NZPhotographer Issue 55, May 2022

I’m an amateur photographer living on the north shore of Auckland. My
interests in photography genres are varied, with a somewhat obsessive pull
towards wildlife photography. Capturing New Zealand wildlife in the best
light is something I’m always striving for and find great satisfaction when I
pull off an image that I have envisioned.
@paulkettel
TŪĪ FOR TEA
My home sits above a stand of pōhutukawa and kōwhai trees allowing great
viewing access to the comings and goings of backyard bird life. Of the
many visitors, the tūī is the most prolific due to the syrup feeders and perches
I have installed as encouragement. The summer dry months and winters
with little food see me going through between 4 to 8 bottles a day of water
mixed with sugar. This keeps the birds happy and gives me the opportunity to
photograph them in somewhat controlled settings. I have carefully placed a
number of perches in good light with plenty of distance from the trees behind
to give good separation of the birds from the background.
The images presented here are all shot early morning in soft backlighting.
This is my favourite light for shooting tūī, even though maintaining detail
throughout an image can be challenging. Careful exposure combined with
post-processing to bring out shadow details, is something I’ve managed to
master. With access to these beautiful birds, I am able to experiment and
refine approaches to my heart’s content.
NZPhotographer
May 2022
35