Weekly competition #397 - Twitter Competition

Thanks, as always, to those who took the trouble to submit photos. Competition entries seem to have been a little thin of late and I was hoping this might draw a decent crop: it has been good in terms of quantity, even better in terms of quality. Not all the images were my cup of tea, but lots of head-scratching and mind-changing was required while assessing the strengths of those I really liked.

As ever, no offence is intended by any of the prose below – and I trust none will be taken. These are simply the opinions of a bloke with no photographic training, but who knows what he likes and enjoys pointing a camera at things from time to time. In the slipstream of a 5.30am cuppa, then, here are a few thoughts…

Take-off, by Perspicador
Right idea, Rodney. The composition isn’t bad, although it wouldn’t suffer if you cropped a little from the foreground and right-hand edge. There’s nice movement in the wings, but – and it’s a big ‘but’ – the mallard’s head isn’t sufficiently sharp. Balancing sharpness and a sense of movement isn’t easy, as I know all too well from personal experience, but for me this is too soft in the areas where such things matter.

Wren, by bforbes
Great capture, Barrie. Wrens can be a right sod to photograph, due to their fidgety demeanour (although they’re not as bad as goldcrests in that respect) and also because they’re tiny, so spend most of their time being obscured by twigs. I wonder whether this would look better with the strands of straw cloned out, but either way it’s dripping with character.

Blackbird, by velimir
Beautiful light and a typically lovely pose. Blackbirds can be harder to photograph than their abundance might suggest, because they are quite skittish and usually scarper while you’re still removing your lens cap. I might be tempted to crop a little of the ‘dead’ space if this were mine, to get rid of some fence clutter in the bottom right-hand corner, but that’s a minor quibble (and I’m probably wrong).

Pheasant, by johnriley
To my mind, pheasants are much underrated as photographic subjects. The males are bright, charismatic and large enough not to require a 600mm lens with 10xTC. That said, this is a marvellous tribute to the qualities of the Sigma 500mm f4.5: great colour rendition, lovely bokeh and fabulous detail. The square crop and framing complement the whole.

Little bird, by billyspad
Steve claims he’s ‘not a bird photographer’, but this hints otherwise. Looks like a mallard chick to me – and they are very cute, although precious few survive to adulthood because mallards tend to be rubbish parents and don’t protect their young as well as other species. Apart from the obvious fledgling appeal – and the crisp detail – this looks perfectly composed: one’s eye is drawn to a subject that retains adequate space to ‘breathe’ within the frame.

On the waterfront, by davidtrout
Can you lot stop pretending you suffer some kind of avian photographic deficiency? Thus far into the contest, the evidence confirms quite the opposite. I love this, David, because it’s a bird shot with a genuine difference. I might have been tempted to crop slightly from the top and right, but it works as it is. I like the muted tones and – one swan’s beating wings apart – the sense of tranquillity. As for the soundtrack, mute swans tend to be, erm, fairly quiet, although they do grunt a bit when hungry or angry (and cygnets squeak, even when they reach full size).

And that’s the gull’s eye, by tyronet2000
Great technical proficiency, Stan – terrific detail, an object lesson in exposure control and a shot with a hint of menace that’s entirely appropriate, given the predatory nature of large UK gulls.

Oystercatchers, by mudge
I’m going to run out of superlatives at this rate – and have no idea how a winner will ever stand apart, such is the standard. Best viewed large, this encapsulates customary oystercatcher behaviour (although I have also seen a pair nesting at the Snetterton circuit, in Norfolk, and batting not an eyelid as racing cars streamed past). The ridiculously still foreground water provides a mirror effect that serves only to embellish.

Red kite watching me, by Daronl
I’ll admit a slight bias here, because I love red kites. Whenever I’m on the M40, I frequently withdraw at J5, near Stokenchurch, to stalk the local lanes in the hope that I might encounter a kite or two. Last summer, I pulled up at a bridge over the motorway and was promptly joined by a policewoman, who was worried that I planned to jump. As soon as she saw my cameras, however, she understood. Back to the photo, I think it might be better balanced with the bird less centrally placed and a little more sky to one side or the other, but that doesn’t dilute the subject’s magnificence.

Bird of Cefalù, by Talete
Infused with a gentle grace – and a good advert for the charms of Sicily (I particularly recommend Taormina, on the east coast, and of course Enna-Pergusa, a wonderful, old-school racetrack located in the middle of the island). This is picture-postcard charming, but the gulls are a detail rather than the image’s central motif.

Listen, I got a bit of gossip, by Conexus
This has terrific colour rendition and an extraordinary level of detail. Not sure which lens you were using, Mike, but at a focal length of 38.75mm you were clearly within pecking range. Vibrant and pleasing in equal measure.

Blue tit, by DrOrloff
I’ve seen some striking bird photography in my time, but this is on a par with any of it. Endearing subject, great pose, utter sharpness, lovely bokeh that isolates the tit to perfection. No blur, yet lots of movement... Envy is too weak a word.

Two’s company, by michaelblue
Simple, Michael, but imaginatively cropped and supremely effective. The very essence of corvids.

Cuckoo at rest, by TonyCr
I’ve heard many a cuckoo, but have never seen one (let alone been lucky enough to get within photographic range). For those reasons I really want to like this, but the bird is too small in a frame and isn’t especially sharp. Sorry.

Swan at Chichester Canal, by MarqueeMoon
In photographic terms, swans are a relatively soft target – bulky, slow and easy to track. By happy coincidence, their behavioural patterns – attack, defence, bonkers bathing technique, awkwardness in flight, grace on the water – make them supremely photogenic. This is very nicely composed, Nick: I love the water droplets, but feel it would be even better if the head were angled slightly to make more of its face visible. I accept, though, that wildlife can be tricky to direct.

Look at me, by stu62
A classic seasonal pose, Stu, as you say. Swans often adopt this stance when trying to drive away other birds (geese, rival swans… and even their own cygnets from the previous year) as breeding time looms. I like the point of view and the composition is almost there (I’d be tempted to crop a little from the top and right-hand sides), but this suffers mainly because the colours are too flat: out of curiosity, I took the liberty of dropping it into PS Elements and a quick, two-second ‘autofix’ gave the image much more punch. With a little time and effort (plus a more sophisticated technique than mine), the difference would be very striking (in a good way).

Long-tailed tit, by coker
A simply stunning shot, Roger. The background pastels complement the bird perfectly and the whole thing just works. Like other species mentioned above, long-tailed tits can be flippin’ difficult to capture because they rarely stand still for a nanosecond (and if they do there’s usually a branch in the way). I can but dream of seeing one pose so beautifully in such favourable light.

Bird, by arrondee
This is almost a contender – great colour rendition and sharpness, but the peacock’s head is angled slightly too far away from the camera and I feel that reduces the shot’s impact. Love the use of depth of field, though, and the way the bird’s features stand out so crisply among the out-of-focus greenery. Peacocks also roam freely at zoos in the UK: I have a shot of one trying to fathom out a drinks machine at Whipsnade. It failed, oddly.

Dunnock singing, by batfink
A gorgeous, natural image of a dunnock doing what dunnocks do. People are wont to overlook the dunnock – or else mistake it for a female house sparrow – but it’s one hell of a tunesmith. It probably just needs a decent PR agent… and this image could be used to front the promotional campaign.

In the pink, by stephen-s
I’m not sure the flamingo ever saw the inside of a wind tunnel, but for all its gawky angles it is very photogenic. This underlines the point very effectively, although the partial flamingo on the right is perhaps a slight distraction. Scores highly for sharpness, detail and vivid tones, though, and also reminds me that I must add Washington to my WWT itinerary this year.

Sparrowhawk’s blackbird lunch, by JAK
Horrible and remarkable in equal parts. A terrific illustration of nature’s realities and, in this company, unparalleled in terms of documentary value. I sometimes feel a little uneasy shooting this kind of stuff – I have sequences of herons taking ducklings, frogs and coot chicks, among other things – but, given the same opportunity, I’d be amazed if anybody on PU would decline to record the moment.

