Friends in the Garden

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My little mates called by again yesterday so I grabbed the camera and said g'day.

This juvenile King Parrot is still colouring up but he's well on the way to the magnificent colour of his father (who was nearby in a different tree). He was quite nervous and didn't hang around long but I'm sure he will be back today some time.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR with 2x tele convertor. Focal length 400mm 1/250s @ f/5.6 ISO140

A few minutes later a White-headed Pigeon arrived. He looked around nervously and stayed for about 20 seconds before he too headed off. Strange. The birds usually hang around a while longer before moving on as they do their rounds. He was back lit as I had no time to re-position but by using spot metering the exposure wasn't to bad.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR with 2x tele convertor. Focal length 400mm 1/250s @ f/5.6 ISO125

It all became clear when I heard that distinctive sound of the Pacific Bazza just behind me. There he was sitting in the top of a tree being hassled by Noisy Miners. The Noisy Miners have chicks nearby so its easy to understand why the Pacific Bazza was around. I'm hoping he'll be back again today and chooses a better perch :-)

Nikon D800 Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR with 2x tele convertor. Focal length 400mm 1/640s @ f/5.6 ISO320

Don't forget that Michael and I are presenting our Bird Photography workshop at O'Reillys Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park on Saturday 20th September. I can't promise a Pacific Bazza but you'll definitely see King Parrots and more than likely a White-headed Pigeon or two as well. Come along and find out to photograph these beauties and more. Check out the details -> here.

Macro on a Budget

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If you are on a budget or heading off a trip where you need to keep the weight of your gear down, then extension tubes are a great way to get up close and personal to a hidden world. Macro photography reveals the tiny things that quite often go unnoticed. There really is a whole new world waiting for you.

Extension tubes offer an inexpensive way to transform your normal prime or zoom lens into a close-up weapon. They fit between the lens and the camera body effectively reducing the minimum focusing distance enabling you to move in closer to your subject. The downside is that, whilst you have extension tubes fitted, you can no longer focus at longer distances or infinity.

Extension tubes have no effect on quality. There is no glass. They are simply a hollow tube fitted with all the electrical connections to enable your lens to communicate properly with your camera. Extension tubes do, however, cost you light. You could lose up to 2 stops with a long extension tube fitted.

Less light means slower shutter speeds and, you guessed it, you'll need a tripod. I recommend using a tripod for most macro photography. I say most because there will be times when it is impractical if not impossible to use a tripod effectively. Think bees, dragonflies, butterflies and quick snakes. For the most part a tripod will provide you with the stability you need to use slower shutter speeds.

I recommend the Kenko sets which are made for most brands of cameras. There are other brands out there but from what I've seen the Kenko are well constructed, excellent quality and very economical to purchase (anywhere from $130.00 to $180.00) depending where you shop.

Many people struggle with focus though, when using their extension tubes for the first time. There is a simple trick. First you need to understand that the range of focus is very limited once you have tubes fitted. By that I mean the 'zone' in which the camera and lens needs to be positioned away from the subject to achieve focus. Often you only have a couple of centimetres available to work in, especially when you have all three extension tubes fitted.

So if you just put your camera on a tripod and point at your subject, chances are you won't be able to focus. 

The easiest way to find the 'zone' is to simply, while looking through the viewfinder or using live-view, move the camera in or out until the subject is in focus. Remember the distance from your subject and now you have a spot where you can start from.

Set your tripod up so it is the same distance from your subject and away you go.

Welcome to a whole new world.

Observe your Wildlife for better images

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Wildlife photography can be quite challenging at times.

Birds are one of my favourites subjects and photographing the babies is another wildlife challenge that, when you achieve some success, is extremely rewarding. But, how do you find these well hidden photographic treasures.

The easiest way is to observe their parents. A bird that catches a tasty treat and then darts off without eating it is probably heading off to feed its chicks.

One such example was from a trip to a nearby lake. I was photographing some ducks in flight when, right in front of me, a Purple Swamphen wandered past with a mouthful of bugs. I didn't need too much encouragement to follow along at a discreet distance so as not to spook the bird and see what it was up to.

