Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Theme- Black & White Birds - one of Stu's Pied Kingfishers

  1. #1
    BPN Member Tony Whitehead's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    3,972
    Threads
    142
    Thank You Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Theme- Black & White Birds - one of Stu's Pied Kingfishers

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Thought I had better sneak this in before the end of the month. On a recent trip to South Africa, Stu Bowie was kind enough to arrange a trip to his spot at Mankwe Hide in Pilanesberg Game Reserve, for my daughter, Edin, and I the morning after we arrived. Having done this with him before, I now that it is the best jet-lag cure after a long trip from New Zealand that almost fully inverts day and night. We had a typical highveld cold start but a lovely clear sunny day with some great memories.
    This Pied Kingfisher was sitting mostly shaded by the trunk of the perch he was sitting on so I used some flash to fill the shaded area
    Nikon D800, Nikon 500 f4 VR
    Matrix +0 1/800 f8 ISO 720 (autoISO) flash -1 HH
    Thanks for looking and any suggestions.
    Tony Whitehead
    Visit my blog at WildLight Photography for latest news and images.

  2. #2
    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Centurion, South Africa
    Posts
    21,360
    Threads
    1,435
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Tony, what a great day we all had, and the weather played ball. Great use of fill flash here, and Ive been curious on how your results would turn out - pretty darn well, looking at this. A typical pose looking for his next meal, really sharp, and I like how you have left a touch of space below the perch. Just a personal thing, but if this were mine, I would have darkened the BG a tad more.

    Im going to try some fill flash on my next visit which will be pretty soon.

  3. #3
    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Princeton, NJ
    Posts
    12,487
    Threads
    1,892
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Great pose and perch, and I love the slightly open beak. Good use of flash. I know he was in the shade, but I might have been tempted to take out some of the blue cast.

  4. #4
    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    11,879
    Threads
    917
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Lovely perch, pose, and BG. Another vote for removing the blue cast in the whites. A bit more fill and a bit less ambient exposure might have struck a better balance between subject and BG lighting.
    Upcoming Workshops: Bosque del Apache 2019, Ecuador 2020 (details coming soon)
    Website -
    Facebook - 500px

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Guelph, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,509
    Threads
    827
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice pose background and perch, Tony.

  6. #6
    Forum Participant Joe Senzatimore's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    new york
    Posts
    3,509
    Threads
    524
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Fine comp. pose and details. As mentioned , your flash skills are showcased here. My vote foe toning down the BG just a bit.

  7. #7
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    2,132
    Threads
    193
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Tony, great detail throughout. Really like the angle of the face wrt the camera.

    Curious, how do the camera and flash meter when using meter when using TTL fill flash and AUTO ISO. I'm a recent convert to Auto ISO and love it, but haven't been able how to incorporate fill flash. Practice will help, but I'd like to know what the camera and flash are thinking. You seem to have a great grasp on it!

  8. #8
    BPN Member Tony Whitehead's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    3,972
    Threads
    142
    Thank You Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Miguel Palaviccini View Post
    Tony, great detail throughout. Really like the angle of the face wrt the camera.

    Curious, how do the camera and flash meter when using meter when using TTL fill flash and AUTO ISO. I'm a recent convert to Auto ISO and love it, but haven't been able how to incorporate fill flash. Practice will help, but I'd like to know what the camera and flash are thinking. You seem to have a great grasp on it!
    Sorry I can't help with what the camera and flash are thinking, Miguel. This was my first session using the D800, autoISO and fill flash and I guess I just lucked out. Subsequently using it in a darker environment I had a lot of trouble trying to get what I wanted and just reverted to manual ISO
    Tony Whitehead
    Visit my blog at WildLight Photography for latest news and images.

  9. #9
    BPN Member Tony Whitehead's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    3,972
    Threads
    142
    Thank You Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default

    Thanks for the comments and advice everyone. I did darken the BG in post somewhat (Viveza) but found pushing it too far made the bird look too flashed so compromised. I will try a version with the blues knocked back off the whites on the bird.
    Tony Whitehead
    Visit my blog at WildLight Photography for latest news and images.

  10. #10
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Geldern, Germany
    Posts
    3,557
    Threads
    216
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Exellent image quality, great details and sharpness, Tony.

  11. #11
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    191
    Threads
    15
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Tony,

    Great use of flash. Love the open beak, details, BG and pose. well done.

    - Maya

  12. #12
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    2,132
    Threads
    193
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Whitehead View Post
    Sorry I can't help with what the camera and flash are thinking, Miguel. This was my first session using the D800, autoISO and fill flash and I guess I just lucked out. Subsequently using it in a darker environment I had a lot of trouble trying to get what I wanted and just reverted to manual ISO
    Either way, great capture!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics