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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

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  • Australian Pelican (Image ID 38343)

    Australian Pelican.   Photographer: Ian Wilson

  • Jacky Winter (Image ID 31749)

    Jacky Winter.   Photographer: Doug Castle

  • Red-kneed Dotterel (Image ID 30006)

    Red-kneed Dotterel.   Photographer: Emmy Silvius

  • Black Swan (Image ID 19439)

    Black Swan.   Photographer: Gunther Frensch

  • Eastern Spinebill (Image ID 57674)

    Eastern Spinebill.   Photographer: Neale Dyster

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The next BirdLife Photography Biennial Conference will be held in Hahndorf, SA, at the Adelaide Hills Convention Centre, on 23rd & 24th March 2024.

Visit the dedicated BirdLife Photography Biennial Conference website for details.  Ticket sales are now open.

The final cut-off dates for conference attendance and conference dinner bookings are Saturday 9th of March for the dinner and Saturday 16th of March for the conference itself. No bookings can be accepted after the cut-off dates

BirdLife Photography would like to acknowledge Adelaide Optical Centre and Twin City Cameras for their generous sponsorship of our conference.

This Search facility will search all website content, uploaded documents, and images.  Some content on this site is restricted to BLP members; visitors may not be able to access all the items found.  The search options button on the All Photos page (on the Photo Gallery drop-down menu), and on individual gallery pages, provides more options for searching images only.

Latest Images

Welcome Swallow (Image ID 62201)
Welcome Swallow
Glenn Pure
Viewed: 20
Australasian Grebe (Image ID 62200)
Australasian Grebe
Glenn Pure
Viewed: 16
Welcome Swallow (Image ID 62199)
Welcome Swallow
Rob Solic
Viewed: 11
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner (Image ID 62198)
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 8
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner (Image ID 62197)
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 7
Far Eastern Curlew (Image ID 62196)
Far Eastern Curlew
Tony Willis
Viewed: 7
Australian Brush-turkey (Image ID 62195)
Australian Brush-turkey
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 9
Striated Heron (Image ID 62194)
Striated Heron
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 10
Crested Pigeon (Image ID 62193)
Crested Pigeon
Diana Womersley
Viewed: 19
White-winged Chough (Image ID 62192)
White-winged Chough
Diana Womersley
Viewed: 20
Black Swan (Image ID 62191)
Black Swan
Ian Wilson
Viewed: 23
Grey Plover (Image ID 62190)
Grey Plover
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 14
Masked Lapwing (Image ID 62189)
Masked Lapwing
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 9
Fairy Tern (Image ID 62188)
Fairy Tern
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 12
Western Spinebill (Image ID 62187)
Western Spinebill
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 13
Pacific Black Duck (Image ID 62145)
Pacific Black Duck
John Gitsham
Viewed: 5

Being out in the field with your camera taking images of birds is a very satisfying experience.  It’s particularly rewarding when a bird appears nearby, and you manage a few good images – doubly so if it’s a species you have never photographed before.

I’m sure all those who entered the competition enjoy the experience of taking their images and are rightfully proud of the images submitted.  But if you want to improve your photography, then start thinking about how you can get a better image of a species than the images you already have.  To do that you need to get the basics right. That’s:

FOCUS.  As most cameras are auto focus, I won’t say too much about this except that, even with top end cameras, auto focus systems can produce variable results. That is, some images will be sharper than others.  So take lots of shots, and when you get the images on your computer look for the sharpest ones.

EXPOSURE.  As I reviewed the images, I noticed that several photographers had trouble with Wrens that feature both light areas of plumage and black plumage (Superb, Splendid, Variegated, and Red-winged Fairy-wrens).  The black plumage was often underexposed – so no detail could be seen in that part of the bird.  To avoid this and get some detail in darker parts of the bird, use your light meter and try and get the exposure to the right.  That is a little overexposed.  When you are taking the shot try to get in a position where the sun is behind you – so you get more even light on the bird.

When you are processing your images use the ‘Shadows’ slider and slide it to the right to brighten the darker parts of the image and reveal more detail.  Be aware that if the image is underexposed this action may reveal some noise.

COMPOSITION.   Good composition is subjective so there are no absolute rules but there are some useful guiding principles to consider.  Good images typically have a bird and a perch, with nothing obscuring the bird and nothing immediately behind the bird – except for a completely out-of-focus background.  There may be some foliage or other aspects of the bird’s immediate habitat in the image that either frame or balance the bird.

When you are looking through your viewfinder consider the composition; you might find that moving left or right, up or down, backward or forward may improve the composition.  You can also wait for the subject to move a little.  That may help.  And take lots of shots trying the variations of composition that are available to you.  Try to capture the bird when it is looking more toward the camera rather than away from the camera.  The resulting image will be more engaging for the viewer.

Winner:  Red-backed Fairy-wren, by Sylvia Wallis  (Image ID 48345)

I did exclaim ‘WOW’ when I saw this image.  In my opinion it is the standout entry in the competition.  It ticks all the elements of a good image: focus, exposure and particularly composition.  The bird is positioned high in the frame and to the right meaning the bird has some space to look into to the left.  As the photographer notes, the colour palette make for a harmonious image.  I would have said subtle and subdued.  You don’t always need bursts of colour for a good image.  The fact that the bird is holding prey also makes this a more interesting image than a standard ‘bird on a stick’ image.  The clear out-of-focus background with a just hint of texture means that the in-focus bird stands out well – even though there is not a lot of variation in the colours.