I was rewarded with the sight of a couple of chicks scurrying out of a very messy nest for a feed. I ended up a little muddy as to get a good angle through all the reeds I needed to be lying flat, but I got the shot. Very rewarding indeed.

Isn't it a little cutie?

For the technically inclined:

Nikon D800 Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 VR -  1/2000s @ f/2.8 ISO1000 - hand-held supported by elbows in mud :-)

New Post Processing Bootcamp Dates

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Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne - Post Processing and Workflow Bootcamp

Lightroom and Photoshop

Adelaide - 30th and 31st August 2014 - Couple of spots remaining Melbourne - 29th and 30th November 2014 Brisbane - 13th and 14th December 2014

Hi everyone, Dates for all three Post-processing Bootcamps are now finalised. There are still a couple of spots available for Adelaide and now bookings are open for Melbourne and Brisbane. The workshops are limited to 12 people to ensure maximum learning opportunities. The workshops are designed for the beginner to fast track entry into the world of Lightroom and Photoshop, but still cater for the more experienced user wanting to hone their skills and learn new tips and tricks. Please let me know by return email or give me a call on 0459 221 678 if you would like to attend. Brisbane and Melbourne participants are able to book directly via the website booking form -> here. Price: $396.00 per person

Some comments from past participants from the Brisbane bootcamp: Chris Holland wrote: This was such a useful weekend... I'm still in mental overload, but excited about putting into practice so many of the ideas that I absorbed. Thanks to Mark and the rest of the group for making it all so worthwhile. There wasn't one unanswered question!! Anne Reid wrote: Was a great weekend, yes it was a great venue. Easy parking, close to shops and beach for the lunch time breather. Must mention the great teacher and the surprises we all received with some of the things we learnt. Heather Streatfield wrote: Am feeling especially inspired after my photography Bootcamp this weekend. Alarm set for 3.45am, it's time to drag this butt out of bed for a summer sunrise!

Here is a rundown of what to expect over the weekend. Phototrek - 8:30am Saturday We will all be photographing together in the surrounding area and this shoot will provide most of the imagery for the weekend's processing tuition. You will be working from scratch on images from your own camera, far preferable than working on supplied images which may have totally different characteristics than your own. Morning Tea Session 1 This session covers the basics of Adobe Bridge/Lightroom Library and Camera Raw/Lightroom Develop and de-mystifying the connections of both with Photoshop. Mark will show you how best to transfer your images to your computer and some convenient protocols for folder naming and storage. We will look at the benefits of utilising Lightroom 5 exclusively for this process. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 1 Session 2 This session will cover image adjustment and enhancement in Camera Raw / LR5 and look at a number of techniques to speed up the post-processing workflow. We will look at the various adjustment modules and tools which will become the backbone of your image processing. Session 3 - 8:30am Sunday We will start to get into some of the new user friendly aspects of Photoshop and really begin to make a difference to our RAW files to produce images with that "Wow" factor. We'll look at the best way to set up your tool panels and optimise your workspace to suit your style and needs. You will explore the different tools available in Photoshop and how and when to use them. 10:30am Morning Tea Session 4 To help speed up the workflow process we will begin to incorporate plug-ins, presets, actions and scripts. As well as providing you with many ready to use presets, Mark will guide you through the process of creating your own actions to speed up processes that you find yourself doing more often. You'll learn how to create stunning, unique and interesting backgrounds for your "studio" portraits and much more. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 4 Session 5 By this session you will have a new understanding of presets, actions, scripts, plug-ins, batch processing, curves, layers, masks, resolution, filters and many more terms.This session will put your new found knowledge and skills to work and consolidate what you have learned into a smooth and efficient workflow. We will also look at the basics of some of the hot topics of digital photography such as HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama stitching and more. If you have any special or problem files you wish to work on please bring them along (time permitting). Price: $396.00 Questions? Please give me a call on 0459 221678 or shoot me an email.

