Photos – Silver Gulls: Beauty or Beast

Photos – Silver Gulls: Beauty or Beast

Silver Gulls, or as they are more commonly known here in Perth, just plain old Seagulls are an enigma!

Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Fly Like a Bird! – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia

Our Seagulls are renowned for their annoying & scavenging lifestyle swooping down on unfinished open-air restaurant dishes and foraging through rubbish bins in their dozens.

Yet they are incredibly beautiful creatures, so pristine & almost picture perfect. Because of this they make very good photographic subjects 📷

These particular Silver Gulls were photographed at Burns Beach a few days ago in their natural environment not being a nuisance to anyone 👍

Burns Beach in Perth’s Northern Suburbs is a great spot for a walk, there is usually plenty of bird life and lots of rocks & rock pools to explore.

Besties – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia

In a world where native wildlife is struggling to survive, mainly due to the irresponsibility of the Human Race, these Silver Gulls are thriving , mainly due to the irresponsibility of the Human Race 😱

As natural scavengers they benefit enormously from our increasingly wasteful “throw-away” approach to life in general and more importantly food & refuse.

In the animal world food is hard to come by and generally very little is wasted, in the human world food is over-supplied in abundance (except where it isn’t, which is another sad reflection on Human Society) and much of what we purchase / produce is cast aside.

Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
One Step at a Time – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia

On the positive side, many people are now trying to live a waste free life by avoiding packaged food, growing their own herbs & veggies, reusing unused food scraps as compost and recycling wherever possible. That is certainly our approach to life, we keep our bins as empty as possible and our garden as healthy as possible 😃🍎

Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
On a Mission – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia

Bird photography can have it’s challenges but is also very rewarding when it pays off 🦅

Lots of patience & a fair bit of luck go a long way to getting some great images, but what I find most rewarding is seeing the individual character in each and every bird that I Photograph. Photography is as much about telling a story as it is the image itself.

Thinking of making some inspirational products soon, what do you think of my “I Love to Fly Like a Bird” Mug mockup❓

I Think I’ll get Maggie to print one for the Gallery.

"I love to Fly Like a Bird" Mugs - Wanneroo Markets
“I love to Fly Like a Bird” Mugs – Wanneroo Markets
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Prepare for Landing – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Preparing for Launch – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Houston, We are Go – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Chaos on the Rocks – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Are You Lookin’ at Me! – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Grace in Motion – Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Silver Gulls, Burns Beach, Perth, Western Australia

Human shortcomings aside, what do people think of our scavenging but pretty little friends? Beauty or Beast ❓

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 & ON1 Photo RAW 2019.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

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 …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

Photo Tour – Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre

Photo Tour – Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre

Last weekend I attended my first Tour Day at the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre and I must say it was amazing and worth every bit of the low $15 booking fee 😃

Tour Day, KaarakinBlack Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Tour Day, KaarakinBlack Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Located in the Banyowla Regional Park in the Perth Hills on a former tourism wildlife park site their purpose is to protect and rehabilitate our native wild black cockatoo species here in Western Australia.

As the tour begins we are given an introduction to the organisation, the work they do and how they are working to restore the site to it’s original native state along with several other revegetation projects in WA.

First stop is the Kangaroo enclosure containing a community of Red & Western Grey Kangaroos left over from the old wildlife park. Sadly these Kangaroos have been isolated for decades, they are suffering from inbreeding and cannot be released back into the wild so they are cared for as best as possible.

Kangaroos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Kangaroos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Next came the Emu enclosure, where we found that our Tour Guide had a strangely close relationship with the resident Emu’s. Personally I don’t think I’d trust getting up close & personal with an Emu!

Emu, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Emu, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Finally we arrived at the Dingo enclosure, something I was really looking forward to and I wasn’t disappointed.

On the way into the Dingo enclosure is an aviary full of beautiful Finches.

