I found the Entry Level images in the Cockatoo competition particularly difficult to judge, as there was such an eclectic mix of strengths amongst them.  Cockatoos are such an expressive group of birds, and there were a number of entries which reflected this aspect, the playful Little Corella, Image ID 20054, being a prime example. The quality of light, harsh or soft, warm or cool, can have a significant impact of the overall strength of an image, and this was reflected in my final selections.

  For several images that didn’t make my final selection, just a little more sharpness in the focus would have made all the difference. Well done to all who submitted their images.

Winner: Galah - Jonathan Pridham (Image #20004).

I really love this image, and feel it is a very deserving winner. Normally, photos of birds taken from below don’t usually work, but in this case the Galah is tilting its head towards the photographer at just the right moment, mid-scratch! Colours are exquisite, with the shadow detail exposed perfectly. The simple, diagonal composition, with the bird and gnarly perch merging as one, is perfect. The pale grey highlights on the back could have been pulled in a little, but that doesn’t bother me unduly.

Galah (Jonathan Pridham)

Highly Commended: Galah - Gunther Frensch (Image#19933).

Whilst the horizontal, enquiring pose of the bird looks a little awkward, this image demands your attention. The selective focus, with the shallow depth of field dropping out both immediate foreground and background, is stunning. The dappled light is sublime, as is the exposure. It was a very tough choice between this image, and the overall winner.

Galah (Gunther Frensch)

Commended: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - Gunther Frensch (Image #19932).

A very attractive portrait, sharp focus, balanced, emotive with the raised crest, a warm catch-light in the eye, and the plumage contrasts perfectly with the mottled green background. Highlight detail in the white feathers is there. When an image combines all of the above elements, it can appear simple, but this is far from it!

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Gunther Frensch)

Commended: Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo - Gary Meredith (Image #20037).

There’s a lot to like about this image of a Carnaby's. The sharpness of bird and foreground foliage, the quality of light and colour in general, and the obvious engagement with the photographer. Certainly, some of the distracting twigs on the right-hand side could be edited out to strengthen the composition, but nevertheless this is still a fine image.

Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo (Gary Meredith)

Commended: Palm Cockatoo - Bill Carroll (Image #19949)

A striking image of a striking bird! Pin-sharp, and a great pose amongst foliage that is not distracting. My only reservation with this is whether there has been a little too much post-processing in both the colour saturation and highlight levels, making the out-of-focus background unnecessarily “heavy”.

Palm Cockatoo (Bill Carroll)

Commended: Galahs - Manfred Hennig (Image #19959)

The varied postures of the Galahs, the symmetrically vertical composition, and the glorious soft, warm light combine beautifully in this behavioural image. Initially, I wasn’t drawn to this image, but I kept coming back to it, liking it more each time I considered it.

Galah (Manfred Hennig)