Use your Thumb to Improve your Focus

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There is one feature of your camera that you may have just brushed over in the past or ignored altogether that holds the key to improving your 'in-focus' hit rate enormously.

Back button focus.

This one tiny button will change the way you shoot forever.

Traditionally, you hold down your shutter button half way and then, when the moment is right, depress the shutter button the rest of the way to take your shot. But what if you want to focus, hold focus and re-compose, and then take the shot. No problem. Just make sure you are on 'One Shot' or 'Single Shot' focus, hold the shutter half way, re-compose and shoot. Fine, except now the exposure is not right because the area that the camera metered from is different to where you original focused (mainly a problem with spot metering for portraits or wildlife). So you redo the shot and hold down the AE-L button on a Nikon or the * button on a Canon to lock the exposure or use exposure compensation..... hmm, it's starting to get complicated.

Let's simplify everything. How about one button to focus and another to lock exposure and activate the shutter. Now you could press a button the focus and if you needed to recompose, by simply half depressing the shutter button, and then recomposing and shooting, your exposure would be correct based on the reading taken from your subject before you recomposed. Easy.

But it gets even better. How about never having to change your focus mode from One Shot or Single Shot to AI-Servo or Continuous A/F or whatever. Just use one setting that works for everything.

Here is how you do it.

In you camera's menu find the section where you can allocate different functions to different buttons.

Set you Back Focus Button to 'enabled' or 'on'.
Set your shutter button to activate exposure lock. Make sure your shutter button does NOT activate focus. It would take another couple of pages to go through the menu settings for each camera so you'll just have to work through it.

In the end you should have a back button that activates focus and a shutter button that activates and locks metering g and takes the shot. Pretty simple really ( but it can take a bit of digging around in menus to get there. Consult your manual if you run into trouble). Just a quick note here to advise that some of the entry level Canon cameras don't have an AF button on the back. All is not lost as you allocate the * button to carry out this function.

Having set your buttons up change your focus mode to Continuous or AI-Servo and leave it there. Forever.

So here is what happens now.

Back button focuses when you are depressing it. If you take your thumb off the button focus stops, effectively locking focus.

Shutter button activates metering and locks it when half depressed and then activates the shutter when fully depressed.

Now let's look at two common scenarios. In one situation we have a stationary subject and another situation we have a moving subject.

Lets look at the moving subject first. As long as you hold your new focusing back button pressed your camera will continue to focus, changing constantly as the distance to your subject changes. So, provided you have you focus point lined up on your moving subject, as you track along with your subject you will continually maintain correct and accurate focus. Remember your camera is now set to Continuous Focus or AI-Servo, exactly the same as you would have used in the past for a moving subject.

Now though, you don't have to shoot off a heap of unwanted shots by keeping your shutter button depressed to maintain focus. Just keep you thumb pressed on your Back Button and fire off the shutter whenever you want. Perfect. If you want quick burst then fire of a quick burst. Want one shot, then simply press the shutter once. The focus remains independent and you subject will remain sharp and in focus as long as you keep your back focus button pressed.

So for this shot of the Impala in the Okavago delta, I just kept my thumb pressed on the back focus button, tracking along as the Impala ran along and fired off a few shots, all of which were in focus. Easy.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR with 1.4x teleconverter. 1/1000s f/4 ISO 125.  560mm focal length.

Okay, now lets move on to a non-moving subject. Standard shot first, no recomposing necessary. Leave your camera on Continuous A/F or AI Servo. Line up your focus point, press your back focus button and, when your ready to take the shot, press the shutter button. Too easy.

Now, the recompose method. Again, leave your camera on Continuous A/F or AI Servo. Line up your focus point, press your back focus button and, when focus is achieved, take your thumb off the back focus button. Your focus now won't change. Unless you press the back focus button again your focus is effectively locked. Now, half press the shutter button and hold it half-depressed. Recompose and press the shutter button the rest of the way. The result is a correctly focused, correctly exposed shot.