Female blackbird, by paulb531
From a deceased blackbird to an active current model. Nicely lit and stands out well against the snow-dappled grass – proof, not that it were needed, that Paul lives near Sheffield. If anybody was tuned into Radio 5’s traffic reports over the past 48 hours, they’d have heard about the Snake Pass being closed by snow. It’s only really news when it isn’t…

Red-billed oxpeckers, by Noelcmn
This scores bonus points just for the subject’s name, which is much more engaging than ‘starling’, ‘house sparrow’ or ‘feral pigeon’. A nice portrait of natural life in South Africa: not the most technically accomplished entry on the surface, perhaps, but patience (read Noel’s description) is as precious an ally as exposure control or shutter speed when it comes to wildlife.

And coming up fast on the inside, by drofmit
Very striking, Tim, and I love the way the light (or, possibly, your PP) picks out the coots’ wing tips. Coot fights tend to be very dramatic once they start – a cocktail of raised talons and unsubtle attempts to drown your opponent by sitting on them – and are particularly common at this time of year, but this is a slightly different take on the theme. I like ‘different’, though, and the overall effect is beautifully dramatic.

I won’t award any HCs, because I’ve already written 1800 words and the list would be exhaustive. Suffice to say that I felt the general standard spectacularly high. In the end, though, gongs are awarded as follows:

3rd=: And coming up on the inside, drofmit; Dunnock singing, batfink; Little bird, billyspad
2nd: Long-tailed tit, coker
1st: Blue tit, DrOrloff

Adrian, the responsibility is henceforth yours…

Good competition and a worthy winner. Bring on the wildlife!

Congratulations to the Winner and other Places. Thanks to Simon for the interesting subject, judging and comprehensive comments, a lesson in what is expected from the judge.

What a pleasure to be part of a competition featuring a healthy number of entries with some terrific images and judged by an accomplished commentator. Adrian's winning entry is outstanding as are all the runners up. Well done all round. Especially to Simon.
As for my own 'avian photographic deficiency'; that is compounded by the fact that I never carry a tripod and my longest lens is a mere 200mm as I prefer to shoot instinctively while on the move, generally, but not exclusively, in an urban rather than rural environment. I do however enjoy seeing some of the natural history masterpieces produced by the experts in this genre.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Thank you Simon, you set your self some task, with what turned out to be a popular subject, and accomplished it with distinction.

Congratulations to the podium, especially DrO, we all know birds in flight are not easy but yours stands out.

Congratulations Dr Orloff, what a fine BIF. Extended to Coker and Billyspad. A delightful challenge this one, bumper number of entries, all designed to make an enjoyable experience. Thanks, you had a purpose, accomplished it, and judged with competence.

Good subject
Great Judging
Congratulations to Podium placed entries!

Outstanding winning shot.

Many congrats to the good Doctor & big thanks to Simon for a great competition, the second place &
particularly the quantity & quality of your judging remarks.
A most enjoyable experience all round, made special by the number & quality of the entries.

Roger.

What a brilliant winner and thanks to the judge for his efforts

A great and worthy winner but must extend total admiration for the thorough and comprehensive judging. As has been stated a lesson in how it should be done.

steve

Thanks Simon, It's been a while so it's good to return to such quality judging and fine images.

Congratulations to Dr Orloff on a superb winning shot and to Simon on a very well managed judging process

Thank you for some great constructive comments. I knew from the off that the Blue Tit would be a top contender, it is so hard catching them in flight like this and has been recognised so. It does amaze me how people think Dunnocks are Sparrows too!!!

Only just got round to looking at this... been rather busy so far this week... roofers still!
Didn't think I'd get anywhere with that Bluetit, which would be a strong contender for "Image of the Week" on the Birdguides site....
those Parrots, the Long-tailed Tit and Mr. Riley's Pheasant...
and a number of others in the field, so thank you for the third place on the podium!

You were right about the PP...
My coots were entered before a long while back...
but it is a shot I like a lot.
For this version I went back to the original and cropped closer...
then did what I think I should have done before...
brought the shadows slider right in in Levels...
played around a tad with the Highlights slider to emphasis the sun shining through the edges of the wings...
and then worked up the sharpness.

Lovely set of comments, something to learn from most of them...
thanks.

We call the pheasant that hangs around with his hareem in the meadow...
Jeremy... after a certain TV presenter...
it shows off a lot, makes a lot of loud comments and is often very florid of face.

Brilliant winning shot - excellent feedback simon.

Regards

Paul