rainbow lorrikeet, does the low key approach work?

[avkomp]

been wanting to test my wimberley head but havent a suitable tripod yet,
so thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our patron
(thanks Birdy) who loaned me his gitzo 1325 until mine turns up.

80-400vr @400mm VR OFF, sb800@-2ev
I went out in the yard this arvo but it was sprinkling rain and I didnt want to get the gear wet. Pickings were slim so this guy was all I could get. no flight stuff yet
Normally lorrikeets come across fairly brightly but with the poor light and rain
This came out like a low key portrait.
This is full frame, no photoshop trickery just usm
I Kinda like the total lack of folliage and the small amount of light coming from behind.

Wonder does this work as a portrait or not?

Steve

[Alpha_7]

Yes yes yes! I love it, I've seen plenty of shots of lorikeets but this one has to be my favourite!

[NikonUser]

Very nice,

I think it works very well. The lack of foliage makes it look like the bird is posing for you in a studio portrait. He also looks kinda 'snooty'

Would be interested to hear your impressions of the Wimberly for birding when comared to a normal ball-head. Especially if your number of motion blur shots goes down.

Paul

[ONV73C]

Steve, this shot is fantastic! one of the best lorrikeet pics i've seen.

Love the small water droplets beading off her feathers... and what a great contrast the bright colours are up against the black background

I'd be inclined to PS the white blurring in the background to black too just to complete it!

Well done

[Finch]

Steve,

Normally bird shots with black backgrounds are due to flash being fired into infinity. I have the odd one at home and some work, some don't.
This one does, IMHO and it is very sharp with good composition. Love the water droplets on his feathers also.

Thumbs up from me.

Cheers

Michael

[CraigVTR]

Steve
What a fantastic shot. As a portrait I think it works very, very, very well, it shows the birds character. I can see him thinking 'What the hell is this bloke up to, be alert, not alarmed. Shit, its a camera, could be a terrorist, or is it tourist. Ah, stuff him.'

Would love to try one of those lens.
Craig

[stubbsy]

Works for me too Steve principally BECAUSE of the lighting

[avkomp]

thanks for the comments

The initial comments about the wimberley for birding are favourable.
the key is to set the gimbal up on the centre axis of the lens as well as have the camera/lens/flash combo so that it is exactly balanced.
doing this makes for effortless panning and hopefully flight shots should be much easier. tack sharp shots are happening with vr off and the system axis unlocked and free.
there is zero creep, zero play. feels great.

I was disappointed when it started to rain cos I wanted to frighten a few pigeons etc here but not a one around for me to try on.

I friend of mine may be coming birding saturday morning. I have just tried a
prime 600 f4 nikon lens on the wimberley too, weightless effortless pointing.
despite this lens alone weighing around 10plus kg
hopefully that will go birding on saturday morning and the kites and kestrals will oblige me and the weather will be kind too.

Steve

[Big Red]

thats a great pic... sharp and colourful.

[fozzie]

This shot works for me

The lack of foliage is the key, bringing out the colours of the 'Rainbow Lorrikeet' together with the natural water droplets - superb.

[Bob G]

Super shot.

Are you using a full wimberley head or a sidekick version?


Bob G

[avkomp]

bob: full wimberley. the new wh-200 jobber.

feels superb so far. I never tried the old wimberley but assume it was much the same but you can adjust it so that whatever lens you have just balances and feels weightless.
Still havent got my new upgrades for the Beamer yet either. tomorrow??
want to get that sorted so I can get it calibrated for the weekend.

Cant wait to give the 600f4 a run. feels great so far. Might have to give it a run tomorrow if no bad stuff happens at any of my sites.

Steve

[avkomp]

I'd be inclined to PS the white blurring in the background to black too just to complete it!

onv73c: I tried that but I felt it lost the glow from behind and that was what appealed to me in the first place.

Steve

[gstark]

Steve,

The dark backgrond helps to offset the colours of this beautiful charcter in a way that's rarely seen.

That said, I'd love to have seen this shot in a portrait format, with the rest of the bird in the image.

[avkomp]

gary: I did consider the portrait rotation but with the rain etc, I was more just dicking around with the tripod and head, just testing sharpness and ease of use.

Steve

[suzanneg]

Beautiful shot. Amazing detail and great colours. The water droplets are an added bonus. The bird has a great attitude.

[marcotrov]

Sharpness, contrast and colour are superb and make this shot a standout lorrikeet image enhanced well with the water droplets to add sheen and another point of interest. I agree with Gary regarding the portrait style i preference to landscape. All in all a fantastic image Steve. Once again youo have made the 80-400 shine
cheers
marco

[rooboy]

I'm not a bird shot fan, but that really stands out. I love the lighting and colour, well done

[DionM]

I like it - bold colours really come thru thanks to the background. Only shame is it looks like you caught him/her just as it was about to blink?

[Sheila Smart]

Beautiful shot, Steve. Love the background and the droplets.

Cheers
Sheila

[Oneputt]

Steve I have seen a lot of photos of lorikeets and they have become very ho hum. This one however is stunning not just because of the sharpness, but because of the total lack of anything in the background. Well done

[Manta]

Steve.

What can I say that hasn't been said before? Not bloody much.

I love this image for all it's simplicity. So often I find the colours of these guys really fluoresce and spoil the shot, getting the lighting right is a royal PITA. Experts like Finch, Kipper, yourself and a few others here prove that going back to basics, knowing your equipment and having the intuition to press the shutter at the critical moment can result in magic photos like this one.

Great work.

[Alpha_7]

 BTW I think this is a POTW right here, I came back and still love it.

[BBJ]

Bloody Beautuful birdy.

[johnd]

Steve, a top shot. Just the way it is; Low light behind the bird and landscape mode just add to the shot IMHO.

Cheers
John

[greencardigan]

I love it Steve. Well done!