For this shot of a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater near Alice Springs, I focused on the birds eye, released my thumb from the back focus button, half pressed the shutter to activate the metering (spot metering in this case), recomposed (half holding down the shutter button) and took the shot.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR with 2x teleconverter. 1/640s @ f/5.6 ISO 450. 400mm focal length.

Like anything, you will need to practice this technique but, once mastered, you will never go back.

Enjoy your tack sharp photography.


#backbuttonfocus
#tacksharpphoto
#wildlife
#markraynerphoto
#trekabout
#naturephotography
#birdphotography

Easy Noise Reduction

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I was recently at Australia Zoo checking out the wonderful birds in the rain forest aviary. Being a rain forest environment it was, as expected, quite dark with resultant high ISO requirements.

One of the zoo staff came past with a beautiful Macaw which just need to be photographed.

I was using a D800 with a Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR but with a 2x tele converter attached. This meant that my maximum available aperture (wide open) was f/5.6. A reasonable shutter speed for the focal length was around 1/250s. End result - ISO 12800. Some noise was going to be inevitable.

So how to remove the noise from the soft blurred background but leave the detail in the feathers of the Macaw?

There are many ways this could be achieved but I chose a very simple layer method for this image.

I made some basic adjustments in Lightroom (exposure, shadows etc.) and then opened the image in Photoshop CC.

Using the Quick Selection tool I then made a selection of the bird, refined the selection, and then created a new layer from this selection by pressing Command + J.

The layers panel looked like this:

I made a copy of the original layer (Command + J) and then on the copy  I then selected an area around the bird and removed this using Content-aware Fill (Shift + F5) .

The layers panel then looked like this:

I then selected this new background layer and applied noise reduction to this layer only. To soften the background a little more I then applied a soft blur to this layer.

End result a sharp bird (yes there is noise but it is doesn't overpower the image as it is camouflaged by the detail. Soft background with noise eliminated from the area where it was quite obvious.

Here are the before and afters.

Before background adjustments:

Final image:

My next Post-processing Bootcamp is in the Hunter Valley on the weekend of 7-8 May 2016.

Caboolture is on 11-12 June (sorry April booked out) and coming to Melbourne on 22-23 October 2016. Details (Brisbane) are here. 

Wildlife at Home.

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You don't need to trek to the ends of the earth to find amazing wildlife. Many fantastic creatures and photos of same are to be had almost on your doorstep.

Birds in particular are very accessible if you know where to look.

The most accessible are those found near the water. Be it the foreshore and the many waders and migratory birds that will be found there or just your local pond or lake.

The shot below was taken at Northlakes, not far north of Brisbane. You can have a lot of fun at such locations practicing your birds-in-flight techniques or just stalking the waders near the shore.

My mission on this particular occasion was to capture that gorgeous colour that is displayed when the Pacific Black Duck is in flight. So after plenty of 'fails' I managed this one as this guy was taking off. Timing, focus, panning, shutter speed, aperture all played a part in getting the shot.

This was the fifth in this take-off sequence with just a few tell tail drops of water still trailing. earlier shots had spectacular trails of water but the wing positions were not quite right and the colour was not displayed to its best advantage.

So what were the settings?

Nikon D800 Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR  - 1/200s @ f/4.5 ISO 1000. Continuous AF, High Speed continuous shutter release (around 6 frames per second with the battery grip fitted)

So get out there and shoot your own 'not-so-wild' wildlife near home. You'll love the experience.

5 Wildlife Photography Tips to Improve your Shots

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1. Shoot from the eye level of your subject (or slightly lower). The difference is remarkable when compared to just standing and shooting down on your subject. Try the different angles next time you're out in the field and you will soon notice e the difference.


2. Focus on the eye. Make sure you get those eyes in focus or your image will surely fail. It is just that simple. The eyes must be tack sharp and if they are, you are halfway to a great shot.


