This image of a Purple-rumped Sunbird was shot in heavy overcast lighting. As soon as I saw the bird perched on the tree, I immediately knew that I had to go the silhouette route to try and save the picture. It was windy too, so i had to increase my shutter speed even though it came at the cost of potentially high noise. In PS, I converted the image to B&W, increased the exposure and dropped the blacks. Noise turned out to be a non-issue in the end. Silhouettes aren't entirely my style, but I think this scene demanded a more artistic approach than keeping things natural. This photo was shot a couple of years ago, so looking back I can see a couple of things I could've done differently (like remembering to attach my tc!). I also tried a vertical crop without the third branch on the RHS, but it meant that the final result would be a massive crop, so I opted for a slightly looser 'birdscape' composition.
Love the high contrast feel, but I agree the bird is way too small to be an effective subject. If i was larger or had a more characteristic shape - like a huge beak or long tail - it would be a stronger image. But big props for trying
something different!
Boy I like this a lot. It pops with the black and white high key.I would agree bigger subject would definitely be stronger. I need to try something different I think it increases your skill level. Good to see your artistic side got me thinking out side the box. TFS
Purple-rumped Sunbird Silhouette
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