The grim tweeter
A native New Zealand Fantail, known to Maori as Piwakawaka. In Maori mythology the Fantail was responsible for the presence of death in the world. When you meet...
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A native New Zealand Fantail, known to Maori as Piwakawaka. In Maori mythology the Fantail was responsible for the presence of death in the world. When you meet them on the trail their cute liveliness runs contrary to the myth.
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Jul, 2018Views
1568
Likes
Awards
Featured
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1Categories
PRO+
occasionalclimber
April 05, 2022
Hard to capture - they flit around in all directions. I was lucky that this guy stayed still for a bit.
Ultimate
marysorberdye
June 13, 2022
What a capture. I would have never seen this Fantail where it was hidden. Amazing how that works out. Good eye and magnificent capture!~
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
On the Separation Point Track, Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand.Time
Mid morning, when the bird life was still active.Lighting
It was a bright morning, which made for challenging very dark shadows, but also nice dramatic highlights.Equipment
A Nikon D750 and a 55-300 lens. For this shot the zoom setting was 300mm, ISO 1000, F5.6 and shutter 1/640 sec.Inspiration
Black fantails, or Piwakawaka, are distinctive little native birds that flit about constantly. They are a challenge to photograph due to constant movement – their long tail feathers allow them to change direction rapidly. On this particular morning though they seemed to be everywhere – almost taunting me to try to capture them in pixels. This image was my best shot.Editing
I needed the aid of Camera RAW to compensate for the very dark shadows. Also polishing in Photoshop.In my camera bag
I love the mountains, so as little as possible - at present a Nikon D750 camera body, a Nikkor 24-120 small zoom and the 55-300 bigger zoom, a spare battery and lightweight tripod - good for hiking. If I'm going for a summit then it's even less - a compact Lumix TZ2200 with mirrorless through the lens digital view finder, full manual operation and RAW file capture - absolutely great when you still want to control your photography but need to keep moving and can't afford to have stuff hanging off you.Feedback
Anyone who takes wildlife photographs will know that patience is THE virtue. I’m only a dabbler in this genre – enough to really admire those who have mastered wildlife photography.