3. Blur out your background. Shoot "wide open", i.e. use a large aperture, say, f/2.8 to f/5.6 depending on your lens of course. This will eliminate distractions in the background and allow all of your viewer's attention to be directed to your subject. Nice soft bokeh (background blur) can make or break a good photo. The added advantage to shooting with a wide open aperture is that, automatically, your shutter speed will be faster. Faster shutter speed equals less chance of a blurred image due to movement or camera shake especially when using a longer focal length lens.

4. Watch your composition. Leave space in the direction the animal or bird is facing or leaning towards. Reduce the space at the subject's back.

5. Choose your background carefully when composing your shot. You can't always do this with moving subjects as you may just have to grab the moment, but if you do have time, study your background. Moving a small distance may mean the difference between having a stick growing out of your subject's head or not. It is easy to get carried away with the excitement of the moment but that small change of position could be the difference between a good shot and an award winner.

1/640s @ f/2.8 ISO1100 Eyes sharp, shallow depth of field, soft background blur (bokeh), eye level with subject. 

How to Relax in Style

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We were floating along the Sekonya River, in South West Borneo, relaxing as we watched the jungle pass by.

But we out-relaxed by this Proboscis Monkey. This young fellow was just hanging around, literally, watching us drift by.  Just one of many, many encounters we were privileged to have with these amazing creatures. Their behaviour really was so human it was scary.

Babies clinging to their mothers, teenagers fooling around in the tree tops and big boy territorial disputes. We saw it all but this chill out session was one of my favourites.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR with 1.4TC (effective 560mm f/4)  1/1000s @f/4   ISO1100

We'll be back there again in May 2015. Find out all about this amazing photographic experience here -> 8 Day Orangutans, Wildlife and Dayaks Photo Expedition presented by Mark Rayner and David Metcalf

Things with Three Legs

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One of the most common questions I am asked is "What tripod should I get?"

The key factors to look for are:

• Weight - light is nice, but not necessarily sturdy.
• Sturdy
• Quick adjustments
• Quick release mounting plate.
• Maximum height
• Easily adjustable head.
• Sturdy
• Durability
• Size (for travelling)
• Price
• Sturdy

Now, did I mention that it needs to be sturdy!!!

If you like shooting landscapes/seascapes like this shot below of the Southern Ocean smashing into the rocks below the cliffs at Kangaroo Island you will need a good solid tripod. In fact when shooting landscape and macro at small apertures your shutter speed will often slow right down and a good tripod is absolutely essential.

Kangaroo Island---- Nikon D800 Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 ---- 2 seconds @ f/22 ISO 100 ---- Manda TG-284c Tripod with BT-3 ballhead.

Selecting your Tripod - (it needs to be sturdy) The main reason you are going to need a tripod is to stabilise your camera when you are in either, a low light situation, using a long lens (telephoto) or using a macro lens (close-up). It stands to reason then, that if you are shooting in low light with long shutter speeds, or with lenses where any vibration can cause havoc, that you need a stable platform to work from. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good tripod and head, but skimp too much and you'll soon be tossing your bargain in the bin and buying something better. I see time and time again where participants arrive for a workshop with a 20 year old flimsy, spindly tripod bought at a garage sale (if this was you, please don't be offended:-) ). A good tripod will last you for life. Good brands such as Manfrotto, Gitso, Really Right Stuff and Three Legged Thing have all manner of spare parts available so if something does needs fixing it can be done so easily. Manda are a good economical alternative for affordable carbon fibre units. So what to buy? If you can afford a carbon fibre unit, terrific. They are light and very strong but, expensive. Manfrotto (and I must point out that I am not affiliated with Manfrotto, Gitso, RRS, Acratech or any other tripod /head manufacturer) offer aluminium and carbon fibre models of the same tripod. For instance the 055CXPRO3 and the 055XPROB are virtually identical to look at (see below) but that's where the similarities end. The carbon fibre 055CXPRO3 weighs only 1.6kg against the aluminium 055XPROB's 2.4kgs. The carbon fibre unit will safely carry an 8kg load whereas the the aluminium 055XPROB can manage only 7kgs.

Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 Manfrotto 055CPROB

Price-wise though, the carbon fibre tripod will cost more than double it's aluminium twin. Move up-market to a Gitso Series 2 Carbon 6X Explorer Tripod - 4 Section G-Lock and you won't get much change from $1000.00 and you still need the head!

Series 2 Carbon 6X Explorer Tripod - 4 Section G-Lock

If you only intend to carry the tripod in the boot of your car and then only short distances to your photo shoot location then you may well be advised to save money on the tripod and put more into a better head because that's where things get even more interesting. Avoid tripods where the centre column cannot either be rotated to a horizontal position or taken out completely and replaced with a stubby shaft. If you can't do either of the above, then your minimum height will be governed by the length of the centre column. You will be stuck when it comes time to get down on the ground to get that perfect angle. Bringing Things to a Head Personally, I prefer a ball-head for ease of use and versatility. The 3-way adjustable heads are fine, but they are cumbersome and can be annoying to adjust. They come as standard on many tripods, but you can specify to buy your tripod with the head of your choice. If you were to choose one of the Manfrotto tripods mentioned above then a perfect tripod head to match would be the Manfrotto 054 Magnesium Ball Head. This head supports camera and lens to 10kgs and has a separate panorama knob adjustment as well as the ball head adjustment.

Manfrotto Mounting Plate Manfrotto 054 Magnesium Ball-head

Personally, I use the RRS (Really Right Stuff) BH-55 PCL: Full-sized ball-head with PCL (panning clamp). These units use the universal "Quick Release" (QR) system designed by Arca Swiss. Very strong, and able to hold a whopping 23kgs, they don't come cheap. If you have some big glass and a pro camera body then chances are you will be getting right up there in the weight stakes. A ball-head like the BH-55 will give you a positive lock that won't creep and give you issues with composing your shot. When travelling (by air) or on a long hike I use a Manda TG-284c and a Three Legged Thing 'Eddie'. 3 Legged Thing 'Eddie'  Another top brand with some beautifully engineered equipment is Acratech. Their GP-s Ballhead is a beauty and much lighter than the RRS ball-heads. They won't carry the same weight though, but they are an excellent product.

Really Right Stuff - BH-55 PCL: Full-sized ballhead with PCL Acratech GP-s Ballhead

You don't need to buy the same brand tripod and head. Do your research and you may find the perfect tripod may be from Gitso and the head may be from Acratech (or any other of many combinations). Most tripod base plates are universally compatible with many different brand heads so you really do have many choices available.

Happy shopping.

Fun with Fungi

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Macro photography is one of my favourite genres and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. There really is a whole new tiny world waiting to discovered through your macro lens.

Occasionally, something very special comes along and one such occasion was during a Trekabout Photography 5 Day Mountain Experience workshop at Lamington National Park. This particular specimen was found in April and, after an amazing day in the misty rainforest, we headed back into the forest at night to enjoy this magnificent sight.

So how do you photograph something that is glowing dimly in the pitch black night. Very carefully!

Seriously though, it's not that hard. You need a sturdy tripod, a cable release, dslr camera and, preferably, a macro lens.

The sturdy tripod is self explanatory but why the cable release? Well, long exposures are necessary and in order to keep the shutter open you must set your camera to B (bulb) and either hold your finger on the shutter for 10 minutes or click and lock the cable release and then unlock after the 10 minutes (or thereabouts)  is up. I'll take the cable release any day, errr, night.

So what were the settings for this shot?

Nikon D3, Nikkor 200 f/4 Micro, 428s @ f/22 ISO 1000

Want to find out more?

Check out the Trekabout Macro Experience

#macro
#fungi
#trekabout
#markraynerphoto

Love Birds?

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The Saddlebilled Stork is very, very big being, on average, 1.4m tall!

They are also somewhat shy. On our African Photography Safari in May, we saw them on a number of occasions but usually they would be flying away from us. We'd move in closer and they would take off and fly a bit further away again.  So I ended up with many photos of their backs.