The image could possibly be improved with a little sharpening of the bird. Possibly some noise reduction was applied to the bird that has just softened it a little.

Red-backed Fairy-wren

Highly Commended:  Splendid Fairy-wren, by Samantha Wright  (Image ID 48669)

This is a terrific image.  The bird is in sharp focus around the eye and the exposure is good.  The composition works well too.  The bird is in the lower left looking into the space to the right.  The background is clear and relatively smooth.  The background colour contrasts nicely with the bird and helps the bird ‘pop’ in the image.  The fact that the bird is in transition from non-breeding to breeding plumage and it has been caught mid-hop add some more interest. 

To improve the image I would consider using processing software to rotate the image so the rail serving as the birds’ perch appears horizontal.  And when taking the shot out in the field I would have considered closing down the aperture by a couple of stops.  This would increase the depth-of-field and more of the bird would be in focus.

supreb Lyrebird

Commended:  Superb Fairy-wren, by Robyn Elliott  (Image ID 48415)

This is a wonderful profile image with the entire bird in focus.  The exposure is good with some detail in the black plumage of the bird.  The composition is good with plenty of room for the bird and a good clean background.  The colour of the background contrast nicely with the colours of the bird – helping the bird stand out (pop) in the image.  As the photographer notes, the erect feathers add some interest to the image.

I would have considered increasing the exposure a little more in post processing – just to brighten the overall image. There is a blur in the lower left of the frame. I would consider cropping that out.

supreb Lyrebird

Commended:  Superb Fairy-wren by Indrani Pathirage  (Image ID 48655)

This is a bright, vibrant image, with a clear smooth background and good colour palette.  Any noise has been removed.  The composition is good with room for the bird to ‘move’!  The alert attitude of the bird with its upright tail are pleasing and add to the appeal of the image.

Increasing the exposure, at least in the dark areas if not the whole image would help.  You can see there is no real detail in the black plumage around the head, neck, and tail.  And, in an ideal world, the bird would be looking slightly toward the viewer rather than slightly away from the viewer.  A bird looking more toward the viewer is more engaging.

supreb Lyrebird

Commended:  Superb Fairy-wren, by Robyn Elliott  (Image ID 48625)

This is a good action shot.  The bird is in full song - singing its little heart out.  The bird is in profile and all the bird is in focus.  The photographer was at eye level with the bird - making the shot more engaging.  The erect feathers add to the interest to the image.  When taking the shot, it may have improved the image if the photographer moved a little to their left.  That may have meant that there was a little less foliage in the image.

In processing the image, I would have moved the shadows slider a little to the right – maybe revealing more detail in the black plumage of the bird – and moved the highlights slider to the left – reducing the overexposure of the breast and revealing more detail.

supreb Lyrebird

Commended:  Superb Fairy-wren, by Robyn Spry  (Image ID 48603)

This is a very good profile of a Superb Fairy-wren. All the bird is in focus and the overall exposure is good. The composition is attractive with an alert bird holding some pray. A clean background with a gentle graduation of tones makes the bird stand out.

Some adjustment to the shadows may have helped show more detail in the dark plumage. Noise reduction on the background would have improved the overall appearance of the image.

supreb Lyrebird

Special Mentions

Red-backed Fairy-wren, by Robyn Elliott  (Image ID 48416)  This shot has some real charm.  The birds appear to be sharing a moment of genuine affection.  It’s a good moment to capture.  The birds are in sharp focus and the exposure is very good.  The background is clear, and the colour complements the birds.  The hint of the grass seed heads suggests something about the habitat of the bird.  The composition could have been improved if both birds were looking in the general direction of the camera.  That would make the image more engaging for the viewer.

Superb Fairy-wren, by James Hider  (Image ID 48779)  I selected this image because the composition is a little unusual.  There is quite a bit foliage in the frame – but it’s in focus and tells the viewer about the birds’ habitat.  There is no foliage obstructing the bird.  The area behind the bird is mainly clear and the bird is singing.  So it makes for an interesting image.  The image is a little under exposed and you see that there is little detail in the black plumage.  Some noise reductionof the background would also improve the image.

 

Recent Picks

Grey-backed Storm-Petrel (Image ID 62071)
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel
Chris Young
Viewed: 105
Pink Robin (Image ID 61955)
Pink Robin
Rob Solic
Viewed: 104
Australasian Gannet (Image ID 61793)
Australasian Gannet
Valerie Misa
Viewed: 102
Superb Fairy-wren (Image ID 61802)
Superb Fairy-wren
Shane Little
Viewed: 87
Galah (Image ID 61731)
Galah
Rob Solic
Viewed: 114
Australasian Darter (Image ID 61648)
Australasian Darter
Stephen Garth
Viewed: 118
Plumed Whistling-Duck (Image ID 61612)
Plumed Whistling-Duck
Shane Little
Viewed: 152
Pied Stilt (Image ID 61516)
Pied Stilt
Patrick Kavanagh
Viewed: 135
Australasian Gannet (Image ID 61497)
Australasian Gannet
Stephen Garth
Viewed: 211
Australian White Ibis (Image ID 61471)
Australian White Ibis
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 164

CONTACT US

The easiest way to contact us is by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Our People page, in the About Us section, contains email links to each of the committee members.