It has been a pleasure to review images of the smallest representatives of Australian avifauna.  To photograph these tiny birds at all is a challenge in itself.  Anyone who has tried will know that small birds naturally favour thick foliage, and they either keep to thickets of tangled twigs, leaves and branches, or they feed very close to such cover in order to flee from danger at a moment’s notice.  Others represented here are often among the foliage in the very tops of trees.  To photograph them well therefore, is an additional challenge that has been accepted by those who have entered this competition.

Most of us will be familiar with the scenario of shooting a hundred images in order to get one decent picture, and it is very much the case when trying to photograph these little guys.  Images can be very “busy” when the bird is shot against a background of dense shrubbery.  It is difficult to get a shot without branches or leaves obscuring part of the bird, or twigs appearing to grow out of the bird’s head.

Light and aspect are other key factors in a great bird shot.  It is difficult to get a great picture of a bird from behind, and it is also difficult to get a great shot when the light is behind the bird – unless you are going for a silhouette or some other artistic effect.  A lot can be done in post-production to bring out the details in the shadows, but if the background is brighter than the bird, then it is a fundamental handicap to the effectiveness of the image.

There are of course a number of pictures here that have avoided these pitfalls to a large extent, so many congratulations to all who participated, and in particular to those who took the images listed below.  There is a large degree of subjectivity in the choices of any judge, so please take my remarks and choices with a similarly large grain of salt, and the awareness that another judge on another day might have chosen differently.

Winner:  Broad-billed Sandpiper, by Chris Young  (Image ID 31446)

The choice of a shore bird of course immediately avoids many of the pitfalls of twigs and shrubbery mentioned above.  I love the narrow depth of field in this image, which has the bird and the sand immediately around it pin sharp, while effectively blurring the foreground and background.  There is beautiful light on the bird, reflecting in its eye and revealing excellent detail in its plumage.  The photographer has done very well not to over expose the whites in the picture, and cropping so that the bird is not in the centre of the composition works very well indeed.  Congratulations on a great shot!

Runner-Up:  Yellow Chat, by Chris Young  (Image ID 31448)

Once again we have a bird in clear view, and illuminated by wonderful golden light that accentuates the colour of the plumage.  Every detail in the feathers is clearly visible, and beautifully sharp.  The success of this image is greatly assisted by the blurred and featureless grey background, which not only fixes our attention on the bird itself, but complements the golden yellow of the feathers.   The eye is clear and well lit, and the photographer has done well to leave some room to the bird’s right rather than closely cropping the subject. 

Commended:  Brown Honeyeater, by Stephanie Medew  (Image ID 31520)

There is a lot to like about this image, though it might be argued that the beautifully lit and colourful flower is more the centre of attention that the bird.  Nevertheless the photographer has caught the subject in excellent light and has avoided many of the pitfalls outlined above.  The image is sharp and the subject is clear and in the open, doing what honeyeaters do.  However, there is still a sprig of something that appears to be growing out of the bird’s head, and it’s worth noting that this could easily be removed in post-production.  Also, the bird’s head is turned away from the camera, weakening the overall composition and losing any chance of a catch light in the eye.

Commended:  White-cheeked Honeyeater, by Anne Burgess  (Image ID 31510)

This is an arresting image which was a contender (to my way of thinking) for the position of “winner” or “runner up”.  This White-cheeked Honeyeater stands tall and proud on top of a Banksia.  We have the entire bird in clear view, commanding our attention and while it appears to have been shot in dull light, the photographer has achieved a catch light in the bird’s eye, adding significantly to the success of this picture.  However, the light is dull and flat, and while the head is excellent, the entire bird is not quite in focus.  Also, while the background is pleasingly blurred, it is still quite bright in comparison to the bird itself, and the viewer’s eye is distracted by some of the brighter areas in quite a “busy” green and white backdrop.

Commended:  Zebra Finch, by Anna Browne  (Image ID 31300)

They say that “light is everything” when it comes to successful photography, an adage which is exemplified in this charming picture.  The fact that this is a captive bird made the problem of approaching birds this small much easier, but the photographer is to be commended for seizing the moment.  Aviaries can present their own problems for taking good pictures.  All that wire can get in the way of an effective image – but that has been well avoided here.  It would have been nice to have the whole bird in focus, and the bright spot below the bird (in an otherwise muted background) could have been removed.  The image would also have been stronger in my opinion without the branch which emerges from the bottom right hand corner – again this is not difficult to remove in post production.