Pallid Cuckoo (female)

[Glenn Pure]

I saw the bird fly in to this low perch thinking there would be no chance I'd get close enough for a decent photo as I was 20 or 30 metres away. So I decided to try something different. I got down on all fours and acted like a grazing animal gradually working my way closer and closer, but not in a direct line approach. I was in a paddock that sometimes has cattle in it. Luckily the ground was grassy. I eventually got quite close, took a few 'security' shots then attempted to stand up. Much to my surprise, the bird stayed. In fact, it was too relaxed and refused to turn and look my way for some time even though I started making a few noises to get its attention - none of which seemed to have any effect. I got this shot after a considerable wait and when I'd given up making any sound. The bird even allowed me to walk away and approach on all fours from the other side. The things we do for a photo. I've cloned an OOF branch out on the lower left. Crop is about two thirds of the frame area.

Thank you for looking and for any comments you are kind enough to share.

Technical: Canon 80D with EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm handheld. Manual exposure 1/1250 sec, f8, ISO 800. Processed in Canon DPP 4 (digital lens optimiser @ 50, sharpness = 3, crop, lighting adjustments, NR) then exported 16 bit TIFF to Photoshop Elements with Neat Image NR plugin. Modest NR applied to bird and stronger to background. Selective adjustments to bird (added a little saturation, lightened eye, added midtone contrast and darkened highlights). Bird only sharpened in PSE (Sharpness tool, remove Gaussian Blur: 0.4 pixels at 50%) after final size reduction.

[dankearl]

The perch is awesome...
Nice pose, processing looks good. Nice work.

[greg cowle]

Effort really paid off, this is very nice. The shot from behind with the head turn really shows this bird well.
Greg

[annmpacheco]

Gorgeous Glenn, really superb! IQ, pose, detail, BG, all wonderful. Great approach of yours paid off. If you had more room or could add canvas canvas on the bottom i think it wouldn't feel so cramped. dof covered the goods!

[Geoffrey Montagu]

Wonderful capture, Glenn. Good thinking with your approach technique based on your location. This beautiful bird kept its eye on you, but from your story she was not frightened, more than likely curious. Like the light and the fine detail and a excellent perch. Agree with Ann, if you have more in the frame I would open the crop at the base.

Geoffrey




http://https://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

[Jonathan Ashton]

You have caught the tones beautifully and processing is spot on well done.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Glenn, good look back pose, and well done on achieving DOF on the length of the bird. The feather detail really stands out, sharp, and another vote for finding more room at the bottom.

[William Dickson]

This is a cracker Glenn. The BG colours draw the eye onto the subject. Really nice pose and great detail on the bird. Very nice perch. Love the colours throughout. Well done mate.

Will

[gail bisson]

Very nice Glenn.
I love your story and I have done similar things myself.
I am a bit late to the party but I agree with ANN that you need a bit more room on the bottom.
I love the IQ on the bird.
Since you have already cloned out a branch I might be tempted to clone out the lower part of the OOF branch on the RHS of frame (back to the bend/)
Gail

[Glenn Pure]

Many thanks to you all for your helpful critiques. Here is a repost with a looser crop, mainly bringing in a bit more below. Also posted at a larger size now images are displaying properly at bigger sizes so you can enjoy a bit more of that fine detail. Gail, I was reluctant to clone out what I did so didn't take up your suggestion to clone out a bit more. A bridge too far, sorry.

[Alex Becker]

Late to the party on this one Glenn, but I really like this one. The look back pose is great, as is the two toned BG. I like the twisted perch. Details look great. Nice reading about the makings of the image too. TFS