Eastern Spinebill hovering on banksia flower spike

[Ian Wilson]

This frame was captured in my garden last winter (June 2013). The resident nectar feeders are sustained by winter flowering species like this banksia. The flower spike bent over causing the nectar to flow to the tip where the only way to get it was by hovering. I used a high-speed flash set-up with two units, each fitted with a Better Beamer. In the next pane you can see the set-up. The bird and flower were 4 m above ground and the camera with 600EX-RT master flash was mounted at a range of 7.5 m. The 430EX II slave flash was mounted on an articulated boom about 1.8 m back from the bird. The shot was taken on a misty morning which has caused the flash light to back-scatter and produce the unusual grey background.

Canon 5DIII + 600 mm f/4L II, 600EX-RT + Better Beamer, 430EX II + Better Beamer, RS-80N3 remote shutter release, Gitzo 3532LS tripod, Kirkphoto King Cobra gimbal.

Pre-set manual focus, manual camera settings, f/10, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, 1/8 flash power both units.

Processed in DPP4 and PS Elements.

Thanks for looking, critical feedback welcome.

Ian

[Ian Wilson]

Set-up for taking this shot.

[William Dickson]

What an amazing image Ian. I think the bird looks fantastic along with the dark BG and the flower spike. You must be really happy with this capture. Well done mate

[Ishmeet Sahni]

I agree with William, its an amazing image. Also, a big thank you for the setup shot. I have never used a flash while doing any wildlife photography,
this helps in understanding and learning.

[keith mitchell]

Ian a clever bit of set up work that really has produced another excellent image from you, I would find it very hard to find anything to criticize .

Cheers Keith.

[Bill Dix]

Wonderful shot, Ian. Beautiful colors, and action stopped nicely by the flash setup. I would have said that having the bird angled just slightly toward you would put it over the top, but this is pretty much over the top already, so I won't say it. Thanks for showing the setup.

[Grace Scalzo]

Ian, this is such an interesting photograph. Thanks for sharing your set up. The thumbnail sure does not do this justice. The only thing I'm condsidering is if lightening the bird's face and bill just a touch in post processing might allow my attention to be drawn in to the face a bit more easily. But that's not something to fret over, it is indeed a cracking image as presented.

[Arthur Morris]

All wonderful but for the bird being angled away. Was that bad luck or the direction of the breeze? As Grace noted, the face is a bit dark. That caused by the bird being angled away...

[Ian Wilson]

Thanks for your feedback Arthur. As you can imagine, I have plenty of similar images to choose from. I posted this one because it is the only one I have showing the bird's tongue flicking in and out as it laps up nectar. I will post a couple more images from this set-up in coming days. Regards, Ian.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Ian. I look forward to seeing more from this series.

[David Salem]

Another great capture from this setup. Thanks for showing us it. The bird is as sharp as can be and the exposure looks great too. Yes, the angle is a little off but not a biggie for me. Well done

[Satish Ranadive]

Absolutely superb image. Spectacular action, beautiful colors, great details and composition.

Regards,
Satish.