Frogmouth Chick and Koala

[Manta]

Still trying to get my heads around the best settings when using the Better Beamer.
Some wildlife in my parent’s backyard this morning.

EXIF above each, comments appreciated.

I know I shouldn't use this lens at 300mm but I can't help myself when I want to get in close. Guess I'll just have to get some better long range glass one of these days..

70-300G at 300mm, f9, 1/500, off-camera (SC29) Flash with BB (50mm) TTL dialled down to -2/3EV, spot metering
PP = curves adjustments to darken sky and chick’s pupils, crop, resize and sharpen


70-300G at 300mm, f9, 1/200, off-camera (SC29) Flash with BB (50mm) TTL dialled down to -1EV, spot metering
PP = curves adjustment, square crop, resize and sharpen

[Pa]

how cute is the first image,well spotted and shot simon.
cheers pa

[Manta]

Thanks Pa - pleased you like it. The undergrowth made it difficult to get the optimum shooting position but I did what I could. Would have loved to have a few bits of scaffolding so I could have gotten up to their level!

[Glen]

Simon, diverse wildlife in your parents backyard

[Aussie Dave]

Simon,
Nice images. The first one looks like it had a bit too much flash on the birds, IMO. It almost looks like a nighttime shot, taken during the day (if that makes sense ?!?).

The second image is beautiful. The tree on the RHS is a tad hot, but the exposure on the koala is great.

Well done...

[radar]

Great photos Simon,

The koala came out great. As already mentioned, probably a bit overflashed for the frogmouth. I'm still coming to terms with my BB. Since you are are actually pretty close, have you tried without the BB?

Get on your parents roof, where's your sense of adventure ?

We have a frogmouth nest across the street here as well and the chick looks a similar size. They are very cute. We just hope the local goanna doesn't find it

Cheers,

André

[Manta]

Thanks guys.

Glen, it's only a little strip of bushland they've got behind them but the local critters sure like it!

These shots were taken within 20m of each other.

Dave - you're right, it's pretty overflashed. I was trying to remember what Avkomp had siad about settings but didn't quite nail it. I've just been having this conversation with him over on Digitalslr.

I thought I was stepping the flash down enough but it's still too lethal. Might try going down to -3 and working up, rather than the other way around nect time! I agree it does look like a night shot but it was actually 10.30am. The sky was just way too blue and I didn't like the colouring so I darkened it a bit. That, in combination with the overflashing, has probably resulted in the slightly surreal effect.

[Manta]

Great photos Simon,

The koala came out great. As already mentioned, probably a bit overflashed for the frogmouth. I'm still coming to terms with my BB. Since you are are actually pretty close, have you tried without the BB?

Get on your parents roof, where's your sense of adventure ?

We have a frogmouth nest across the street here as well and the chick looks a similar size. They are very cute. We just hope the local goanna doesn't find it

Cheers,

André

Cheers Andre. I would have been up on their roof (or the two storey house next door to them) in a flash but I couldn't get a clear view through the canopy. The only place was on the ground about 10 m from their tree, looking up through a small hole in some she-oaks. The nest is probably about 15m off the ground.

I tried without the BB but they were deep in shade (under leaves of higher branches) and I didn't want to have to bump up the ISO to get a decent exposure. Harsh sunlight didn't help, creating a lot of contrast. I'll go back again soon but at a different time of the day and really experiment.

[Aussie Dave]

Ain't flash photogrpahy fun

As a suggestion, perhaps you can try using a diffuser (if you have one), which will cut down the amount of light and spread it out more...which might help if you're still finding too much light coming out of the flash unit.
If you're still getting too much, angle the head up to say 45 degrees 9with the diffuser on) and you won't get as much "direct light".

OR, turn the FEV down....or a combination of.....

They are pretty powerful units. It's easy to underestimate how much light will be produced.

[Manta]

Ain't flash photogrpahy fun

As a suggestion, perhaps you can try using a diffuser (if you have one), which will cut down the amount of light and spread it out more...which might help if you're still finding too much light coming out of the flash unit.
If you're still getting too much, angle the head up to say 45 degrees 9with the diffuser on) and you won't get as much "direct light".

OR, turn the FEV down....or a combination of.....

They are pretty powerful units. It's easy to underestimate how much light will be produced.

Diffusion might be tricky with the Better Beamer strapped on. I suppose I could always drape some tissue or similar over the head. (The flash, not mine - though it couldn't hurt..)

[Aussie Dave]

Sorry Simon, I read the "BB" but didn't stop twice to think what that actually was.

It's been one of those days.....

The tag line in my signature says it all

[Manta]

How ironic - I was only just laughing at that tag line line Dave!

All is forgiven. The tyranny of age...!

[Alpha_7]

Diffusion might be tricky with the Better Beamer strapped on. I suppose I could always drape some tissue or similar over the head. (The flash, not mine - though it couldn't hurt..)

Simon, what about the slide out diffuser in the SB-800 ?

[Pa]

one of these might help simon.
cheers pa
http://www.abetterbouncecard.com/

[Manta]

Diffusion might be tricky with the Better Beamer strapped on. I suppose I could always drape some tissue or similar over the head. (The flash, not mine - though it couldn't hurt..)

Simon, what about the slide out diffuser in the SB-800 ?

Good point Craig but I've used it before and it didn't make much of a discernible difference (that I could see anyway )
Think I'll just play around with the EV.

[adam]

Those eyes!!! Those eyes!!! eyecontact and it's great how you can find this in your parents backyard (bush!)

[Manta]

one of these might help simon.
cheers pa
http://www.abetterbouncecard.com/

Thanks Pa - they do a good job of diffusing but there's still the problem of reach and that's where the Better Beamer comes into it's own. Being able to illuminate a subject 20m away means you need to channel the flash in a relatively narrow beam, achieved through the Fresnel lens on the BB. Diffusing flash is one way of softening it but not being able to lose distacne means dropping the intensity of the flash to, hopefully, achieve a similar result in exposure. The hard part is getting that EV compenstiaon right and, as Avkomp and others have pointed out in the past, it's a different story for birds/animals/objects of different colours and textures. I'v found Lorikeets and Regent Bowerbirds, in particular, fluoresce like mad things and drive novices like me completely around the twist trying to get them properly exposed!!

For normal flash work, with subjects that are much closer and that don't glow like Chernobyl when you point a flash at them, I find my LSPJ and Dome more than up to the task!

[Manta]

Those eyes!!! Those eyes!!! eyecontact and it's great how you can find this in your parents backyard (bush!)

Adam - the pupils on the chick were a dull mid-grey so I took the liberty of darkening them so they were more visible. However, that's the only PP done as far as the eyes were concerned so what you see is what you get! I was really pleased they looked straight at me for long enough to snap the shots as, if they're stressed, they'll freeze in a sideways pose, imitating a broken branch, and only look at you through slitted eyelids. Not quite as good for photos.