Barred Antshrike

[Bill Dix]

I found photography in Panama last March to be very challenging. Traveling through dimly-lit jungle with a group of birders - I should say obsessive "listers" uninterested in spending time working a bird once seen - carrying just my hand-held 80-400, is not a recipe for great avian photography, so I came home with a big "list" and few keepers. I suppose this meets the definition of "photo-birding" per Artie's new blog. But this one, taken along the famed Pipeline Road, fits the theme nicely, even if a little noisy. I did some cloning on the bg, and a fair crop. C&C always appreciated.

D7000, 80-400 VR @ 370mm, ISO 1000, 1/800s @ f/6.3 manual, HH.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Bill, nicely framed between the branches, and this fellow has a fair sized beak for his size. I actually the outline and detail of the OOF branch in the BG, together with the colour of the BG.

[Randy Stout]

Bill:

It looks steamy, almost primeval. Yes, to the noise, but you were fortunate to get a clear shot at this fellow.

Striking bird, fits the theme well.

Here is to better luck overall next time!

Cheers

Randy

[arash_hazeghi]

Hey Bill, it's a very handsome specie but overall image is noisy and soft. not up to your usual standards. I see that you were using the 80-400 maybe that was the problem.

[gail bisson]

The comp is great as are the vertical lines of branches and birds body.
I agree 100% with Randy about a "primeval" feel to this.
The big issue with this image is that the bird is soft. So, what to do?...Go back to Panama with a group of BPN'ers!!
Gail

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Bill, bird photography is definitely very challenging in those conditions....the light, the BGs you get, the shooting angles...everything really. Without setting things up, productivity is not very good esp. so with a short lens. On my trips back home to India, I give it a try but end up putting the camera in the bag, take a binocs out and just enjoy the sights and the sounds of the jungle :-)

Loved the framing here and the BG. beautiful bird.

[Rachel Hollander]

Bill - sounds like a frustrating trip but good for you for trying to make the most of it. I too like the way the branches frame the shrike but agree with the others (and your self-critique) that the IQ is not up to your usual standards.

TFS,
Rachel

[PhilCook]

From my own personal; experiences getting any kind of shot of a bird while on holiday out of ones comfort zone is always a big plus, agree the framing is nice as is the background blur/shadow, a good one for the collection

[Bill Dix]

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful comments. Here's a repost that partially addresses the IQ, but not entirely. I think the OP was actually a little over-sharpened in places.

Arash, I'm not convinced that the 80-400 was the culprit, or at least not by itself. I've taken some sharp images with it, although it's no comparison to the 500 prime. The D7000 handles high ISO fairly well under some circumstances; but if I'm at 800 or above and under-expose even a little bit, I get noise that affects the IQ. In this case, I did under-expose just a little.

In any event, Gail and Kaustubh have the right idea. If I want quality photography, I should travel with photographers. If I choose to travel with a birding group, I should enjoy the birding. One can strive to do one or the other well on any given outing, but it's tough to excel at both simultaneously.