Wet Nene

We set off for the Hakalau NWR this morning for a whole day of bird photography but it was raining so hard that the birds were nowhere to be seen with the exception of several Nene, After a short hike of 1 mile, we decided to turn around and go back to the truck. The trip has been rescheduled. I don’t think I have ever made an attempt to photograph birds in monsoon conditions.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Pertinent technical details or techniques: iso 5000, 100-400 plus 1.4X, handheld, no flash, f8, 1000th, 85% of full frame, DxO Photolab 3 and Topaz DeNoise AI. Multiple rain protection products.

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1 Like

Hi David, I like this image. The raindrops on the bird and in the air add interest and I like the detail on the bird even at the high ISO. Fine composition with the subject placed nicely in the frame. The bird stands out nicely from the green foreground and background.

David, sorry to hear that you got rained out on your photography trip, but it looks like you got at least one good shot. I also like how the bird stands out against the green, with the rain drops on him, and the rain drops falling as well. Nicely done, and I do hope that your trip that you have rescheduled will be a beautiful day with lots of photo opportunities for you.

Super lovely, David. The slight head turn pretty much takes up the image a notch. And the rain adds to the image, too. Hopefully you will have more luck tomorrow, good weather and cooperative birds!!

David, way to make the best out of a “washout”! Nice photo of a relatively rare bird. DoF is appealing, with sharp focus only on the bird, grass in the foreground and background blurred, The green color of the grass sets off the relatively muted colors of the bird. It would have been nice to see some interesting activity, but from what you have said, the wildlife was “hunkered down”, while only foolish and hardy photographers venture out.

The big version has some neat things going on like rain drops, feather details and is fun to look at. The green of the grass is well controlled so that it is not overpowering. I hope next time that the weather is more in your favor, but this one turned out very well…Jim

Very nice shot of the Nene, David and I like the rain. Well done.

Nicely composed, with good depth of field. Good detail and the raindrops add to the image. Better luck on the next time out.