CJ Dias Abeyesinghe
Sunbird at Work
An olive backed Sunbird feeding on some flowers of a small tree. Somwhere in Chinese Garden, Singapore. Something completely different for this weekend especially since I haven't taken my 400mm for a spin since last January! Today I was reminded once again how challenging birding is. I definitely need a lot more practice.
I had forgotten to re-attach the quick release plate to my camera body after servicing it last week and as a result the tripod I lugged to this spot became nothing but a dead-weight liability, lesson learnt! Time for a gear checklist for every shoot. Despite the setback I decided to proceed, hand-holding the lens.
This photo was taken at a spot near a tree by the lake that I camped out for close to an hour -waiting for a bird to start feeding on one of the lower and more exposed branches. There were a whole bunch of sunbirds flitting about the tree, feeding so I felt I had a good chance of getting in a couple of decent frames. This one had the bird in just the right angle.
Notes: I was shooting against the sky so had to boost esposure about 1.5stops to bring the bird back under good light (the 800ISO raw file held together surprisingly and fortunately!). Held back the rest of the image using 3 digital GNDs. Adjusted curves and white balance. USM sharpening and noise reduction. Mild crop to fine tune the composition.
450D | EF 400mm f/5.6 L
ISO800 400mm f/5.6 1/800sec
Sunbird at Work
An olive backed Sunbird feeding on some flowers of a small tree. Somwhere in Chinese Garden, Singapore. Something completely different for this weekend especially since I haven't taken my 400mm for a spin since last January! Today I was reminded once again how challenging birding is. I definitely need a lot more practice.
I had forgotten to re-attach the quick release plate to my camera body after servicing it last week and as a result the tripod I lugged to this spot became nothing but a dead-weight liability, lesson learnt! Time for a gear checklist for every shoot. Despite the setback I decided to proceed, hand-holding the lens.
This photo was taken at a spot near a tree by the lake that I camped out for close to an hour -waiting for a bird to start feeding on one of the lower and more exposed branches. There were a whole bunch of sunbirds flitting about the tree, feeding so I felt I had a good chance of getting in a couple of decent frames. This one had the bird in just the right angle.
Notes: I was shooting against the sky so had to boost esposure about 1.5stops to bring the bird back under good light (the 800ISO raw file held together surprisingly and fortunately!). Held back the rest of the image using 3 digital GNDs. Adjusted curves and white balance. USM sharpening and noise reduction. Mild crop to fine tune the composition.
450D | EF 400mm f/5.6 L
ISO800 400mm f/5.6 1/800sec