On this occasion though, with a little patience, we were able to get a few shots with the bird in a better position. This girl was busy foraging in the wetlands for tasty treats showing off her lovely colours.

This image was taking using Nikon  D800 with Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR and a 1.4x tele-convertor giving an effective focal length of 560mm.

And, it a fair crop so, yes, the big bird was still a long way away. Like I said, very shy :-)

Details: 1/1000s @ f/4.8 ISO360

If you love bird photography or are keen to learn how to photograph birds then why not join Michael and I at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat on Saturday 20th September. We'll show you techniques and tips to maximise your success rate with this rather tricky subject.

You wont see a Saddlebilled Stork but chances are you'll come across, Regent Bowerbirds, Satin Bowerbirds, Eastern Yellow Robins, Eastern Spinebills, Eastern Whipbirds and many more. You might even see a Noisy Pitta :-) For more details click -> HERE

5 quick tips to improve your Landscape photography

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Like many of you, I love getting outdoors and enjoying the open spaces and taking time out to photograph amazing landscapes.

There are few very basic techniques which can really help improve the quality of your images. Check out these tips and give them a try next time you're out on a shoot.

1. Use a tripod - Will stabilise your camera and allow the use of slower shutter speeds.

2. Use a cable release or remote control - helps minimise vibration and therefore contributes to a sharper image. No cable release or remote control - use your self timer instead.

3. Use mirror lockup - Again helps minimise vibration and results in a sharper image. On many cameras Live View works in a similar way so that when you activate the shutter the mirror is already up out of the way and there is just a tiny click of the actual shutter.

4. Compose using the good old 'Rule of Thirds'. 1/3 foreground 2/3 background or vice versa really does work to help create a more balanced image. There will always be exceptions, of course, but more often or not the 'rule' works.

5. Add some foreground interest or use leading lines to lead you into the image.

6. Have fun out there!

The magnificent Bateleur - Terathopius ecaudatus

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When I saw one of these amazing birds for the first time I knew I just had to get a shot. Wow, how does it even fly with such a different shape.  But, the Bateleur Eagle doesn't start life looking quite the same.

Juveniles have much longer tail and wing feathers than their parents. As they become more adept at flight the feathers become shorter with each moult.

When fully grown they are easily distinguished by the short tail and unique shape and  colouring whilst in flight. Their behaviour is somewhat different than other raptors too. They are adept at low altitude soaring and, with very keen eyesight, can find prey from lower heights and quickly swoop in for a quick meal.

As they fly they tip their wings from side to side, almost as if trying to keep their balance, but rest assured they are amazing acrobats and often will swoop in on another eagle and steal their catch in mid air.

Just another amazing creature from Africa :-)

#africa
#botswana
#trekabout
#bateleur
#Terathopiusecaudatus
#markraynerphoto
#eagle

Follow the Leader

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We were cruising slowly along on the Rungan River in Central Kalimantan when we spotted these three orang-utans following along emerging from the gloom of the forest.

These orang-utans reside on an island. They come from displaced groups caused by illegal logging and some have been rescued from a life of captivity as pets. They are on the island undergoing the last stages of rehabilitation before final release into wild untouched forest further north.

As we watched they approached an area of water where the river had encroached inland. The leader appeared somewhat annoyed that he had to cross the shallow water and splashed around for a while before proceeding. Further downstream the rangers were watching them too as they visit every day to record their progress and health and provide supplementary food as the island is not large enough to fully support them. The lead orang-utan may well have been simply trying to attract the attention of the ranger in the hope of receiving a tasty treat :-)

I'll be back there again in November with another photography tour. There are still a few spots remaining so if you'd like to visit an incredible place to photograph these beautiful creatures please check out the details -> here.

#orangutan
#kalimantan
#borneo
#naturephotography

Hamerkop Hunting

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We arrived at the lagoon early on one of our many game drives on our recent "African Safari Adventure Photography Tour and Workshop". There were quite a few birds around but one in particular captivated my small group of intrepid explorers.

