occasionalclimber

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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NIKON D750

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 1000 Shutter 1/640 Focal Length 300/1

upload_date

Jul, 2018

Views

1443

Likes

+346

Awards

Featured

Peer Award

+505

Absolute Masterpiece

+12

Magnificent Capture

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Virtuoso

Emotions

Impressed

Relaxed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

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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.

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occasionalclimber

occasionalclimber

The grim tweeter