Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by tvsometime:
Not the best one!? Still impressive - a wonderfully spontaneous alternative to the static bird shot. Great angle and sense of movement.

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by bsluijk:
There's the girl, always aware of onlookers.

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by HarveyG:

Originally posted by Dennisheckman: Since she was leaving the nest, maybe she didn't like that piece of grass? Well spotted. Odd yes, I wondered why but maybe she was nervous about me being so close so I backed off for a while and let her be.

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by nam:
Not as showy as the male, of course, but a very pretty little bird. I like the unusual hooked beak shape and I love the motion blur on the wing.

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by Dennisheckman:
I like that you captured her with nest building material in her beak. Since she was leaving the nest, maybe she didn't like that piece of grass? Even at 1/1250 there is still significant motion. I would have thought you would end up with more frozen action. Congrats on following her and getting this capture!

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by sulamk:
Great shot of a beautiful bird. Not easy as they are never still.

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by HarveyG:

Originally posted by Ann: For a shot like this, though, I'd probably shoot in raw. I shoot in RAW and have done no additional sharpening in camera settings, seldom in PP. I am ecstatic with the results from the D7000 and the Sigma 100-300 f/4 when the focus is on.

thanks Ursula, I can't imagine what the 36MP must be like to manage...

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by Ann:
I really quite like this one. I like the selective focus on her head, and the nest, then the movement of the wing and body. I also like that she seems to be looking right at you. It's really pretty cool.

On the sharpening, when I'm shooting jpeg on my D800, I have a custom mode set up that's basically camera neutral, with sharpening turned completely off. I can control the sharpening much better on my computer if I don't have to deal with an image that's coming out of the camera pre-sharpened. For a shot like this, though, I'd probably shoot in raw.

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by bassbone:
i love how the head is tack sharp and the wings are all a flutter

Amethyst Sunbird II (PAW 3/52)
by HarveyG

Comment by BeckyT:
This is fantastic. I do enjoy your portrayal of her.