Squabbling Cockatoos

Into the Shadows

The summer sun came out after a cloudy morning and things began to heat up. This cockatoo found a nice cool spot in the dappled shade with a light breeze to keep cool. Great for the cockatoo but a challenge to photograph.

   

On automatic the light meter, has correctly exposed the sky but left the bird and foliage very dark and essentially in silhouette. Whereas a spot metering on the dappled shadows on the cockatoos white feathers as caused the sky to be blown out. So I took a bracketed exposure set, recording both RAW and jpeg versions. Then I selected the best looking exposure and took the RAW file into Lightroom and rather than adjust the whole image I used the adjustment brush in the development module to just lighten the shadows and increase the clarity of the cockatoo and branch. Not quiet dodge & burn but similar results.

altogether too cocky

feather in the forest

More of the birds at Grant’s Picnic ground in Kalista

The Cheeky Cockatoo

This wild yellow crested cockatoo [Cacatua sulphurea], at the Grants Picnic Ground at Kalista in the Dandenong ranges east of Melbourne, brazenly stole this packet of seed from a visitor. The best part is how deftly he held it in his paw, as he skilfully snacked on the seeds. However is fellow cockatoos soon gathered, trying to get him to share but he wouldn't and it all ended in tears. The poor guy lost his one paw hold and the packet of seed dropped into the forest below, several cockatoos in pursuit.