Your R System Images - August 2024

[PKM-UK]

Images from a recent(ish) visit to Chester Zoo, Cheshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels - compilations are a combination of R7 - Karen and R5 - Phil).

Phil and Karen


1. What a lot of Giant Otter...

2. Something's fishy here (don't tell the giant otters)...

3. More aquatic musings...

4. New pre-historic arrivals - Tuatara. You can read more about these creatures by clicking Here.

5. What a bunch of cuties...

6. An old hand and the new kid in town...

 

[Kamoshika]

Hi David,

A terrific shot of a beautiful creature set in its natural environment. Wonderful feather detail and the perfect eye-pop.

Well seen and caught - thank you for sharing...

P&K

Thank you.

 

[David Berry]

Our garden visitors :

Bring me some food (now!).​

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Juvenile Grey Butcherbird : Cracticus torquatus
camera–subject : 9 metres
subject–background : 36 metres
Queensland, Australia​

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[David Berry]

Our garden visitors :

Scoff it down!​

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Laughing Kookaburra : Dacelo novaeguineae
Pine Mountain, Queensland, Australia​

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[David Berry]

Our garden visitors :

Formal attire for adults.​

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Grey Butcherbird : Cracticus torquatus
Queensland, Australia​

---

 

[Only RF]

Images from a recent(ish) visit to Chester Zoo, Cheshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels - compilations are a combination of R7 - Karen and R5 - Phil).

Phil and Karen


1. What a lot of Giant Otter...

View attachment 30408

2. Something's fishy here (don't tell the giant otters)...

View attachment 30409

3. More aquatic musings...

View attachment 30410

4. New pre-historic arrivals - Tuatara. You can read more about these creatures by clicking Here.

View attachment 30411

5. What a bunch of cuties...

View attachment 30412

6. An old hand and the new kid in town...

View attachment 30413

Another great set. I have to get to our zoo. I used to go when I got new gear but is has been a while. Bird eyes, beaks and head feathers are what I test on.

 

[Only RF]

Covid shut down our local airshow for a few years. I never really liked this venue because the sun is to the left and it was mixed sun and cloud yesterday. Colours are always more flat when I shoot there. Very windy with pretty solid gusts made shooting 1/160 not very easy. Jets were OK with faster SS. I had heck of a time with WB so I gave up .

They sure get close

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CF-18 and Lancaster

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Just a follow up. The CF-18 was painted to commemorate 2024 being 100 years since the formation of the Royal Canadian Air Force. They said we would never see a jet and the Lancaster fly together again. I'm sure they meant at our local air show.

Kinda matched our hockey (NHL) team emblem.

 

[Bucolic Old Sir Henry]

4. New pre-historic arrivals - Tuatara. You can read more about these creatures by clicking Here.

Lovely shots. They're shy buggers, in my experience. I have been (close) to their major refuge - Stephens Island. It's off the top end of the South Island in Cook Strait. We sailed round it in summer 2019, but didn't land - you need a special Dept of Conservation license because it's predator-free. But they're doing well apparently. Difficult to avoid tripping over them at times, it's said... More here.

Takapourewa / Stephens Island

 

[PKM-UK]

Our garden visitors :

Bring me some food (now!).​

View attachment 30420

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Juvenile Grey Butcherbird : Cracticus torquatus
camera–subject : 9 metres
subject–background : 36 metres
Queensland, Australia​

---

Hi David,

A terrific capture - excellent subject isolation, fine feather detail and superb eye-pop, with a very pleasing pose.

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Another great set. I have to get to our zoo. I used to go when I got new gear but is has been a while. Bird eyes, beaks and head feathers are what I test on.

Hi Only RF,

Cheers - much appreciated! We really enjoy zoo visits - always a huge variety of creatures to photograph, plenty of challenges (including the inevitable wire fences and thick zoo glass) and they're great places to tweak settings, practice - and have fun.

(You may have noticed we're regular visitors to Chester Zoo, where we're members, and we'll often weave this venue into our travels - a great chill-out).



