More feathered friends (first C&C post)

[garyr]

Well, deep breath...rainy and cloudy day at Australia Zoo and after spending a few minutes in the aviary I can confirm that the 40D is not only weatherproofed but also bird-poo-proofed

My first photo post so I hope the sizes all work properly, here are three that I would like some feedback on please. Perhaps not the most inspiring photos so any advice on how to improve them (or similar) would be appreciated.

#1


#2


#3




Thanks for looking.

[Bluebell]

Welcome First post images are scary aren't they?

These are good shots under the difficult conditions.
Not only did you have to contend with weather but I know it's nearly impossible to photograph the Cassowaries at Australia Zoo because a covered walkway takes you up and over them and you need to shoot through wire as well. So....

#1 good shot under the circumstances but needs more light on it's face.

#2 is my favorite. this one is at eye-level with the bird and shows the fine detail of its beautiful plumage. Good eye contact too and DOF is perfect.

#3 shows the whole bird and is well composed and in focus, but the uninspiring background lets it down, and the bird looks a little damp and sad.

Good work over all though and I hope you'll share some of your other shots.

[DaveB]

#1
I'm not familiar with that Cassowary enclosure so I can't talk to the difficulty rating... FWIW it is apparent you're shooting down onto the bird though.
Lighting is the key to good photos. Here you really needed more light on the bird's face. Compared to the back of its head, the face (including the eye which the viewer will naturally look for) is in shadow. You could wait for the bird to move its head, you could get a helper with a big reflector to send a bit of light in, or you could use fill-flash (my usual solution).
If the bird had rotated its head towards you and the shot had been a bit sharper, this would be a much stronger image!

#2
An excellent shot: the background is nicely blurred, concentrating our attention on the in-focus bird.

#3
The overall composition is good: you've managed to include all of the feet. But the background makes it obvious that this is in captivity: it's not a natural setting for a Stone-Curlew. The wing placement is intriguing: if this was in the bush I'd be thinking maybe it was doing a "broken-wing" display to distract us from the nest, but here I'm not so sure.

Well done on your first image post!

[Bindii]

Oh I know how hard it is to get a decent pic of those damn cassowary's at the Aussie Zoo... you did well to even one at the front of the pen - without its head in a feeding bucket... *sigh* Seeing ats its so bright behind the bird there I probably would have underexposed the shot by a stop or two then added some fill flash to brighten the bird and add a catchlight to his eye..

You've also got great DOF in these images.. and as we know thats almost half the battle.. I think that if you were able to add a touch of contrast to them it would help them to pop a bit more...

Looks like the Stone Curlew does have a broken wing in that last shot.. but that wouldnt surprise me as they do take on some species of rehabilatated animals there at that zoo..

Oh yeah.... well done!

[the foto fanatic]

Three excellent images - thanks for posting.

A little fill light in PS would improve the first.

[garyr]

Sincere thanks to all, really appreciate you taking the time to give me constructive advice - I really enjoy this forum for the helpful attitude of the members.

I think I am at a point where I am almost predictable with my DOF, but only just starting to get my head around lighting and exposure and WB, so the advice certainly helps me with some things to work on. Recently moved up to a 40D from a 350D so my learning curve has to be steep

Thanks again for making my first C&C post a positive experience.

Regards,

[marcotrov]

Love the composition and OOF in #2
cheers
marco