Oriental dwarf Kingfisher - with skink

[Rajbir Oberoi]

it is not always against the sun that rain produces Rainbow, sometimes nature knows how to bestow its mercy just like that.

Canon 7D + Canon 100-400mm
ISO 1000, F5.6, 1/400s
August 2014

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Nice scene. This is a beautiful bird. Good that you got it with prey. Why blur the branch?

[Rajbir Oberoi]

thanks for the like Mr Patra... no blurring has been done on this image, the blur is as per the way it is shot...

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Surprised to hear that the blur is natural and due to the 100-400. I would love to examine this for my understanding. Please mail me the raw file so that I can check and give my inputs. You can either upload to google drive or just upload to wetransfer.com and give my email id sabyasachi.patra@gmail.com

[Rajbir Oberoi]

hellos, mailed you on your gmail

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Sunny,

Thanks for sharing the raw file. I checked it and the raw file greatly helps to understand the situation.

1. The image is clicked at ISO 1000. It is underexposed and some parts ie the blue channel(in the wings of the kingfisher) is underexposed and have lost details. Exposure should have been a stop higher. So you are getting lots of noise and less of details.
2. The branch appears to be wet and hence is reflecting light. If that is not in focus then it becomes a big distraction. So you have to get higher depth of field. That brings us to the technical question of how to get that depth of field.
3. The branch is not parallel to the sensor plane. It is clearly evident in the raw file that the branch is angled a lot. So at f5.6 the area of focus (Kingfisher and central part of the branch) is limited. Since the branch on itself won't move, we have to move to be parallel to the branch to bring it into focus as well as use a narrow aperture like f9 and above.
4. Since the kingfisher often sits still, using a lower shutter speed would have been possible. One can safely handhold the 100-400 at lower shutter speeds with correct technique. Tripod would greatly help as well.
5. I am not liking the out of focus leaf and close to that the patterns on the branch which made me want to examine the file. I conclude that the leaves probably (along with the branch) slightly swayed in the wind. Still I would have suggested you to take the lens to Canon, if it would have been yours.
6. Again, I found the shot clicked at 365mm. Shooting at 400mm would have helped a bit, but not much. You needed to be a bit more closer, if you were in a hide. A longer lens would have definitely helped.
7. Clicking a vertical would have helped in reducing the length of the branch and hence the bright reflection. Too often people don't click image in vertical orientation. In this case, it would have made the image a lot better.
8. Was it possible to shoot from the opposite side? That would have been good. Else, shooting in the afternoon when the light is from the other direction would work.\

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

PS: Is your official name Sunny?[/FONT][/SIZE]

[Rajbir Oberoi]

hello mr Patra, thanks for your feedback.

i am a self taught photographer, i take all the feedbacks and critique very positively, only this way i can improve myself.

from point no 1 to 5 all things noted and will keep these things in mind while shooting next.

Point 6 : yes i had this problem with this lens, have asked the question in forum also about it and you have replied that this lense must have stuck to 365mm, so that is why not 400mm.. will be buying my own lens this month, so in future no more 365mm :)

you will let me know about the person you were talking about who can deliver it to me in Bombay and also the cost ?..

Point 7 : i would have clicked in vertical but from the place where i was clicking, there was no scope of moving even a single inch

Point 8 : i agree shooting from opposite side would have definitely worked since the source was from the other side but unfortunately the other side there was a stream of water :)

My official name is Rajbir Manjit Singh Oberoi, Sunny is my nickname :)

[Roopak Gangadharan]

very nice moment. not many get to see something like this.

TFS
Roopak

[Rajbir Oberoi]

thanks Roopak, lucky that i got it, went all the way to Chiplun only for this beauty :)

[Mrudul Godbole]

Rare sighting. Very colourful bird. How many Oriental dwarf Kingfishers are present in the area? Do lot of photographers visit that place? Thanks for sharing.

[Rajbir Oberoi]

hey thanks, how many i don't know exactly but there are lots of them over there, yes photographers do visit that place but not much because this place is famous for only this special bird and to go all the way there to capture just one bird, not everybody does that, you will see only 10 out 100.