a wide aperture for shallow depth of field and take multple photos. Take photos that interest you, process them according to what you think the photo needs or how you feel at the time and to be in the right place at the right time!
