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Archive 2016 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve

  
 
beavens
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


This little preserve is tucked into some Capetown neighborhoods and provides a number of various birds to view and blinds to hang out in.

I'm not terribly pleased with any of these shots, and all have shortcomings that are fairly obvious, but since this is half trip report/half C&C and I felt like sharing a few.

Cheers!

Jeff

1 - Is it interesting enough?
2 - Green pole in background, enough detail (particularly shadows)?
3 - Light not coming from best angle, distracting reeds
4 - See #1
5 - Too much cropping, band exposed on leg




1 - Red Knobbed Coot Feeding






2 - Heron Flyby






3 - Perched Squacco Heron






4 - Pair of Little Grebes






5 - Heavily Cropped Sunbird (I think?)




Aug 01, 2016 at 10:18 AM
sbeme
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


1. No
2. Green pole not terribly noticeable/distracting. Nice capture/pose. A bit more detail, sharpness in underbody feathers would improve.
3. Nice. Maybe more portrait orientation to eliminate the reeds on right.
4. Nice colorful capture, pair. Better with one or both heads more parallel to sensor or pointed more towards you.
5. More shadow detail in head if it's there. Beautiful BG.

Scott



Aug 01, 2016 at 11:28 AM
beavens
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


sbeme wrote:
1. No
2. Green pole not terribly noticeable/distracting. Nice capture/pose. A bit more detail, sharpness in underbody feathers would improve.
3. Nice. Maybe more portrait orientation to eliminate the reeds on right.
4. Nice colorful capture, pair. Better with one or both heads more parallel to sensor or pointed more towards you.
5. More shadow detail in head if it's there. Beautiful BG.

Scott


Thanks for the feedback, Scott! Definitely not feeling these as much as the others and I think it shows.

Jeff



Aug 01, 2016 at 11:32 AM
sbeme
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


first would be OK as part of a seriies
but you have already set a high bar for yourself, and achieved it
I suspect we will soon see more killer captures

all teasing aside Jeff, so glad you and your wife are able to do this, enjoy it together and come back with so much!

Scott



Aug 01, 2016 at 11:40 AM
beavens
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


sbeme wrote:
first would be OK as part of a seriies
but you have already set a high bar for yourself, and achieved it
I suspect we will soon see more killer captures

all teasing aside Jeff, so glad you and your wife are able to do this, enjoy it together and come back with so much!

Scott


I've got the same coot swimming around - might be able to pair those up.

+1 @ reaching with the rest.

I still have a lot of safari to get through, so hopefully the bar will remain high!

To be honest, we'd BOTH rather be back there as opposed to here at work.

Means to an end, my friend - means to an end!

Jeff



Aug 01, 2016 at 11:51 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


1. a nice pose, unique, one you don't often see. Notice the hole in the water he creates with meniscus. Very sharp and well processed. More eye contact would be nice but just a nit.

2. tough light and background here, you kept the exposure very well in spite of that. Good detail, lifting shadows a bit under the wing would help. The green pole and reeds are mildly distracting.

3. Very sharp and well exposed. Having the reeds not be in front of the bird would help of course but still pretty good. I like the eye contact and pose.


4. Very nice, all I can say to improve would be a better angle for the eyes.

5. Works fine at web size, probably a challenge at print size.



Aug 01, 2016 at 12:17 PM
beavens
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


ben egbert wrote:
1. a nice pose, unique, one you don't often see. Notice the hole in the water he creates with meniscus. Very sharp and well processed. More eye contact would be nice but just a nit.

2. tough light and background here, you kept the exposure very well in spite of that. Good detail, lifting shadows a bit under the wing would help. The green pole and reeds are mildly distracting.

3. Very sharp and well exposed. Having the reeds not be in front of the bird would help of course but still pretty good. I like the eye contact and pose.

4.
...Show more

Thank you for the comments, Ben! Only took about 25-30 shots to get him with the beak partially in the water. That sucker was quick! I have quite a few of him with his butt in the air and neck halfway in.

Sounds like mostly "almost, but not quite" in this lot.

Jeff



Aug 01, 2016 at 12:54 PM
RustyBug
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


2,3,5 ... On phone anyway


Aug 01, 2016 at 01:33 PM
beavens
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


RustyBug wrote:
2,3,5 ... On phone anyway


Thanks Kent - viewing larger won't improve anything.

Jeff



Aug 01, 2016 at 01:42 PM
OregonSun
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


For me #3 is the only keeper out of these, great pose, good light, nice background. I'd crop or clone away the reeds bottom right if it were mine.

Heron



Aug 02, 2016 at 11:23 PM
beavens
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


OregonSun wrote:
For me #3 is the only keeper out of these, great pose, good light, nice background. I'd crop or clone away the reeds bottom right if it were mine.

Heron


Thanks for the feedback, Heron!

Jeff



Aug 03, 2016 at 06:37 AM
lighthound
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


#2 & #3 out of this set for me.
#5 would have been a killer shot but the heavy crop and softness is killing it. The leg band is what it is sometimes and is the least of your worries on that one.

Dave



Aug 04, 2016 at 10:48 AM
beavens
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Rondevlei Nature Preserve


lighthound wrote:
#2 & #3 out of this set for me.
#5 would have been a killer shot but the heavy crop and softness is killing it. The leg band is what it is sometimes and is the least of your worries on that one.

Dave


Thanks for the feedback, Dave!

Kinda a ho-hum set for me compared to some of the other things I saw.

Jeff



Aug 04, 2016 at 11:18 AM





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