Baptism?

[Chrisclick]

Took these yesterday afternoon. Some days Myna birds don't feel like taking a bath, other days they do. I check every day where possible, in the hope of catching them taking a dip.

With the weather warming up, hopefully they will be bathing more often - I could sure use the practice!

All 1/1250, f/7.1

Baptism 1 by Chrisclick, on Flickr


Baptism 2 by Chrisclick, on Flickr


Baptism 3 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

CC Always welcome.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[GBO25]

Great series. I've tried to capture this type of thing but have yet to achieve a decent result. These are terrific.

[KeithH]

Well done, great shots.

[IzzieK]

Chris....I like the series too...I just don't like that noisy ugly bird. So my favourite if I have to choose one, is the first one...at least his face is hidden. But then if I dump the other two, there will not be any story to your shot....

I am glad the weather is turning good over there...my little grandchild over there is not fond of the cold -- too many clothes she said. She'd rather stay home from school, but she is not allowed to tear the house down while her parents work because she is just 2.5 years of age.

[Chrisclick]

Thank you for the comments, John, Graham, Keith, and Izzie.

Graham, keep at it, never give up. You will get results!

Hi Izzie, yes, when they are wet they look ugly, for sure. I'd say it won't be long before your granddaughter will be able to peel off a few layers and feel much more comfortable. I'm on the north coast of NSW near Byron Bay, we had 28 deg C (about 82 deg F) here today, and the forecast is for 30 deg C by Tuesday.

Here are a couple of (dry) Myna birds in flight from earlier this year when I was experimenting with flash - not so ugly.

Myna Bird in Flight by Chrisclick, on Flickr

Myna Bird in Flight 10 by Chrisclick, on Flickr


Myna Bird in Flight 3 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

[Dave Humphries]

Two great series Chris,

I especially like how close you managed to get to them in the 'in Flight' series.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice series Chris

[IzzieK]

They are great...the shots, I mean...they are all very good looking...Aren't they bothered by the flash?

Thank you for the comments, John, Graham, Keith, and Izzie.

Graham, keep at it, never give up. You will get results!

Hi Izzie, yes, when they are wet they look ugly, for sure. I'd say it won't be long before your granddaughter will be able to peel off a few layers and feel much more comfortable. I'm on the north coast of NSW near Byron Bay, we had 28 deg C (about 82 deg F) here today, and the forecast is for 30 deg C by Tuesday.

Here are a couple of (dry) Myna birds in flight from earlier this year when I was experimenting with flash - not so ugly.

Myna Bird in Flight by Chrisclick, on Flickr

Myna Bird in Flight 10 by Chrisclick, on Flickr


Myna Bird in Flight 3 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

[Chrisclick]

I especially like how close you managed to get to them in the 'in Flight' series.

Thank you, Dave. It wasn't all that difficult, it's more a method for getting the birds to get close to me, rather than me trying to get close to them:

My wife and I have been feeding Rainbow Lorikeets for several years from a small wooden platform that is attached to the house, and is directly outside our 'feeding window'. The platform is about 3.5 mtrs above the ground, and has two small perches made from thin tree branches - one on either side. Each morning, we place pieces of bread, spread with honey, onto the platform and also a small bowl of honey and water.

Both Lorikeets and Myna birds are attracted to the sweet treats, and are quite competitive (aggressive), about getting their share. The Myna birds are very tenacious, and when threatened, simply take refuge on one of the perches to await another opportunity. Sometimes, a Myna bird waiting on one of the perches, is shooed by a Lorikeet, and takes a small flight from one perch to the other, across the platform, right in front of my camera.

The camera is on a tripod with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, inside the house, facing the action. There are 3 speed lights, one either side of the window opening, and one mounted on the camera. The camera and flashes are triggered using a cheap radio trigger.

The birds are approx 2.5 mtrs from the camera.

I persisted for a few weeks, practicing different flash power levels, shutter speeds, apertures etc. I don't think that I got to a point where I was completely happy with any of the results. I found it difficult to balance the ambient light with the flashes. As a result, as you most likely know, the subject can appear too separated from the BG (as in the above shots), and take on a 'pasted' look.

I gave up when my wallet could not accomodate more expensive lighting equipment! These days, I go to the birds, and try to catch them in their environment like the shots at the top of this thread.

Here are a few more from the feeding platform, including some with black BG which was achieved PP using PS. You can see one of the perches in them. The shots with black BG have been cropped to a square.

Flight Fight by Chrisclick, on Flickr

Night, Light, Fright, Flight 2 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

Lorikeet in Flight 4 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

Into the Black 5 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

Into the Black 1 by Chrisclick, on Flickr

CC Always welcome.

[Chrisclick]

Very nice series Chris

Many thanks, Binnur.

[Chrisclick]

...Aren't they bothered by the flash?

Hi Izzie, surprisingly no. Initially, they have a very slight reaction to the flash, and then none.

Even more surprising, we started to notice what I like to call the 'Pavlovs Dog Effect'. That is, after placing the food on the platform (read above), some mornings, the birds did not arrive as expected. One particular morning, I was checking the camera gear and flashes and so, fired off a few shots. Within seconds the birds arrived! I checked this several times and came to the conclusion that they were making a connection between the flash of light and the food. Sometimes I even got the impression that they loved getting 'caught' in the light!

[IzzieK]

Now...that is very interesting, Chris...must be fun for both of you and the birds...And btw...I end up playing with your #5 shot of the Lorikeet there scrolling it up and down because the wings moves and that was fun for me...I have quite a few Corellas and Lorikeets visiting my backyard in Oz every now and then and they are cute.

Hi Izzie, surprisingly no. Initially, they have a very slight reaction to the flash, and then none.

Even more surprising, we started to notice what I like to call the 'Pavlovs Dog Effect'. That is, after placing the food on the platform (read above), some mornings, the birds did not arrive as expected. One particular morning, I was checking the camera gear and flashes and so, fired off a few shots. Within seconds the birds arrived! I checked this several times and came to the conclusion that they were making a connection between the flash of light and the food. Sometimes I even got the impression that they loved getting 'caught' in the light!