Zebra Finch - Phography in an Aviary

[Marina Scarr]

This Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia guttata, was photographed in an aviary. My friend is licensed to own exotic pets which includes birds, and he has built an amazing aviary on his property. It was very frustrating at first due to lighting, space constraints, backgrounds, etc, but finally got the hang of it. Can't wait to go back and practice.

These guys are the most common species of finch in Austrailia and are also native to Indonesia and surrounding areas. They were introduced to Western Europe and the Americas. One cool little fact about these birds is that they will only reproduce after torrential rains with substantial accumulation.

Canon 40D, 400 DO
F5.6, 1,000, ISO 400, manual mode
flash @ 0, high sync
tripod mounted, slight crop

C & C always welcome and appreciated.

[Rob Mckenzie]

I really like the shot...having somewhere to practice birding photography that you know will always have subjects is going to be incredible. I can imagine going out in the field after such practice being an excellent experience.
If I was to say anything constructive about the shot it would be that there is a little noise in the background. But that is pixel peeping. I personally really like the comp. The colours of the perch and BG seem to work really well with the bird. The sharpness of the eye is great also.

[Gus Cobos]

Well done Marina...I like the composition, image and capture. The perch and pale soft gray background compliments your subject well. I like the color rendition and sharp details...the head angle and sharp eye contact are dead on the money...a big congrats...looking forward to your next one...:cool:

[denise ippolito]

Marina, This is such a lovely bird and you did a fine job capturing it's beauty-Nice details and HA!

[Katie Rupp]

Hi Marina, beautiful colors, excellent details and complimentary bg. All in all, very nicely done!

[Lance Peters]

Marina well done your patience paid off big time - lots to like about this one - eye contact - ha- Background.
Looking forward to seeing more.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Hi Marina, very nice delicate shot. I really like it. Very pretty little bird.

[Alfred Forns]

Very nice Marina and nothing much I like it a lot !!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Very good work Marina. Great little subjects indeed and your image does not disclose the fact it is captive - so double points for you there.

Can I make you envious? :) I have these a couple of miles from my place. Always in the same area too! Though not so common in Sydney by any measure and certainly not easy to photograph with a 300/4 and 1.4x.