Superb Starling
Superb Starling, Laikipia, Kenya.
Canon 20D
EF 70 - 200 at 200mm
Hand held
1/1000 @ f5.6
ISO 640
Post production, slight crop left and right hand sides, dodge branch on right hand side to reduce effect. I tried removing it completely but it left the background too beige and one tone for my liking. Some levels and curves.
Hi Hilary - Just noticed you are in SA - Have you been to the Gannet Colony in Portland??
Like the colours and the sharp details through out - exposure looks good, certainly was keeping his eye on you! I might have gone for a bit more DOF, plenty of shutter speed to trade with.
Feels a little tight at the bottom.you could evict the branch in the BG and then add a little Vignetting to the corners to keep the attention within the frame.
Looking forward to seeing more :)
Thanks Lance, didn't know about the Gannet Colony in Portland. Will have to plan a trip.
Didn't have anymore top or bottom to play with but I might see what I can do with vignetting.
Hi Hilary - Lawrence Rocks in Portland - the only mainland breeding colony in Australia - chicks hatch around XMAS time, Colony is now fenced off from the public - you cant get within 300M of the colony.Originally Posted by Hilary Hann
Access is possible - just have to know the right people ;) have posted a whole series of Gannet images from my last trip there - awesome sometimes inhospitable place - I love it.
:)
Like the way the HA is, very sharp, nice detail throughout and the colors are perfect. Great job:)
Wow, your starlings are really beautiful. Ours are black with white dots.
Very nice sharp, good exposure, HA background and perch. Nothing I would change.
Really love those eyes and the way the birds look at you, it has a little angry look in it. Good sharpness and details. Maybe run a little bit on NR in the background. Agree about trading shutter speed for more DOF.
But the black has a green/purple iridescence to it. I think they're quite good looking. But then I tend to cheer for the underdogs :)
I find the European Starlings around here extremely difficult to focus on. I've had no luck with them at all. The black and iridescence probably confuse the focus sensor.Very nice sharp, good exposure, HA background and perch.
Andy
Thank you for all your encouragement and ideas. These little guys are very common in Kenya and become quite confident around humans so are relatively easy to photograph.
Hi Hilary,
I like the composition, image and capture, you have a good head angle, good color rendition and very sharp details, also agree on eliminating the out of focus branch in the background...:cool:
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