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Red Browed Firetail Finch, taken at Tower Hill Gaming Reserve. These birds for permanent pair bonds, and stay so throughout the year. It's a shame the second bird isn't in focus. Was too busy dealing with backlight and not enough light at the front. Used ISO 1000, which is why the shot of the small bird in flight is grainy
Btw, shot was handheld resting on the edge of the birdhide.

Exif Details:

Mode: Manual
ISO 1000
Focal Length: 340MM
Lens: 70-200VR (with 1.7TC)
Shutter: 1/640
Aperture: F/8
Metering: Matrix
WB: Auto

Post Processing:
1. +0.66 or +1.0 EV
2. Cropped
3. Noise Ninjaed with Full Auto Profile
4. Sampled down to final size using Image Size with Bicubic Sharpen
4. Saturation +20
5. Velvia Action
6. Save For Web


Click for Larger Image.

<a href="http://darryl.smugmug.com/photos/21417034-O.jpg"></a>


ps. I hope you all aren't birded out

Hi Daryl
just a query on your PP process. Is there a reason you run noise ninja before you downsize your photo ? Just curious....

I like the composition but the OOF bird on the right is a little too distracting, for my taste.

The reason I ran Noise Ninja was because of the ISO 1000 producing a lot of noise. I only used the full auto profile to remove the noise. I need to calibrate for my camera using the card/sheet.

As for the 2nd OOF bird. I purely kept it in because of the significance that these birds form bonds and stay together. Taking the bird out and cropping down would show the lack of detail in the focused bird

Found another photo but the foreground bird is still a bit OOF. Also the in focus bird has some blown highlights.

Good composition. I'm surprised that at that distance (340mm) the DOF wasn't deep enough to get both birds in focus. Looks like the lighting was pretty harsh too which would have made it tricky to get detail in the feathers without blowing highlights...

Aussie Dave, here is another but the foreground bird is still OOF. Grr DOF was still too shallow at F/8.

Click for larger image.

<a href="http://darryl.smugmug.com/photos/21418636-O.jpg"></a>

Hi Kipper,

You seems to know where to photo the birds. Can I come along in your next outing?

regards,

Arthur

You free Monday during the day? I'm probably heading early upto the You Yangs or however you spell them. Nicole has put me onto there are the WTP (Werribee Treatment Plant). However I don't have a permit yet to go into the WTP so I'll give that a miss. Plus it seemed to have mostly wetland birds and raptors. However the You Yangs seem to have small birds (eg. willy wagtails, superb blue wrens etc) and raptors. I'm going to ask though if these birds will still be around seeing as we're in Autumn progressing into Winter.

Geat shots Darryl, very well done.