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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

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  • Osprey (Image ID 39342)

    Osprey.   Photographer: Bill Howard

  • Welcome Swallow (Image ID 59302)

    Welcome Swallow.   Photographer: Audrey Haynes

  • Splendid Fairy-wren (Image ID 28340)

    Splendid Fairy-wren.   Photographer: Emmy Silvius

  • Pacific Black Duck (Image ID 28189)

    Pacific Black Duck.   Photographer: Con Boekel

  • Red-necked Stint (Image ID 24577)

    Red-necked Stint.   Photographer: Sandy Castle

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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: 41
Australasian Grebe (Image ID 62200)
Australasian Grebe
Glenn Pure
Viewed: 34
Welcome Swallow (Image ID 62199)
Welcome Swallow
Rob Solic
Viewed: 27
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner (Image ID 62198)
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 17
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner (Image ID 62197)
Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 13
Far Eastern Curlew (Image ID 62196)
Far Eastern Curlew
Tony Willis
Viewed: 20
Australian Brush-turkey (Image ID 62195)
Australian Brush-turkey
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 18
Striated Heron (Image ID 62194)
Striated Heron
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 20
Crested Pigeon (Image ID 62193)
Crested Pigeon
Diana Womersley
Viewed: 35
White-winged Chough (Image ID 62192)
White-winged Chough
Diana Womersley
Viewed: 26
Black Swan (Image ID 62191)
Black Swan
Ian Wilson
Viewed: 32
Grey Plover (Image ID 62190)
Grey Plover
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 22
Masked Lapwing (Image ID 62189)
Masked Lapwing
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 12
Fairy Tern (Image ID 62188)
Fairy Tern
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 17
Western Spinebill (Image ID 62187)
Western Spinebill
Glenda Gore
Viewed: 17
Pacific Black Duck (Image ID 62145)
Pacific Black Duck
John Gitsham
Viewed: 16

It has been a pleasure to judge the 100 entries submitted in this competition level.  In doing so, I reviewed each image three times.  With the first review, I focused on elements contributing to a good image that the photographer should consider and control when taking the image (eye visibility, sharpness, general composition including bill and head direction, exposure and depth of field).  With the second round of reviews I looked at elements that could have been improved on if necessary, in the post processing phase (cropping, picture placement, background distraction control, shadows and highlights as well as noise control).  Finally, in the third round I focused on elements that produced some sort of a ‘wow’ factor (the written comments, feeling, action/drama, interaction with the photographer or something else that makes the image special).  I understand that some of these third round elements may come down to good luck and just being in the right place at the right time, but when there are so many worthy entries, it helps to decide on winners when all else is so close.

Undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges with this theme would have been getting close enough to smaller birds or targeting larger birds to allow the required sharpness and clarity of predominantly just the head and bill in a resultant high-resolution image.  I suspect that for some this made cropping a challenging task.  Congratulations to the many photographers who met this challenge.  Congratulations must also go to the many entrants who achieved both excellent eye level and eye contact in their images.  On the downside, cropping too tightly, “blown out” white areas, the placement of the bird in the frame as well as background noise were the most common detractors to what would otherwise be promising images.  Enabling the ‘Highlights Alert’ (Canon) or ‘Blinkies’ (Nikon) function on your camera quickly shows overexposed white areas, allowing you to adjust your camera settings accordingly.  This would have assisted many of the photos entered.  A Google search will provide many tutorial videos on how to use this function for both Canon and Nikon cameras.

Reading through the comments shows that some photographers indeed ‘suffered for their art’ – including crawling with aching body parts, dodging cow pats and fetching ladders or lying on the ground to obtain good eye level contact.  Your ‘suffering’ certainly made for higher quality images.  Of further interest in the comments are the many references to the joy shared by so many of you simply seeing and photographing our special birds, so congratulations to all.  Finally, with so many entries, there are probably a few photographers who have made this their first time to enter a BLP competition – if so, that makes you special winners - so special congratulations to you.

