Lillians Lovebirds quenching their thirst.

[Marc Mol]

I tried to make the most of this image in what was quite harsh midday lighting whilst sweating it out myself in a hide at a bushcamp in the Sth Luangwa NP-Zambia.
These beautiful little birds are very skittish and not easy to get close, hence when an opportunity comes along, harsh light or not, you take your chance.
I also would have liked the 3rd bird from left facing me also, but not to be.
D2Xs 300f/2.8VR ISO100 f/2.8 1/2500s@300mm.

C & C most welcome

Cheers
Marc

http://africaddict.smugmug.com/photos/461296966_gmkuZ-L.jpg

[christopher galeski]

nice shot Marc,like you say 3rd bird lets it down,but you may be able to clone it out,its nice and sharp,and the colours of the birds are magic,and the dry mud show them off.thanks.

[John Chardine]

It is almost surreal to see these familiar caged birds in the wild (not this species maybe but lovebirds in general). I think its great! I agree with your philosophy here Christopher- get it while you can. The higher angle gives you a nice curved pattern for the birds. I low angle on one or two birds would have been nice if you could get it. For artistic purposes you could clone out the bird phasing away and see how it looked.

[Judd Patterson]

These sure are gorgeous birds, and I can see why you had to take the opportunity despite the harsh light. I agree with John that the higher angle actually works to your advantage here to show the entire little flock around the curve of the pool. The face of the foremost bird seems a little soft...probably due to f/2.8, which you could have increased a bit given all the available light. I look forward to the day when you get this lovely species in better light...that will be fantastic!

[Marc Mol]

These sure are gorgeous birds, and I can see why you had to take the opportunity despite the harsh light. I agree with John that the higher angle actually works to your advantage here to show the entire little flock around the curve of the pool. The face of the foremost bird seems a little soft...probably due to f/2.8, which you could have increased a bit given all the available light. I look forward to the day when you get this lovely species in better light...that will be fantastic!

Thanks Judd

Yes, I could have kicked myself when i realized these were shot @ f/2.8!
I hope to get a chance again to photograph these little beauties when I'm off on a 21 night trip to Botswana come this September.

Cheers
Marc

[Arthur Morris]

Agree with all of the excellent comments above as well as the self-critique. Getting rid of the odd bird would not be a snap even with good Quick Masking Techniques....

[Marc Mol]

Agree with all of the excellent comments above as well as the self-critique. Getting rid of the odd bird would not be a snap even with good Quick Masking Techniques....

Thanks Arthur, I'll give it a go and see how it turns out.

[Arthur Morris]

I look forward to seeing a new version.