Finches, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Finches, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Apparently the Dingoes are walked around the site daily for exercise and also to help prevent / detect any rogue foxes attempting to enter.

Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Dingoes have had a bit of a bad rap over the years, including being threatened with removal from the protected native wildlife list (thankfully overturned) but these guys are seriously cute …

Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Finally we arrived at the Black Cockatoos and were taught about all the different aviaries designed for different purposes and how injured Cockies are prepared and returned to the wild whenever possible 🐾👍

Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Having been told how we had to respect the Black Cockatoos space and be respectful, we were then told that they had no intention of doing the same (being wild animals) 🤣

We then had our feet sprayed, removed jewelry and entered the Aviary to play with the Cockatoos, or maybe for them to play with us 😎

Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

If you’ve never been up close and personal with a group of Black Cockatoos then I highly recommend an experience like this.

They will swoop over you make loud raucous noises and randomly land on shoulders (or heads), and they are a lot bigger than most people would imagine.

Black Cockatoos are, however, incredible social and gentle birds. They will not harm you and you will fall in love straight away ❤

Unlike cuddling Koalas, which should never be allowed as it is stressful and dangerous for the animal, interacting with Black Cockatoos is a two way relationship.

It is also worth pointing out that these “educational” Cockatoos are very familiar with humans and can not be released back into the wild for health reasons. You will never get near a Cockatoo that is being prepared for release as they need to maintain their natural caution of humans.

Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia – MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Please remember that these magnificent Black Cockatoos are highly endangered, if you want to help protect WA’s Black Cockatoo population then support the local organisations that are working hard to keep these amazing birds alive:

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 & ON1 Photo RAW 2019.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

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 …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

New Image Release – Black Cockatoo with Exploding Nuts

New Image Release – Black Cockatoo with Exploding Nuts

I got some great Black Cockatoo images from the recent open day at Native Animal Rescue here in Perth but I wasn’t expecting this!

This particular trio of images feature Obama, one of their resident Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos chewing on a gum nut. It wasn’t until I got home and checked out the images that I realised that his nut had exploded with perfect timing.

A Short Timelapse Video Experiment

The trio of images looked so good that I decided to experiment with a short Timelapse video showing just how seriously these guys take their gum nuts 😎 I just love how his claws open up in the second shot as the nut explodes.

I’ve been meaning to make some video’s for a while now and initially thought I should just do it in Photoshop. While I did successfully create a video very similar to the above in Photoshop I found it somewhat inefficient, especially when I just wanted to make small changes.

Eventually I remade the video in much less time using Premier Pro, and that included reminding myself exactly how Premier Pro worked. However, if Photoshop is all you have access to then it will work fine for simple videos like this one 👍

Here are the individual images …

Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, Exploding Nuts, Perth, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Obama the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo
Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, Exploding Nuts, Perth, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Obama the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo with Exploding Nut!
Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, Exploding Nuts, Perth, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Obama the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo

These 3 images are available now as Fine Art Prints or on any of our Photo Products. I’m thinking a Triptych of square canvases or Aluminium Prints would look amazing 😃

Please remember that these magnificent Black Cockatoos Cockatoos are highly endangered, if you want to help protect WA’s Black Cockatoo population then support the local organisations that are working hard to keep these amazing birds alive:

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 & ON1 Photo RAW 2018.

The video was produced using Premier Pro CC.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

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 …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

Conservation – There’s a Black Cloud Over Our Black Cockatoos

Conservation – There’s a Black Cloud Over Our Black Cockatoos

The Carnaby Black Cockatoos were out in Yanchep National Park last week when we turned up there for a walk. Noisy as ever they paraded around the treetops with their usual majesty and charm allowing me to get some great photos.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Black Cockatoos truly are magnificent, you really have to see one up close to realise just how big and beautiful they are. They each have a unique character and are very friendly & gentle creatures.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

But the sad thing is Black Cockatoos are highly endangered!