The crazy Hamerkop.

This one Hamerkop kept us amused with his antics as he flew around and around back and forth. He would land for a moment and then be off again putting on a fine aerobatic display as he swooped down close to the water, presumably hunting for waterborne insects and small fish. 

It was as if he had spotted us thought that we needed another chance to catch him in flight. If he was hunting then he wasn't very good at it because we saw no evidence of him actually catching anything.

Perhaps he simply enjoyed watching his own reflection.

Adelaide Post Processing Bootcamp

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Adelaide - Post Processing and Workflow Bootcamp - Lightroom and Photoshop 30th and 31st August 2014 - It's on!! Hi Everyone, It's official! My Post processing Bootcamp is coming to Adelaide. The workshop will be held over the weekend of 30th and 31st August 2014. The workshop will be limited to 12 people to ensure maximum learning opportunities. It is already half-full so be quick to book your spot. The venue is the Adelaide Meridien Hotel, 21 - 39 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide. We will be using the Meridien Room which will have plenty of room for our small group. This workshop is designed for the beginner to fast track entry into the world of Lightroom and Photoshop, but still caters for the more experienced user wanting to hone their skills and learn new tips and tricks. Please let me know by return email or give me a call on 0459 221 678 if you would like to attend. I will shoot you an invoice and lock you in. Price: $396.00 per person Cheers, Mark Some comments from past participants from the Brisbane bootcamp: Chris Holland wrote: This was such a useful weekend... I'm still in mental overload, but excited about putting into practice so many of the ideas that I absorbed. Thanks to Mark and the rest of the group for making it all so worthwhile. There wasn't one unanswered question!! Anne Reid wrote: Was a great weekend, yes it was a great venue. Easy parking, close to shops and beach for the lunch time breather. Must mention the great teacher and the surprises we all received with some of the things we learnt. Heather Streatfield wrote: Am feeling especially inspired after my photography Bootcamp this weekend. Alarm set for 3.45am, it's time to drag this butt out of bed for a summer sunrise! Here is a rundown of what to expect over the weekend. Phototrek - 8:30am Saturday We will all be photographing together in the surrounding area and this shoot will provide most of the imagery for the weekend's processing tuition. You will be working from scratch on images from your own camera, far preferable than working on supplied images which may have totally different characteristics than your own. Morning Tea Session 1 This session covers the basics of Adobe Bridge/Lightroom Library and Camera Raw/Lightroom Develop and de-mystifying the connections of both with Photoshop. Mark will show you how best to transfer your images to your computer and some convenient protocols for folder naming and storage. We will look at the benefits of utilising Lightroom 5 exclusively for this process. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 1 Session 2 This session will cover image adjustment and enhancement in Camera Raw / LR5 and look at a number of techniques to speed up the post-processing workflow. We will look at the various adjustment modules and tools which will become the backbone of your image processing. Session 3 - 8:30am Sunday We will start to get into some of the new user friendly aspects of Photoshop and really begin to make a difference to our RAW files to produce images with that "Wow" factor. We'll look at the best way to set up your tool panels and optimise your workspace to suit your style and needs. You will explore the different tools available in Photoshop and how and when to use them. 10:30am Morning Tea Session 4 To help speed up the workflow process we will begin to incorporate plug-ins, presets, actions and scripts. As well as providing you with many ready to use presets, Mark will guide you through the process of creating your own actions to speed up processes that you find yourself doing more often. You'll learn how to create stunning, unique and interesting backgrounds for your "studio" portraits and much more. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 4 Session 5 By this session you will have a new understanding of presets, actions, scripts, plug-ins, batch processing, curves, layers, masks, resolution, filters and many more terms.This session will put your new found knowledge and skills to work and consolidate what you have learned into a smooth and efficient workflow. We will also look at the basics of some of the hot topics of digital photography such as HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama stitching and more. If you have any special or problem files you wish to work on please bring them along (time permitting). Price: $396.00 Questions? Please give me a call on 0459 221678 or shoot me an email.