Winner - Emu, by Glenda Gore (Image ID 41589)

As hard as the task was to select a winner, I found myself coming back to this image as there are so many things to like about it.  The razor sharpness of the head feathers highlighting the fine structures in brilliant detail to me gives the head a 3D ‘messy hair day’ appearance.  Although the sharpness fades a little towards the front of the bill, its fine serrations still present acceptable detail.  The intense gaze from the bird’s eye makes for good interaction with the photographer and again shows excellent clarity and detail. The soft background tones work well with the brown and bluish colourings of the bird which along with the soft even light help make the image a worthy winner.

Emu

Highly Commended - Great Egret, by Evelyn Player (Image ID 41575)

I must admit that on my first viewing of this image I was spellbound by the little fish and its panic-stricken expression before I focused on the Egret.  When I did turn my attention to the Egret, I immediately appreciated this action and drama filled ‘head and bill’ image for what it is.  The beautiful background canvas fading to pure white and at the same time giving a strong hint as to the bird’s habitat sets up an excellent scene.  The unfortunate fish and the water bead at the tip of the bill, both captured perfectly by the camera, set up action and drama, while the intent focus of the bird’s fixed stare at its prey sets up the strong interaction.  The sharpness of the bird shows very good detail and clarity in the eye and bill and also sufficient detail to be seen in the white feathers against the white background.  Perhaps some thought could have been given to cropping a little off the left-hand side to reduce a bit of the empty space in front of the bird.  Overall, in this image, the hunting prowess of the Egret is brilliantly brought to life and at the same time, to use the photographer’s words, showcases the head and bill in a way for “which his bill is perfectly suited”.

Great Egret

Commended - Galah, by Lorraine Gordon (Image ID 41420)

Laying on the ground to capture the colours, head feather formation and the twinkle in the eye of this Galah has paid wonderful dividends to the photographer.  The engaging eye level contact and raised crest bring this young bird’s cheerful character to life.  While perhaps the highlights in the bill could be slightly reduced, the whites, pinks and greys in the crest are well controlled and provide good detail.  It is also pleasing to see that the photographer has avoided harsh shadows and struck a good natural colour balance that results in a realistic portrait.  The ‘out of focus’ then ‘in focus’ then ‘out of focus again’ background works well and provides a softness that helps emphasise the crisp outline of the bird.  Although fairly well controlled, there is a little background noise that could be remedied in post processing.  Perhaps also in post processing, the blurred yellow flower in the centre of the photo could be cloned out as it tends to draw the viewer’s eye from the bird.

Galah

Commended - Australian King Parrot, by Alison Bowling (Image ID 40899)

This competition called for sharpness and clarity in the head and bill – something this image delivers in spades.  The eye’s clear visibility, sharpness and glint engage the viewer at eye level and the bird’s sharp profile stands out nicely from the soft background.  The exposure is interesting, with what appears to be stronger light falling on the upper reaches of the head and top of the eye, adding a little extra natural vibrance but not casting harsh shadows over the rest of the bird.  The thin plant attached to the point of the bill adds interest and gives an idea of what the bird was up to.  The greenish tones in the background complement the bird’s plumage nicely and the whole image shows good noise control.  I feel, however, that the background could be improved by selectively applying gaussian blur to smooth out the top right corner which I find to be a distraction.  Other minor distractions are the very small areas in the background that don’t blend in softly with the rest of the background (adjoining the very top feathers).  Overall, a beautiful bird that has been well captured.

Australian King Parrot

Commended - Great Frigatebird, by Diana Vine (Image ID 40855)

There can be no doubt that this image successfully meets the criteria of presenting detail and clarity with features that identify the species.  This is evidenced by the gular sac, hooked bill, gleaming eye and detail in the head feathers.  The sharp focus maintained over the full length of bill (thanks to it being on the same focal plane) has my eye starting at the sharp tip and following the beautiful curves while at the same time taking in the character-filled battle scars, colours and textures.  The eye has a good catch-light showing cloudy sky – with the sun behind a cloud.  While the soft light has assisted with both dark and light areas showing excellent detail in all areas of the head and bill, I think that the bird itself calls out for slight experimentation with brightness, shadows and highlights in post processing to help it “pop out” from the background.  Cropping the image to allow further space in front of the bird if possible (if not, then cropping tighter on the right side), would improve this image to my eye.

