Wow, this competition has it all! Dramatic action, birds with attitude, gruesome details, and some pretty pictures of beautiful birds going about the business of feeding. When reviewing my short-list of ten images I kept coming back to the action shots and the realization that the photographers had captured something special. These are shots that are out of the ordinary requiring knowledge of bird behaviour, good field-craft, patience, deft anticipation, smart camera work, and some good luck.
Winner: Azure Kingfisher, by Tim van Leeuwen (Image ID 32588)
The bright colours and high drama captured by the photographer makes this a stand-out image of the kind we all dream about. In wildlife photography, opportunistic shots are often in a class above the ordinary and so it is with this amazing capture. Even the closed nictitating membrane over the eye, which would normally be undesirable, adds to the narrative in a positive way.
Admirable as it is, I believe the photographer has not realized the full potential of the image and that the composition could be improved if about one-third of the perch was cropped off from the bottom. I also think that more could be made of the hapless frog with some selective area brightness adjustment to make its predicament even more dramatic. It is nevertheless a very fine image that would catch the judge’s attention in any wildlife photography competition and in today’s field a worthy winner.
Highly Commended: Rainbow Bee-eater, by Jason Moore (Image ID 32887)
Bee-eaters are a popular subject for this kind of image because of their predictable flight path but I don’t think I have seen a better example. The image is technically flawless with just the right amount of sharpness and accurate rendering. My only reservation is that the composition could be better; the bird is near the centre of the frame and I feel it would look better closer to the left-hand edge and would benefit from being slightly smaller in the frame. It is still a fine image and merits high commendation.
Commended: Pied Currawong, by Con Boekel (Image ID 32943)
In this image clever cropping rivets the viewer’s attention with an unusual degree of power and authority. This is not easy to do and in this example is achieved by stripping the scene of all distractions and superfluous content leaving only the engaging, intimate, interaction between the two birds. I commend the photographer for seeing this possibility in what was probably an image showing little promise before cropping.
Commended: Striated Heron, by Terence Alexander (Image ID 33035)
This is not an easy frame to capture but the photographer has succeeded remarkably well. The timing was good, lighting perfect and I like the composition. There is not much of a reflection in the foreground so there would be no loss in cropping a little off the bottom and adding the same amount to the top. This would provide the beneficial illusion of bringing the action closer to the viewer. The only technical fault I see is slight over-sharpening but overall a commendable image.
Commended: Pallid Cuckoo, by Wilson Lennard (Image ID 3276 - image no longer available)
My favourite images so far have all been about catching the action. This image is the opposite with absolutely nothing left to chance. The photographer has used perfect light, a good shooting angle, an appropriate perch, and a sublime background. The large caterpillar provides a nice point of interest. As we expect for this kind of image, it is technically flawless. The only improvement I can suggest is to crop about 10% off the top to bring the caterpillar (focus of attention) nearer to the optical centre of the frame. A beautiful, commendable image.
Honourable Mentions
This competition has such a strong field of images ranging from high drama to sublime beauty that it seems unfair not to mention some more images that on a different day in a different competition could easily have been winners. The following five images were on my shortlist and deserve an honourable mention:
