Trinidad Motmot

[Faraaz Abdool]

Hey guys and gals

This is my first post to the Avian forum - I'm taking a jump in at the deep end in the pool full of pro's :t3. Figured it'd be best that I show off one of our two endemic bird species.

Trinidad Motmot (photo actually taken in our sister isle, Tobago)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6844350864_c6f6cdb5f2_b.jpg

7D | 100-400 @400mm | ISO 400 | 1/320s | f/5.6 | Flash @-1

For those of you who have had the experience with these birds you would know that they rarely if ever come out in the open. This bird came pretty close, and although my settings say flash @ -1; which would generally be used as fill...I was actually using it as main light.

All C&C welcome!

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Rasta-man! Good to see you here. Nice bird but way too big in the frame and too dense/dark.... Can you post the original full frame? As for the too-dark flashed look, NIK helped a bit for the repost. Also did bill clean-up and some Eye Doctor work. Also eliminated the distracting grey sliver on the right frame edge. Sharp. Also tried to tone down the bright tail.

[Arthur Morris]

ps: You can meet the Rasta-man in Friends and Family here. (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/107217-Rasta-man-on-the-Jetty?p=878865#post878865) He is not as mean as he looks! :S3:

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Faraaz - Nice to see you posting here. Very colorful bird and that eye is amazing. Good points by Artie, as always. When are we going to see some from the Jetty?

TFS,
Rachel

[Faraaz Abdool]

Artie - yah mon! Repost looks miles better! This is actually an old photo that I was unsure about for a long time. Took it when I was less conscious of 1) composition, 2) distracting elements, 3) taking off fresnel screen when bird gets too close.
I don't have the original due to pc storage issues I was having at the time. In any case, this is more or less full frame - if I remember correctly I just cropped a bit from the bottom and right hand side (there was a vertical branch there, piece of which formed the sliver that you removed). As soon as I get my pc up and running properly I'm going to organize all the right software...
This picture is my definition of ambivalence. I like it but at the same time don't - and never could've figured out why until your post. Thanks a mil.

Rachel - thanks :-). I'm actually tackling the backlog of RAW files in chronological order - and I just finished Dec 2012. So within the next week or two, I'll be posting something from the jetty!

[Colin Gilyeat]

Faraaz, I really like the image, espcially the eye. I'm looking forward to seeing some of yours from the Jetty. I'm slowing getting through mine and should get a couple more up in the next day or two. Sometimes work just gets in the way.

Colin

[Faraaz Abdool]

Thanks Colin. Next image I post to Avian should be one from the jetty, I promise :-)

[Peter Dexter]

That's quite a close-up. The focus seems soft and I agree with others I would like a little more space around the bird. With 5.6 it was certainly a good thing the focus was on the head. Looking forward to more picyires from Tabago.

[Faraaz Abdool]

Hey Peter - Thanks for your words. Not sure if I can agree with you on the focus being soft though...it looks sharp on the eye and beak to me.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Peter - Thanks for your words. Not sure if I can agree with you on the focus being soft though...it looks sharp on the eye and beak to me.

Agree. The image is sharp on the eye and the focus was accurate.