I find popokatea very difficult to photograph. They move constantly and rapidly, they hang out at a level in the canopy that always seems to mean they're silhouetted, and they're usually obscured at least partly by the foliage among which they're hunting. I console myself with the knowledge that my preferences for photographs of birds and other larger animals have been tending towards those that evoke the impression of the animal in its environment rather than technically perfect portraits.
You can see another version of this photograph and read more about No. 1 Line on the Pohanginapete post I published this afternoon.
[4 May 2013, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 1600, 1/160 at f5.6]
All content © 2014 Pete McGregor
I find the smaller birds difficult to photograph as well. They move faster than greased lightening - and in unpredictable ways.
ReplyDeleteI love this one though - and its natural setting adds a great deal to the image.
When you do find a moment to keep, though, they are so alive. Such a sense of movement. But you know I'm very fond of your bird images.
ReplyDeleteEC and Zhoen, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteI love your bird photos too, Pete - this is one of the best. It gives the impression of glimpsing into a private moment.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa :)
ReplyDeleteI thought of a line of poetry that suits this: "annihilating all that's made/ to a green thought in a green shade".
ReplyDeleteYou may not be too keen on the 'annihilating' word, but I like the idea that it conveys - that everything else drops away to this small single moment.
I like it, Lisa; it's wonderfully apt. Thank you :)
ReplyDelete