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.

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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

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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