Great Frigatebird

Commended - Fan-tailed Cuckoo, by Donna Evans (Image ID 41561)

One of the most pleasing attributes of this photo is the way it has captured the light, helping the bird’s head and bill pop out from the darker background.  The sharp, bright eye and colourful orbital ring offer a powerful engagement with the viewer at eye level.  Good detail has been captured thanks to the sharp focus.  I think that slightly reducing the highlights in post processing of the orbital ring and white feathers to the lower left of the eye would help improve this image.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Special Mentions

Galah, by Indrani Pathirage (Image ID 41768 ) - When it comes to sharpness and clarity of a prominent identifiable feature, have a look at the carunculations (bumpy bits) around this Galah’s eye – and the clarity doesn’t stop there.  It is indeed a sharp portrait, with the opened bill chewing away we get a good view of the tongue and the tasty morsel, which adds further interest.  The main criticism I have with this image is the white ‘blowout’ on the head feathers (‘Highlights Alert’ or ‘Blinkies’ would have indicated this instantly at the time of capture).  As the photographer mentions, the smooth background against the pink feathers provides a pleasant contrast. If it was possible, cropping the image to give more space in front of the bird would be of benefit.

Little Wattlebird, by Evelyn Player (Image ID 41582) - A pleasing composition showing the bird in its natural habitat.  The stunning marbled eye complete with interesting catch-light immediately draws the viewer’s attention before moving along to explore the purpose-built curved bill which brings the image to life as it penetrates the flower in search of nectar. The purple tongue and yellow gape, though just visible, add both detail and interest.  The depth of field works well with the background habitat and helps to make the fine bristle feathers stand out clearly.  The harsh shadows are distracting but sometimes such shadows are unavoidable when capturing the moment.  The overexposed white feathers to the right of the eye would benefit from some post processing highlight adjusting.  A pleasing composition showing the bird in its natural habitat.  The stunning marbled eye complete with interesting catch light immediately draws the viewer’s attention before moving along to explore thepurpose-built curved bill which brings the image to life as it penetrates the flowerin search of nectar.  The purple tongue and yellow gape, though just visible, add both detail and interest.  The depth of field works well with the background habitat and helps to make the fine bristle feathers stand out clearly.  The harsh shadows are distracting but sometimes such shadows are unavoidable when capturing the moment.  The overexposed white feathers to the right of the eye would benefit from some post processing highlight adjusting..

Australian Raven, by Graham Gall (Image ID 40866) - More than often I find Identifying Crow and Raven species from each other to be tricky to say the least.  This image showing great details of the bare black skin gular pouch and ‘beard’ made from long hackles leaves no room for mistaken identity.  The razor-sharp eye with its beautiful colourings really connects the bird with the photographer at eye level.  A great image, but I suspect that the high level of contrast could be hiding some interesting detail in the darker plumage areas.

Recent Picks

Grey-backed Storm-Petrel (Image ID 62071)
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel
Chris Young
Viewed: 110
Pink Robin (Image ID 61955)
Pink Robin
Rob Solic
Viewed: 107
Australasian Gannet (Image ID 61793)
Australasian Gannet
Valerie Misa
Viewed: 103
Superb Fairy-wren (Image ID 61802)
Superb Fairy-wren
Shane Little
Viewed: 88
Galah (Image ID 61731)
Galah
Rob Solic
Viewed: 115
Australasian Darter (Image ID 61648)
Australasian Darter
Stephen Garth
Viewed: 119
Plumed Whistling-Duck (Image ID 61612)
Plumed Whistling-Duck
Shane Little
Viewed: 153
Pied Stilt (Image ID 61516)
Pied Stilt
Patrick Kavanagh
Viewed: 139
Australasian Gannet (Image ID 61497)
Australasian Gannet
Stephen Garth
Viewed: 213
Australian White Ibis (Image ID 61471)
Australian White Ibis
Angela Farnsworth
Viewed: 165

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.