P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Lovely shots. They're shy buggers, in my experience. I have been (close) to their major refuge - Stephens Island. It's off the top end of the South Island in Cook Strait. We sailed round it in summer 2019, but didn't land - you need a special Dept of Conservation license because it's predator-free. But they're doing well apparently. Difficult to avoid tripping over them at times, it's said... More here.

View attachment 30437
Takapourewa / Stephens Island

Hi Gareth,

Cheers - much appreciated!

Thank you for the additional information and image (nice shot btw!) - very interesting. The first time we saw them (which resulted in these images) they were fairly plentiful - 5 or 6 in their new indoor and glass walled enclosure - but on our most recent, it was clear they're learning and several of them have already been on the 'how to avoid getting photographed' course. (We still managed to get some shots though... ).

P&K

 

[David Berry]

Much ado about Nothing?

​

I suspect that they wouldn't view their encounter that way!​

---

Laughing Kookaburra : Dacelo novaeguineae
Australian Magpie : Gymnorhina tibicen
Queensland, Australia​

---

The squabble, as I recall it: the magpie was drinking from a tiny puddle (note water displaced from its beak) and the kookaburra barged in to grab a morsel to eat, 'knocking' the maggie backwards out of its way. The ornithologists amongst us might be able to provide a forensic interpretation based on wing and claw positions.

It was late in the day, and these two had been squabbling incessantly, so I chose a small aperture in an attempt to get both in focus; and that necessitated a longer exposure time (deliberate) and far too high ISO (auto, so I dared not look).

I'll restrain myself, and not upload the embarrassingly huge number of duds!

… David

 

[Only RF]

A few more

 

[Only RF]

 

[klaspavel]

Confluence of rivers below the vineyard.

 

[Hali]

Images from a recent(ish) visit to Chester Zoo, Cheshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels - compilations are a combination of R7 - Karen and R5 - Phil).

Phil and Karen


1. What a lot of Giant Otter...

View attachment 30408

2. Something's fishy here (don't tell the giant otters)...

View attachment 30409

3. More aquatic musings...

View attachment 30410

4. New pre-historic arrivals - Tuatara. You can read more about these creatures by clicking Here.

View attachment 30411

5. What a bunch of cuties...

View attachment 30412

6. An old hand and the new kid in town...

View attachment 30413

These are super! It's a great reminder that Zoo's are wonderful places to photograph. I loved those giant otters and the giraffes are always a favorite of mine!

 

[Hali]

Our garden visitors :

Bring me some food (now!).​

View attachment 30420

---

Juvenile Grey Butcherbird : Cracticus torquatus
camera–subject : 9 metres
subject–background : 36 metres
Queensland, Australia​

---

What great images from your garden of (to me) such unusual birds. They have such fantastic expressions too!

 

[Hali]

Confluence of rivers below the vineyard.


View attachment 30462

This is beautiful, so rich and vibrant!

 

[Hali]

Much ado about Nothing?

​

I suspect that they wouldn't view their encounter that way!​

View attachment 30443

---

Laughing Kookaburra : Dacelo novaeguineae
Australian Magpie : Gymnorhina tibicen
Queensland, Australia​

---

The squabble, as I recall it: the magpie was drinking from a tiny puddle (note water displaced from its beak) and the kookaburra barged in to grab a morsel to eat, 'knocking' the maggie backwards out of its way. The ornithologists amongst us might be able to provide a forensic interpretation based on wing and claw positions.

It was late in the day, and these two had been squabbling incessantly, so I chose a small aperture in an attempt to get both in focus; and that necessitated a longer exposure time (deliberate) and far too high ISO (auto, so I dared not look).

I'll restrain myself, and not upload the embarrassingly huge number of duds!

… David

What a great action image! It doesn't matter how many duds you get, as long as you get some (or even one) that you like! I think you chose your settings well here, and even with silly high ISO I find that DXO PureRaw does an excellent job of getting rid of the noise.

 

[Hali]

View attachment 30457View attachment 30458

Just wow! These are great images. I love the speed you caught in the first one and the smoke coming out of the second is just awesome and well rendered in Mono.