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

A survey in April last year known as the “Great Cocky Count”, held here in South Western Australia, reported that Carnaby Black Cockatoo numbers had fallen by 35% over the last year. Carnaby’s are only found here in Western Australia and their numbers are dropping due to increasing decimation of their habitat and food sources due to urban and industrial development.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

There will be another “Great Cocky Count” in April this year, conducted by Birdlife Western Australia, volunteers will count Carnaby’s & Red-tailed Black Cockatoo’s at known roost sites across South Western Australia.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

If you want to help protect WA’s Black Cockatoo population then support the local organisations that are working hard to keep these amazing birds alive:

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 & ON1 Photo RAW 2018.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

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 …

Cheers,
Dave

Photo Processing – Waves on Wood Using Textures

Photo Processing – Waves on Wood Using Textures

Waves on Wood is an new image I have created recently to give the illusion of a photographic print on a wooden plank. The original image “Crashing Waves” on Redgate Beach in Margaret River can be seen & purchased here.

While it is possible to transfer images onto wood or even print directly on wood it is not a process that is available or practical for many of us so I have been playing around with a process in Photoshop for combining photos and textures to give the illusion of a print on wood.

Waves on Wood, Redgate Beach, Margaret River Region, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Waves on Wood, Redgate Beach, Margaret River Region, Western Australia – Photographic Art

How cool will this look as a 60″ canvas in your living room?

Waves on Wood, Redgate Beach, Margaret River Region, Western Australia - Living Room Canvas

Waves on Wood, Redgate Beach, Margaret River Region, Western Australia – Living Room Canvas

Compare the Textured Image with the original image “Crashing Waves on Redgate Beach”

Post Processing

If you’re interested in the technique used to create this effect then here are the basics (though the exact settings will vary depending on the photo & the textures being used):

  • Open your image in Photoshop
  • Open your texture image in Photoshop and resize it to the same dimensions as your photo
  • Copy and paste your wood texture over your photo as a new layer
  • Set the blending mode of the texture layer to
  • Set the blending mode of the texture layer to something like “Darken” or Multiply”
  • Duplicate your texture layer (CTRL/CMD + J)
  • Set the blending mode of the second texture layer to “Soft Light” or “Overlay”
  • You can now adjust the blending modes & opacity of the texture layers to get an effect you like
  • You can also replace one of the textures with an alternate texture for different effects or even add additional textures, the sky’s the limit

This image was created using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 & ON1 Photo RAW 2018.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave

New Image Release – Sturt’s Desert Peas in Kings Park

New Image Release – Sturt’s Desert Peas in Kings Park

Our latest Fine Art Image release is a beautiful shot of “Sturt’s Desert Peas” (Swainsona formosa) in Kings Park. These wildflowers are backlit by the afternoon sun giving the leaves a bright green luminance bordered by the white glow of the sun highlighting the fine hairs around the leaves.

This image is Availble for Purchase as a Fine Art Print / Canvas or on our range of Photo Products (Scarves, Tote Bags, Studio Pouches, Cushion Covers, Tapestries, Mugs & much more …) at MAD About Western Australia.

Sturt's Desert Pea, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Sturt’s Desert Pea, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia – Full Image

There are so many ways to present an image like this, in it’s original 2:3 format you can really appreciate the narrow depth of field isolating the Sturt’s Desert Peas by blurring the foreground and the trees in the background creating such a tranquil Forest Scene.

Sturt's Desert Pea, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Sturt’s Desert Pea, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia – Panoramic Image

We are always happy to provide custom formats for our images to suit your decor. Cropped as a Panorama the image focuses entirely on the Peas and looks amazing further cropped to 3 squares and hung as a Canvas Triptych.

Sturt’s Desert Peas, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia – Living Room Triptych

Sturt’s Desert Peas, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia – Living Room Triptych

Then again, if you’re looking for creativity I’m working on some new designs emulating the effect of printing on wood without all the drawbacks. Can’t wait to see how this artistic approach works out …

Sturt's Desert Pea, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art on Wood

Sturt’s Desert Pea, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art on Wood

Post Processing

This image was created using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 & ON1 Photo RAW 2018.

