Grey Butcherbird

[Pamela de Zilva]

A setup, on a very windy day.

Nikon D800E , 500mm F4 lens, Gitzo Tripod
Manual exp., F7.1, 1/500s, exp. comp. +.03, ISO 1100

Comments & critiques always welcome.

[David Salem]

Beautiful bird and I love the blown out flanks and the calling pose. The BG is beautiful. The techs look good and I like the detail, but I think you can get a bit more detail from the blacks. Although I like it, I think the pine cone is too much for this image.
Well done.

[arash_hazeghi]

The curved perch and pine fruit nicely balance this one. Excellent pose and a nice BG. The whites look a bit on the grey side and BG can use some NR.

TFS

[Ian Wilson]

This is such an unusual capture with the wind blowing up his flanks and I can hear him calling - I like it very much. I think the blacks and whites are about right and the background is to my taste - I like to see some natural variation rather than a monotone. I suggest you look for a more appropriate perch using a native plant from your area such as a dry branch from a casuarina with a few fruits. Green vegetation would be OK but difficult to keep looking fresh in your situation and climate. I also suggest you experiment with your camera settings to get a bit more depth of field, maybe f/9 or f/10 and you could use some fill flash using high-speed sync or manual flash power (about 1/8 power). Regards, Ian

[Marina Scarr]

What a unique image! Love the calling pose and wind-blown feathers. The bird pops against that green BG, which does need a bit of NR. One the one hand, I love this image as is and on the other, I feel the pine cone is a bit too powerful and detracts from your stunning bird. Altogether, I am leaning toward really liking this image. The curved branch is a plus as well.

[Pamela de Zilva]

The curved perch and pine fruit nicely balance this one. Excellent pose and a nice BG. The whites look a bit on the grey side and BG can use some NR.

TFS

I've taken all the advice and decided to start from scratch. Hope the repost is an improvement

[Pamela de Zilva]

This is such an unusual capture with the wind blowing up his flanks and I can hear him calling - I like it very much. I think the blacks and whites are about right and the background is to my taste - I like to see some natural variation rather than a monotone. I suggest you look for a more appropriate perch using a native plant from your area such as a dry branch from a casuarina with a few fruits. Green vegetation would be OK but difficult to keep looking fresh in your situation and climate. I also suggest you experiment with your camera settings to get a bit more depth of field, maybe f/9 or f/10 and you could use some fill flash using high-speed sync or manual flash power (about 1/8 power). Regards, Ian

Thanks Ian for your advice. The only reason I didn't push it to f9/or f10 was the noise factor. I promise you, you won't be seeing that pine cone again. This is all new to me and even trying to find the perfect perch is somewhat daunting.

[Pamela de Zilva]

Thanks to Marina and David for your comments. I too felt that the cone was a bit over powering but I don't have the PS skills to get rid of it.
Regards, Pamela

[Ian Wilson]

Thanks Ian for your advice. The only reason I didn't push it to f9/or f10 was the noise factor. I promise you, you won't be seeing that pine cone again. This is all new to me and even trying to find the perfect perch is somewhat daunting.

You are doing a jolly good job for someone new to the game! The reason I suggested some fill flash is so you can keep the ISO under control and hence the noise. It is best to use an off-camera flash or a flash bracket if you have one. Regards, Ian.

[Pamela de Zilva]

You are doing a jolly good job for someone new to the game! The reason I suggested some fill flash is so you can keep the ISO under control and hence the noise. It is best to use an off-camera flash or a flash bracket if you have one. Regards, Ian.

Thanks for the tip Ian. I understand the logic. I shall get the flash bracket out of the box.

[Karl Egressy]

Excellent calling pose with the blown feathers. The repost is an improvement.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Pamela, great angled pose with the raised head, and just love the wind swept plumage, almost symmetrical. Your repost has turned out well.

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent image. Very nicely exposed whites and grey.Very nice perch, BG and composition.Re post is absolutely superb.

Regards,
Satish.

[arash_hazeghi]

I've taken all the advice and decided to start from scratch. Hope the repost is an improvement

BG looks good now

[Joe Murphy]

Great image Pamela, love the windswept look & singing pose.