#regentbowerbird

Shooting the regent bower-bird  

by Kylie Jackson 

Photographer - Kylie Jackson

We all have photographic subjects that are on our bucket list. Using the Secret Life of Walter Mitty as a popular example, in my earlier photography years the Regent Bower-bird (Sericulus chrysocephalus) was my ‘Snow Cat’.

This stunning berry and nut collecting beauty is spotted as a dart of gold in a backdrop of dense green. They make their home in the rainforests of South-East Queensland, Australia gathering up shapes of different sizes to decorate their bowers. As it is with most birds the males get all the colours and their bowers are not nests, they are amphitheaters for showing off; they are sex caves.

This image was taken on an old Minolta DSLR 12mp camera with an old Sigma 400mm lens about 10 years ago. Light in the rainforest is poor however with the right backdrop & lighting setups you can achieve some great results. Even with old equipment you can achieve great results so this is a post to prove you don’t need to spend lots of money to get great shots. Don’t rule out shooting birds in the rainforest if you follow these few tips:

A telephoto lens with a 300 mm minimum reach

If your lens has a standard speed ( f rating) of 4.5 or higher I recommend a mono pod for stabilizing your lens.

A twin flash mount set up is ideal however a quality single flash is fine if your subject has distance from its background. This removes the harsh shadow created from your on camera flash which hits your subject head on.  

Pre visualize your subject - Have your settings ready for birding if that is your purpose. 

A twin light system bounces around your subject and removes this shadowing issue. More expensive but optimal for rainforest birding.

A higher than normal ISO rating to compensate for the loss of light in the rainforest.

If you are burst shooting a quality fast writing SD card is a good investment. 

Spot Metering and land it right on the eye.

A simple rule - ‘Your shutter speed should be no less than the lens mm you are shooting at. Example - 300mm lens = a minimum shutter speed of 1/300s. This is an easy guide for beginners.

A shit load of patience but enjoy your trip! The rainforest is the lungs of the world and a special place to be.

These few little pointers are easy to remember so practice these next time you are in low light conditions and you will maximise your results in the field!

Have fun guys!