Rainbow Lorikeets may not be true native Western Australian Parrots but they are still beautiful birds, full of personality, and they’re here to stay.
This Rainbow Lorikeet was getting a bit agitated by some local Magpies so he got into some serious foot stamping & wing flourishing. Proof that sometimes you just need to be in the right place at the right time
Rainbow Lorikeet, Scenic Drive, Wanneroo, Western Australia – Photographic Art
Below I will show the progress at various stages of my workflow so you can see how the image processing progresses.
Rainbow Lorikeet – Out of Camera RAW Image
This is the RAW image as produced by the camera (Canon EOS R5 + Sigma 150mm – 600mm) and exported from Lightroom with no changes made. As a general rule RAW images are slightly darker than required to allow for a good overall exposure and maintain the detail in the highlights.
Rainbow Lorikeet – Processed in Adobe Lightroom
Here I have processed the image solely in Adobe Lightroom Classic, which is always my first step for an initial pass of adjustments. In this case adjustments include the Basic tab controls (Colour Profile, Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, etc..) and some tweaks in the Tone Curve tab.
Rainbow Lorikeet – Processed in Topaz DeNoise AI, ON1 Effects & Topaz Sharpen AI
Rainbow Lorikeet – Final Processing in Adobe Photoshop
Finally, I finished the processing of the image in Adobe Photoshop, adding some colour balance, a slight Orton effect and making sure the saturation & levels look good.
Location: This image was taken at Rotary Park, Wanneroo, Western Australia. Camera: Canon EOS R5 + Sigma 150mm-600mm1/3200 sec at f8.0, ISO 5000
Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …
These Silvereyes were darting & dashing through the bushes between the beach & the coastal walk at the end of Rosslare Promenade in Mindaire, Western Australia.
Along with the Welcome Swallows & Singing Honeyeaters, I was literally surrounded by swooping & fluttering birds, amazing experience 👍
The combination of my 45MP Canon EOS R5 & Sigma 150-600mm lens allowed me to get some amazing shots of these beautiful little birds. Although heavily cropped the detail in these images is amazing.
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1000 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
I’m currently using the R5 set to full manual with auto ISO & I believe this to be an ideal setup for bird/animal photography.
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1250 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1250 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
While my old 5D Mark II was fine for landscape photgraphy I’m really noticing the difference using the R5 for birds & wildlife. The animal Eye Tracking AF is a real game changer & the high ISO performance is also a big aid in getting the higher shutter speeds.
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/2000 sec, f8, ISO 1250 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/2000 sec, f8, ISO 1250 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/2000 sec, f8, ISO 1600 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
I know I’ve broken all the “rules” by shooting in the “harsh” midday light with the sun shining in all its glory but I’m afraid I don’t subscribe to the idea that early mornings & late afternoons are the only times to shoot birdlife. I like to see the colour pop and I believe the shadows give the images depth and a sense of reality over the flat and lifeless illustration type images that many bird photographers favour.
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/2000 sec, f8, ISO 500 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1600 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1250 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1600 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1250 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1600 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Silvereye, Mindarie, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art Canon EOS R5 1/4000 sec, f6.3, ISO 1600 with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM ‘C’
Post Processing
All of these images are processed solely in Adobe Lightroom Classic with some colour grading, minimal sharpening & no noise reduction.
My next step will be to select the best images which will be exported to Photoshop CC for some additional tweaking, noise reduction in Topaz Denoise AI, and possibly a touch of ON1 Photo RAW Effects to add the finishing touches.
Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …
If you’re looking to get some practice for your bird photography skills then Lake Monger Reserve is a great place to visit. Located in the heart of Perth’s northern suburbs you’ll be amazed at the variety & abundance of birdlife that you’ll find here.
Blue-Billed Duck, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Being relatively new to serious bird photography I still have many birds that I have not photographed and just one trip to Lake Monger Reserve gave me the opportunity to capture several new bird species which was very exciting.
Australasian Grebe, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Australasian Grebe, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
The walk around the Lake is very a beautiful 3.5km trail with plenty of photo opportunities, several lookouts and a variety of habitats attracting a wide range of bird species from water birds to parrots, wrens & even Kookaburras.
Kookaburra, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Whilst Lake Monger is a great place for nature & birds don’t expect your experience to be entirely natural or peaceful as this lake is a very popular tourist & suburban walking spot. You will be surrounded by people walking the lake with their earbuds firmly inserted, taking their prams for a walk, or exercising their bikes on the dual-use paths. Much as the experience is not equal to a walk in a National Park up in the hills it is still great to see busy people getting some exposure to nature so I can happily accept the compromise 😃
Australian White Ibis, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
It’s always great to see the Willie Wagtails out and chattering away as they do and there is no shortage of them around Lake Monger allowing for plenty of practice getting that perfect shot.
Willie Wagtail, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Willie Wagtail, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
As spring was in the air there were also a few ducklings parading their cuteness around the lake, and it doesn’t get much cuter than a Pacific Black Duckling 🦆
Pacific Black Duckling, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Pacific Black Duckling, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Pacific Black Duckling, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Pacific Black Duckling, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Pacific Black Ducks, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Pacific Black Duck, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Pacific Black Duck, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Lake Monger is definitely a great place to visit for a walk and to get some amazing bird photos. The 3.5km walk around the lake would normally take easily under an hour but you might want to allow a bit longer and take a few spare memory cards if you plan on taking some bird photos as there really is so much to photograph here.
Blue-Billed Duck, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Blue-Billed Duck, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Did you know that Lake Monger along with Herdsman Lake was once part of a larger series of wetland lakes known as The Great Lakes District? Sadly many of the lakes were reclaimed for farmland, parks & housing in the mid-1800’s 😢 Luckily for us Lake Monger & Herdsman Lake were too large to be drained and so remain with us today as a reminder of the vast wetland lake system that once covered Central Perth.
Dusky Moorhen, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Dusky Moorhens, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Australian Reed Warbler, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Reeds, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Eurasian Coot, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Eurasian Coot, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Little Corella, Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Post Processing
These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC, ON1 Photo RAW 2020 & Topaz Denoise AI.
Topaz DeNoise AI is a new addition to my workflow that simply works wonders with any unwanted noise present due to the use of higher ISO values.
Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …
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