Buy Prints & Photo Products

Image Name: “Sturt’s Desert Peas”
Image Code: KPF1.3-V1
Location: Kings Park, Western Australia

Purchase Options:

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave & Maggie

Make Mother’s Day a Natural Experience!

Make Mother’s Day a Natural Experience!

Would you like to make your Mum’s Mother’s Day a Natural Experience?

Show your Mum how much you love her with a Mother’s Day Gift from Mother Nature 

Mothers Day Gifts, Tawny Frogmouth, Native Animal Rescue, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Tawny Frogmouth from Native Animal Rescue, Perth, Western Australia

What’s your Mum’s favourite animal My Mum loves Owls, her house and garden are full of them 

Mothers Day Gifts, Barn Owl, Native Animal Rescue, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Barn Owl from Native Animal Rescue, Perth, Western Australia

Whether your Mum loves Owls, Blue Wrens, Koalas or any other of natures amazing creations we have a the perfect gift for her 

Mothers Day Gifts, Koala, Yanchep National Park, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Koala from Yanchep National Park, Western Australia

So why not come visit us at our new Gallery & Shop in Wanneroo Markets to see all the wonderful Mother’s Day gifts we have in stock 

Mothers Day Gifts, Blue Wren, Margaret River, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Blue Wren from Margaret River, Western Australia

Help us support Native Animal Rescue here in Perth, part proceeds from sales of NAR sourced images are donated back to help them support our local wildlife 

Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo, Native Animal Rescue, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art

Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo, Native Animal Rescue, Perth, Western Australia – Photographic Art

Buy Prints & Photo Products

Visit our Gallery & Shop at Wanneroo Markets:

Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara. Open Fri to Sun & Public Holidays 9am to 5pm.

Buy Prints Online

Buy Photo Products Online

Did you know it’s a proven fact that being out in nature is great for your mental and physical health 
While you won’t get the full health benefit from our range of prints and photo gifts they are always a great reminder of where you’d rather be 👍🐬

Cheers,
Dave

Perth Zoo Photo Art

Perth Zoo Photo Art

Perth Zoo is an amazing place to visit and experience some of the incredible wildlife from Australia & around the world. To be honest we haven’t been to the Zoo for many years, must be time for another visit, I’m sure there have been many changes over the past few years.

African Lion, Perth Zoo, South Perth,Western Australia

African Lion, Perth Zoo, South Perth,Western Australia

Baby Giraffe, Perth Zoo, South Perth,Western Australia

Baby Giraffe, Perth Zoo, South Perth,Western Australia

Bonzai the Numbat, Perth Zoo, South Perth,Western Australia

Bonzai the Numbat, Perth Zoo, South Perth,Western Australia

These gorgeous creatures were captured during our visits between 2003 & 2010 when we were working with the Zoo on their website and I decided to have a play around with them to create some Perth Zoo Photo Art.

Sadly Bonzai the Numbat has since passed away but we were proud to have our images used on the signage around his enclosure for a few years before he died.

Perth Zoo and many other zoo’s around Australia and the World do an amazing job help protect & preserve our wildlife, we owe it it to them to do what we can to support these efforts.

Post Processing

All images were processed in Adobe Lightroom, ON1 Photo RAW 2018 & Adobe Photoshop.

Buy Prints & Photo Products

Did you know it’s a proven fact that being out in nature is great for your mental and physical health!
While you won’t get the full health benefit from our range of prints and photo gifts they are always a great reminder of where you’d rather be.
So be sure to check out our range of Fine Art Prints here in our online gallery and our unique photo gifts (scarves, wall tapestries, beach towels, tote bags and much more) at madaboutwa.com.au.

Note: Our Perth Zoo images are not for sale currently though we would dearly love to create more amazing images and products that could help support the Zoo.