 

[Hali]

One of the things I really wanted to do in Yellowstone was spend time at the hot springs and geysers. What I didn't factor into that equation was that it was going to be cold. And hot springs are... well hot. Really hot. Which means instead of (for the most part) getting shots of gorgeous yellow and blue chromobacteria filled waters I was treated to lots of ... fog. But being the inveterate snapper I am I couldn't let the opportunity of having a camera in my hand be spoiled by not being able to see anything. So I did something I never do. I took pictures of people. Well... of people other than my husband (seen in the second image) The first and third image were at Grand Prismatic spring which is normally stunning. The 4th was at the lower geyser basin and is of people watching Grotto Geyser spout up. The geysers weren't as foggy as the hot springs but there was a lot more steam than I had seen in autumn trips.

 

[Only RF]

Just wow! These are great images. I love the speed you caught in the first one and the smoke coming out of the second is just awesome and well rendered in Mono.

Thanks. They said the blue car was going 150 mph. There was a jet engine that car with the smokey shot.

 

[Only RF]

One of the things I really wanted to do in Yellowstone was spend time at the hot springs and geysers. What I didn't factor into that equation was that it was going to be cold. And hot springs are... well hot. Really hot. Which means instead of (for the most part) getting shots of gorgeous yellow and blue chromobacteria filled waters I was treated to lots of ... fog. But being the inveterate snapper I am I couldn't let the opportunity of having a camera in my hand be spoiled by not being able to see anything. So I did something I never do. I took pictures of people. Well... of people other than my husband (seen in the second image) The first and third image were at Grand Prismatic spring which is normally stunning. The 4th was at the lower geyser basin and is of people watching Grotto Geyser spout up. The geysers weren't as foggy as the hot springs but there was a lot more steam than I had seen in autumn trips.View attachment 30470View attachment 30471View attachment 30472View attachment 30473

Great shots and thanks for memories. We were there about 35 years ago.

 

[David Berry]

Kookaburra patiently waiting for afternoon tea (with cheesy snacks, please) …

Laughing Kookaburra : Dacelo novaeguineae​

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[Hali]

Kookaburra patiently waiting for afternoon tea (with cheesy snacks, please) …

View attachment 30478

Laughing Kookaburra : Dacelo novaeguineae​

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Lovely portrait!!

 

[Only RF]

One more

 

[PKM-UK]

Much ado about Nothing?

​

I suspect that they wouldn't view their encounter that way!​

View attachment 30443

---

Laughing Kookaburra : Dacelo novaeguineae
Australian Magpie : Gymnorhina tibicen
Queensland, Australia​

---

The squabble, as I recall it: the magpie was drinking from a tiny puddle (note water displaced from its beak) and the kookaburra barged in to grab a morsel to eat, 'knocking' the maggie backwards out of its way. The ornithologists amongst us might be able to provide a forensic interpretation based on wing and claw positions.

It was late in the day, and these two had been squabbling incessantly, so I chose a small aperture in an attempt to get both in focus; and that necessitated a longer exposure time (deliberate) and far too high ISO (auto, so I dared not look).

I'll restrain myself, and not upload the embarrassingly huge number of duds!

… David

Hi David,

The combination of the smug look on the newly installed occupant and the 'grace under pressure' of the freshly ejected former occupant is quite a scene.

You certainly nailed the timing (and as for any duds - you only need 1 winner!).

Well done and thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

A few more

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View attachment 30450

Hi Only RF,

A series of eye-catching shots - all beautifully captured and presented.

(We're getting neck ache and RSI just reviewing the images... ).

Exhilarating stuff - well done and thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

View attachment 30457View attachment 30458

Hi Only RF,

By coincidence we went out to buy some salad at the weekend and ordered a new car (we're prone to reckless spontaneity).

These shots have done nothing to quell the excitement (though our new wheels will be somewhat more pedestrian than this).

Beautifully captured and presented - image #2 is visually devastating (like the B&W).

Thank you for sharing...

P&K

 

[PKM-UK]

Confluence of rivers below the vineyard.


View attachment 30462

Hi Klas,

A very expansive composition which makes for compelling viewing.

(Two of our favoured subjects - rivers and grape derived beverages).

Cheers - and thank you for sharing...

P&K