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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

  • Australian Ringneck (Image ID 28150)

    Australian Ringneck.   Photographer: Emmy Silvius

  • Gouldian Finch (Image ID 28164)

    Gouldian Finch.   Photographer: Bill Harding

  • Sacred Kingfisher (Image ID 36101)

    Sacred Kingfisher.   Photographer: Bill Harding

  • Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Image ID 24182)

    Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.   Photographer: Sandy Castle

  • White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Image ID 34726)

    White-bellied Sea-Eagle.   Photographer: Linda Unwin

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The theme for this competition is Pairs as defined by a pair of birds, male and female, of the same species.  For those species which cannot be clearly identified as male/female on the basis of plumage, we accepted images of pairs where the behaviour observed when photographed indicated that they are a male/female pair; photographers were required to include the relevant information in the comments field.

This competition was open for submission of entries from Tuesday 10th September 2019 until Monday 4th November 2019 and attracted 68 images from 27 photographers.  The theme may initially appear fairly straight-forward, but images fell into two distinct categories, those depicting obvious pair-bond behaviours and those without any such behaviours captured.  This made selecting images quite difficult, hence, I was looking for novel and creative ways in which photographers approached the theme.  I thank all entrants for their delightful and varied entries and congratulate those receiving the following awards.

Winner: Australasian Gannet, by Con Duyvestyn  (Image ID 36862)

This is a delightful image depicting the pair of gannets engaging in pair bonding.  The positioning of the birds centrally in the frame creates a pleasing ‘mirror image’ effect and the colony arrangement creates the ideal 3D effect.  The white and orange plumage contrasts perfectly with the blue sky and the blue-grey clouds.  Additionally, there is the delicate blue orbital rings around the bird’s eyes which connect the birds to the background.  I also like the fact that the birds are just slightly elevated with respect to the photographer.  A truly well composed image that is deserving of the top award.

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Australasian Gannet

Highly Commended: Galah, by Cherilyn Corker  (Image ID 36578)

A simple and effective image that satisfies the key criteria for this competition.  As expressed by the photographer, “the pose (which) indicates their closeness as a couple”.  There are vibrant colours and textures throughout the image which maintain the viewer’s interest.  The blue-grey orbital skin of ‘roseicapilla’ in this Western Australian subspecies adds an element of diversity to this image.  If you reside outside WA, did you notice this key feature, which distinguishes ‘roseicapilla’ males from their more eastern cousins?

Galah

Commended: Australian Painted-snipe by Barry Deacon  (Image ID 36595)

Considering the level of difficulty of finding not just one but a pair of Painted-snipe in the open, the harsh light at midday and a complex background, the photographer has captured a wonderful image – female on the left, male on the right.  Sharpness, brightness and clarity are all well controlled in the image.  Whilst the background is complex the shallow depth of field adequately controls any major distractions.  A person preference would have been to crop closer along the upper edge, revealing a blue-edge effect, which I find slightly more pleasing.  There is also a distracting object in the lower left-hand corner which I would remove with PS ‘Content Aware’.

Australian Painted-snipe

Commended: Eastern Barn Owl, by Linda Joseph  (Image ID 36767)

Night birds against a black background is not my favourite composition and I continue to ask why I think this way; after all, is this not the most obvious time to see a night bird!  It simply shows that all judges have some personal preferences to confront.  The key element that attracts my attention in this image is the way in which the bird at the back (likely the male as indicated by the photographer) leans out to peer around the female.  Lighting is excellent and there are no competing highlights in the bird’s eyes, which often occurs with ‘night’ flash photography.  Details in the white plumage of both birds are well controlled as is the shadow falling on the rear bird.  My only suggestion is to remove some of the negative space at the top of the image and give a little more room on the right-hand side of the image.

Eastern Barn Owl

Commended: Striated Pardalote, by Michiko Iida  (Image ID 37100)

This does look like a ‘house discussion’ - which makes for a nice storyline.  The birds are well positioned in the frame and I quite like the textures in the hollow log even though this occasionally pulls my eye away from the key subjects.  The photographer has slightly blurred the timber and sky in the background, this may not have been entirely necessary.  With considerable texture in the foreground, a little texture may have blended the background to the foreground better.  Not having access to the original file, I’m not in a position to judge this and so I leave this to the photographer to experiment with.  I might also suggest applying local masks to the two birds to increase mid-tone clarity.  With a bright background as in this image, I would also experiment with applying a vignette, which would focus attention of the central components in the image.

Striated Pardalote

Commended: Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon, by Gary King  (Image ID 36573)

This is another example of a species that is not readily photographed due to its isolated locations on rocky outcrops in Arnhem Land.  Lighting, texture and clarity are all well controlled and the monochrome palette melds the individual elements into a cohesive composition.  In an ideal world, being able to shoot from a higher location might have yielded a more pleasing viewpoint but then again, a bird which inhabits escarpments is justified in holding an elevated position in the composition.  Lighting on the two birds and foreground rocks highlight the main subjects against the more subdued cliff line.

Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon

Special Mentions

Fairy Tern, by Cherilyn Corker  (Image ID 36671)

I chose this delightful behavioural image because of the photographer’s comments “Romance in the world of fairy terns can involve the male gently wiping a fish over the back of the female.” Details in the white plumage are reasonably well controlled.  I would be inclined to edit the background; most if not all of the distracting dark objects could be removed using PS ‘Content Aware’. 

Rainbow Bee-eater, by David Lawrence  (Image ID 36902)

A vibrant image with the male presenting his mate with the ‘catch of the day’.  The female appears a little ‘taken back’ with his gift.  The head angle of the female is the only real deficit in this image as the eye is almost completely hidden.  The arched branches lend a sophistication to the composition. 

Crested Pigeon, by Paul Jensen  (Image ID 36676)

Crested pigeons are always a class act with their pose and long erect ‘royal’ crests.  This image could be described as a classic portrait of two birds against a blue sky, and it works.  There is little else to add here.

Crested Pigeon, by John Eley  (Image ID 36734)

And here is another composition featuring crested pigeons, an entirely different composition to the one above.  What I like about this image is that the photographer was not ‘put-off’ by the ‘busy’ background, which almost absorbs this pair of pigeons.  I like the fact that the bird’s crests mingle with the fine branches in the background and that the birds are framed between the two main horizontal branches.  It is a pity however, that the bird on the left has a shadow stretching the full length of the body.  Perhaps what I like most about this image is that it is a ‘real life’ depiction of this species.

Variegated Fairy-wren, by Barry Deacon  (Image ID 36596)

Fairy-wrens nearly always create a ‘cute’ image and when the theme is ‘Pairs’, the physical connection between these two birds warrants a special mention.  The branch is nicely textured and the background bokeh provides warm earthy tones to contrast with the male’s colourful plumage.  The details in the whites of the plumage and the highlights on the branch are well controlled. 

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