Cheers, Dave

Southern Boobook Owl in Mum’s Backyard

Southern Boobook Owl in Mum’s Backyard

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Perth, Photographic Art

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Western Australia

Bird photography can be a time consuming process but rewards can pay of at the least expected times. a few days a go I got a call from my mum to say she had spotted a small owl in her back garden. As an avid owl lover mum has owl ornaments and images all around her house & garden so maybe this little guy just felt at home in her garden …

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Perth, Photographic Art

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Western Australia

Anyway, we headed off to mum’s to check out this visitor of hers hoping that he would still be there … and he was. We found him nestled in the foliage of a small tree in the garden. Luckily for us the tree’s foliage was dense enough to keep him protected but with enough gaps that we could get a good view of him, it’s not often you get so lucky 🙂 Ironically the only reason mum spotted him was because the local birds were going crazy about his presence, fluttering around the tree and and making a rawkus noise. But then it is spring and no doubt they were a little concerned about their nests becoming potential dinner plates!

Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Perth, Photographic Art

Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Maggie began looking into what type of owl he was while I started snapping away with my 70-200mm. The late afternoon sun was behind him making the light interesting and challenging. I knew the bright blue glimpses of sky would be blown out but the important thing was getting the owl exposed perfectly and retaining the brilliant green of the backlit foliage. The little guy was barely moving so shutter speed wasn’t so important but I still needed to keep it up high enough to prevent any camera shake. It was pretty dark inside that tree and after a bit of experimentation I compromised at manually setting my exposure to 1/160th, f7.1 & ISO 1000 and I was very happy with how that worked out. Noise levels were very low even with the shadows brightened up in Lightroom and the level of detail around his eyes was astounding as you can see from the exploded view below.

Lightroom Close Up of Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Lightroom Close Up of Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Although the owl was not moving all that much it was a windy day and the leaves  were blowing around all over the place making it tricky to frame the owl and causing the sunlight to randomly blow out parts of the owls body.

Blown Out Patches - Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Blown Out Patches – Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

All up we were there for around 40 mins, I took 213 photos and got some crackers. Turns out he was a Southern Boobook Owl, quite common around here though not so much in backyards! One good tip for photographing animals is to always focus on the eyes. At 200mm in low light depth of field is often sacrificed for shutter speed and if the eyes are not pin sharp then the whole image can be ruined.

Focus on the Eyes - Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Focus on the Eyes – Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

As usual my initial processing was done in Lightroom followed by adding effects in the new ON1 Photo Raw 2018 with some final tweaking in Photoshop, the Master File is then imported back into Lightroom from where I can export it in any format as required. All 3 tools have their benefits and work well together to produce a final image that is extremely high quality and suitable for any purpose.

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Perth - Tabletop Print Suggestion

Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia – Tabletop Print Suggestion

I haven’t really looked at the new version of ON1 Photo RAW 2018 short of using the effects module to create & apply presets. Keep an eye out for my upcoming review of this very interesting photo processing software package that is becoming serious competition for Lightroom.

Image Details

Location: Mindarie Backyard, Western Australia Date: 26th December 2017 Time: 3pm – 3:40pm Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk11 Lens: EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Camera Mode: Manual Exposure: 1/160 sec, f7.1 at ISO 1000

Post Processing

Buy Prints & Photo Products

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.1-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.1-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.2-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.2-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.3-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.3-V1)

Our Boobook Owl is also available on a wide range of Photo Products, Home Decor & Clothing at our Redbubble store:

It’s a proven fact that being out in nature is great for your mental and physical health. While you won’t get the full health benefit from our range of prints and photo gifts they are always a great reminder of where you’d rather be. So be sure to check out the rest of our range of Fine Art Prints at madcat.com.au and our unique photo gifts (scarves, wall tapestries, beach towels, tote bags and much more) at madaboutwa.com.au.

Cheers, Dave

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