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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo

Photographed by

Gary King on Fri 30th Aug, 2019 and uploaded on Mon 3rd Feb, 2020 .

Resolution

1400x1050

Viewed

346

38614

Comment

I was pleased with this image because of the beautiful display of the two birds and the lovely golden glow of the late afternoon light. It was entered in the Pairs competition but aroused little interest. I have concluded that viewers did not like the busy background but there was little I could do about that. Am I missing something?

Equipment

Canon 7D Mk II with 100-400 mm lens Mk II; F 8, 1/2500 sec., ISO 1250

Location

Moora, Western Australia

Keywords

male, female, adult, behaviour/display

This image is not available for download.

Nathan Watson	2020-02-05 18:25:11	Hi Gary, I’m only a recent convert to bird photography so a bit hesitant to comment, but I do feel you’re right about the background. It’s very busy and the black plumage blends in with the dark foliage so the birds don't stand out. Trees have a habit of getting in the way! I’m finding capturing birds in a pleasing pose or interesting behaviour on a clear background in the right light conditions comes down to an element of luck – being at the right place and right time – but some planning goes into creating those opportunities as well, and the skill to execute. Not as easy as it sounds. Backgrounds are something I’m trying to be more conscious of and striving to improve all the time, but still have a long way to go. I’ve been admiring so many amazing images that are shortlisted or winning major photography awards and they have such wow factor, it’s both inspiring and deflating at the same time. What I’ve noticed is they all have either a good, clean background, or surroundings that complement the bird, its colours and features, yet still allow it to be the focal point of the image. I’m sure you’ll get another shot at it! Cheers Nathan
Gary King	2020-02-09 10:41:40	--Thanks Nathan
Glenn Pure	2020-02-09 12:22:49	Coming in late on this one. I think Nathan has covered the issues fairly well. The poses of the birds are good. The issue for me is that they don't stand out well from the background. As you state, sometimes there's nothing that can be done (except try again another day, if feasible). I delete lots more photos these days that I might have kept in the past. I still think this shot has merit and is technically good to my eye (nothing I'd change there). It would be in my keepers but not one I'd expect to stand out in a competition. Hope that helps. Overall, I think you are on the right track. It's a matter of finding the right opportunity to get a shot that stands out from the crowd, either because of light, setting, behaviour....
Gary King	2020-02-09 22:36:38	--Thanks Glenn

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	141/283 in Critique Gallery
	296/927 by Gary King
	57/113 of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo
	571/1403 of Cockatoos and Corellas
	17826/34435 Overall
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