Image Copyright 2010: Robert OToole Photography .com
European Bee-eater pair taking an break from digging a new tunnel.
Our workshop group mostly concentrated on a small colony and we set up our hides near the most reliable and active new tunnels. This was the second day this pair was working on their new tunnel, you can see fresh soil on their bills. They would take turns digging and feeding. They were very active when it was warm. My second workshop group Peter Kes, Gerald and Brian all had a very rewarding time with this pair and a few others. Everyone in the group made some great images. These birds are so much fun, one of my favorites for sure.
The OOF highlights in the BG are purple wildflowers and I purposely left them in the frame.
Nikon D700 with MB-D10 and AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED VR and ISO 2000. manual mode -2/3 compensation (yes you can use compensation in manual mode) 1/2000th @ F5.6. Full frame except for top and bottom to fit aspect ratio.
Optimized with CS4, used curves and some light NR on the BG using a mask to protect the birds.
Thanks for looking.


