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Paradise Bird Pictures
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The following photographs of the magnificent birds of paradise were made by me using a telephoto camera - Nikon Coolpix P500. I shot the birds early in the morning when the light from the sun had not fully hit the area where the birds were gathering. To shoot the birds without disturbing their courtship activity, I had to hide behind a birdwatching hut (usually called blind). To attract the birds to come down to vines or branches of trees near the blind, we put a red fruit and a bunch of forest banana in front of the hut. Cat birds like to eat the forest banana whereas the magnificent birds of paradise eat the grains of the red fruit. I also had to deactivate the auto focus red light of my digital camera to avoid scaring the birds. There are several species of birds of paradise in Arfak mountains. Some of them are the magnificent birds of paradise, the lesser birds of paradise and the western parotia. Birds bring seeds of the fruits that they eat to all directions of the forest. When the seeds have been dropped onto the ground, they will grow as new plants. In other words, birds play important function on the preservation and expansion of forest.
When using the camera for the first time for shooting the birds, I made a lot of bad quality photographs. I still learned how to use it. The light was not bright enough. When I adjusted the brightness of the picture through the exposure compensation button, I was not sure which one was the best setting for shooting the bird. I tried applying + 2.0 value hoping that the picture which the camera created would be bright. It was bright but blurry. Then I lowered the value to - 2.0. After pressing the shutter button of the camera, I checked the pictures which I had just made. They look darker but sharp enough. I knew that if I had shot the birds using a tripod, the quality of the photographs would have been better. Tripod is one of the accessories of the camera which I need to buy beside the tele-converter lens.
Before buying this camera, it was impossible for me to make pictures of birds that usually sat on branches of distant trees or bush plants. I did not have camera that was powered with super zoom feature. I would say that this equipment is a powerful yet affordable telephoto camera that greatly brings more opportunities for my photographic experience. One week prior to the purchase of this camera, I did some research on the internet for an affordable super zoom camera. From a number of types that were available on the market, there were three telephoto cameras that attracted my attention. They were Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100, Fuji Finepix HS10 and Canon Powershot SX 30 IS. I finally chose the Nikon Coolpix P500 because it had the highest optical zoom capability of 36 times which I really need for shooting birds when hiking through the rainforest of New Guinea island. As a tourist guide, I often accompany foreign tourists to Arfak mountains. When we walk through the dense jungle along the slopes of the Arfak mountains, we see birds, butterflies, insects, and various colorful flowers. These interesting subjects will look good when they are shot by using a digital camera that can perform telephoto and macro shootings.
Today I have just done more research again on the possibility of extending the zoom power of the camera. I finally found that with telephoto conversion lenses, I can double the capability of my super zoom camera from 36 x to 72 times or even more. To do that I need to buy a tele-conversion lens with its adapter that is suitable for my camera. For now I still don't have such lens because it is not available in my town. Perhaps, if I go to Surabaya or Denpasar Bali, I will try to find one. by Charles Roring
Also read:
Paradise bird in Arfak Mountains
