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Thread: Southern Double-Collared Sunbird (South Africa)

  1. #1
    BPN Member Dorian Anderson's Avatar
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    Default Southern Double-Collared Sunbird (South Africa)

    There are no hummingbirds in the Old World, that nectar-eating niched filled by sunbirds in Africa and Asia.

    These tiny birds move very, very fast, and this represents the only decent frame I captured on my six-week trip despite
    the continual presence of various family members. As presented, the image is probably 50-60% larger than the living bird.
    So a challenging target, for sure!

    This bird was photographed at the Kirstenbosch Gardens outside Cape Town.

    Is the shooting angle a bit high? Yes, but not by much.

    Are the OOF areas of the cactus distracting? A bit.

    And did I remove a bit of rogue plant in each lower corner? Yep.

    All that considered, I'm super stoked with this shot, particularly as it's a natural, native perch achieved without lure.

    Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x III on EOS R5
    1/2000 at f/5.6, ISO 800
    Processed in LR CC and Topaz DN

    Name:  southern double-collared sunbird 080122.jpg
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  2. #2
    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Congratulations Dorian. Sunbirds are gorgeous little creatures -- unfortunately I've only seen a few of them, and never gotten a satisfactory image, so I can imagine why you're stoked. Pose, exposure and detail are spot-on. To my personal taste the perch dominates and detracts from the bird. Although not a fan of square crops, I might be tempted to try one here and lose some of the bottom cactus. Just personal preference.

  3. #3
    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
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    From an artistic point of view, I really like this.....Fab colours throughout....Perfect pose and those greens and reds look real good.....I would leave the crop as is.....All works for me....Well done Dorian

    Will

  4. #4
    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    A super image, very eye catching, colours and composition look very god indeed, darkest areas around the bill perhaps a little dense otherwise tones look spot on.

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