Cocky Want A Cracker?

Miaow · May 9, 2008

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the front yard today

Hoppy · May 9, 2008

nice portraits but a bit soft.

Miaow · May 9, 2008

Thanks for the comment - I'd done no PP to them at all (well apart from adding a border)- I've now sharpened them up a bit and have reloaded them

Dioboleque · May 9, 2008

It looks like #3 is the only one that has sharp detail around the eyes and beak so that one is my fav! :sillysmi:

One Sister · May 9, 2008

Miaow, you are so lucky to have these guys for neighbors. I just love 'em. I live with a hand raised (not wild caught) Goffins (just turned 14) and always wanted to visit a land where her cousins fly free.

This series, though a little soft, seems to show a certain sweetness of nature of these birds(although I'm quite aware that bird dynamics, especially Cockatoos, reveal them to be brutal, at times).

I noticed that your ISO was 200, probably resulting in a pretty slow shutter speed for birds...at least in my 10-minute-old-experience. Really, take my advice with a grain of salt because I just started working with a 80-400mm lens and have found that it's not possible for me to shoot small birds sharply without the higher ISOs (enabling a much faster shutter speed). Of course then you dance with the resulting noise...but there is a fine line that we can straddle and some processes we can employ which can yield a really fine image. The best case scenario for me is to try to get the aperture down to f/8 with a shutter speed of at least 1/400 (when I can get 1/1000 I know I'm home free)...but again, this is advice from someone who doesn't know much. But please keep showing these fellas. Oh and let me see their whole selves

. Don't you have the Rosies out your way? Oooo, I'd love to see them too.

Bottom line: I love the series...keep it up.

Miaow · May 9, 2008

Thanks for the comments Dioboleque and One Sister

I'll try out the higher ISO/faster speed next time they come into the yard.

One Sister, we do get Rosellas, Lorikeets and Galahs also - We've just put a seed dish out the front yard to try and get more parrots into the yard - Hopefully I can get a few pics of those ones when they decide to come and visit

createnetwork · May 9, 2008

I like the shot as well, think a different background might help with the detail you are losing in the beak as well.

One Sister · May 9, 2008

Miaow said:
One Sister, we do get Rosellas, Lorikeets and Galahs also - We've just put a seed dish out the front yard to try and get more parrots into the yard - Hopefully I can get a few pics of those ones when they decide to come and visit

Whooo hooo! I'll be looking for your posts of these fellas.

Miaow · May 9, 2008

Thanks Createnetwork

One Sister, I'm really hoping this seed dish works to get them to come down. There was a galah yesterday but I would have had to walk right next to where the cockies were to get a clear shot (fence in the way) so didnt want to scare them away at the time.