1st Haring Ibon Birds as Art Photography Contest
The 1st Haring Ibon “Philippine Birds as Art” Photography Contest was held during the Green and Wild Expo in November 2019. The Contest was one of the major activities at the Expo which was mounted at the SMX Convention Center in SMX Aura Premiere in Taguig City, Philippines.
The contest, held in partnership between Haring Ibon/Birds in Focus, Inc.,the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines (WBPP) and Canon Philippines, aims to highlight stunning photographs of bird species that can be found in the Philippines. To date, there are 700 different bird species that can be found in the Philippines and more and more people have engaged in wild bird photography to capture their beauty in their natural habitat.
The contest also aims to elevate the quality of wild bird photography among enthusiasts. This was done through the involvement of two internationally renowned bird and wildlife photographers, Bjorn Olesen and Arthur Morris. Both judged the finalists and also gave their expert critiques.
WINNER - Philippine Trogon by Ramon Quisumbing
Philippine Trogon by Ramon Quisumbing
Mt. Bulusan, Sorsogon
March 2016
Canon 1DX camera, Canon 600 mm Series II lens, Canon 1.4x TC, tripod, 840 mm, F/5.6, ISO-1600, 1/800 second, from 24 meters
Superb bird, super-sharp, lovely light, a good head angle, a nice perch, and a pleasing image design.
- Art Morris
Nice eye-level shot with excellent eye-contact - not easy with trogons. Excellent exposure of reds and blacks and good details. Nice clean and green background.
- Bjorn Olesen
1st Runner-up: Guaiabero by KIRKAMON CABELLO
Guaiabero by Kirkamon Cabello
Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental
January 2019
Nikon D810, VR 200-500mm, ƒ5.6E, ISO2000, 1/100s
Sharp, interesting behavior, beautiful bird, perfect head angle, clean background, and a nice image design.
- Art Morris
2nd Runner-up: Large-tailed Nightjar by FLOYD BERMEJO
“Night Watch”
Large tailed Nightjar by Floyd Bermejo
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
March 2018
Canon 5D mark 3 with Tamron 150-600mm G2 on a Benro Tripod and Fluid Head, 1/3 seconds, f6.3, iso2000
Used an Oled flashlight to light the subject.
These are difficult to do well. I love the excellent flash technique, the head angle, the black-as- night background, and the simple image design with the bird well back in the frame.
- Art Morris
3rd Runner-up: Brown-breasted Kingfisher by LAWRENCE ADVINCULA
Brown-breasted Kingfisher by Lawrence Advincula
Tabaco City, Albay Province
May 2018
ISO 2,000 | f 6.3 | 1/2000 @ 600mm.
I love the fabulous setting with the ferns, the soft light, and the grey background. The near merge of the background fern and the top of the kingfisher’s head keep this from placing higher. A bit of a move to the photographer’s left would have helped.
- Art Morris
3rd Runner-up: Philippine Frogmouth by WINFRED PALER
Philippine Frogmouth by Winfred Paler
Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Bukidnon
March 2019
Nikon D850, 600mm, 1/100 f/5.6 ISO3200
There are lots of negatives here — the filtered (mixed) light, the patches light sky, and the lack of space below the birds. But the sharpness and cuteness factors more than make up for those. This would have placed higher had the photographer chosen to turn the camera on end and created a vertical.
- Art Morris
This is my favourite image. Not often you see images of frogmouths from the side angle. I like the expression of both the adult, and the concerned juvenile. Nicely in focus where it matters, although the habitat is a bit messy, in this case it adds value.
- Bjorn Olesen
FINALIST - Little Egret and Black Crowned Night Heron (Immature) by Raniel Jose Castaneda
Little Egret and Black Crowned Night Heron (Immature)
by Raniel Jose Castaneda
LPPCHEA Freedom Island
Nikon D750 with 200mm-500mm @500mm, ISO-100, f/5.6, 1/800sec.
I love the serenity here and the water with the mirror-like reflections. And I love herons, egrets, and night-herons. While it is hard to judge image quality from JPEGs, there is posterization in the blue water.
- Art Morris
Stands out from all the other entries. A bit over saturated for my personal taste. Although the subjects are right in the middle, somehow it works well here. A good example: keep it simple, it works. Cannot quite judge the technical quality, but an outstanding photo with good shadow details and reflection.
- Bjorn Olesen
FINALIST - Blue-tailed Bee-Eater by Daniel Galvan
Blue-tailed Bee-Eater by Daniel Galvan
Philippine Carabao Center, Los Bańos, Laguna
April 2018
Nikon D5 + Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 with 2XTC, 1/640 sec @ f/8.0; ISO 1000, 800mm focal length
The beautiful subjects and flowers and the soft light in this image are surreally gorgeous. If the bird in the back had had its head turned toward us, this would have been the winning image. Paying attention to head angle is of huge importance.
- Art Morris
FINALIST - Violet Cuckoo by Ramon Quisumbing
Violet Cuckoo by Ramon Quisumbing
Baras, Rizal
March 2017
Canon 1DX camera, Canon 600 mm Series II lens, Canon 1.4x TC, tripod, 840 mm, F/5.6, ISO-1250, 1/1250 second, from 7 meters.
Here we have a sharp, well lit image of a beautiful bird with a sweet background. But, as I state in The Art of Bird Photography II, a strong vertical element in the center of a horizontal photograph will almost always be an image-killer. And that is the case here.
- Art Morris
FINALIST - Flaming Sunbird (Female) by Ralf Nabong
“The Pose”
Flaming Sunbird (Female) by Ralf Nabong
Sony A9, Canon 400mm DO II Lens, Canon 1.4x TC,Sigma MC-11 EF/FE Lens Adapter, Gitzo Tripod and Fluid Head, 1/1000,F/*.0, ISO 4000, Focal Length (35mm format) - 560mm
- It looks like it was posing for the camera, but it just took a breather to check if there are other flowers she can feed on. Flaming Sunbird (Female), Real, Quezon, November 16, 2018.
Another beautiful bird with nice light and a killer-sweet background. The out-of-focus flower on the lower left frame-edge is very distracting. A horizontal with bird in the lower left corner would have saved the day.
- Art Morris
FINALIST - Narcissus Flycatcher by Daniel Galvan
Narcissus Flycatcher (male) by Daniel Galvan
Camp John Hay, Baguio City
November 2017
Nikon D810 + Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 with 2XTC; 1/8 sec @ f/6.3; ISO 800, 800mm focal length
Another sharp beautiful bird but the face needed to be opened up (lightened). The varied background is distracting as is the lower, out-of-focus part of the otherwise attractive perch.
- Art Morris
FINALIST - Spotted Kestrel by Ramon Quisumbing
Spotted Kestrel (male and female breeding pair with prey) by Ramon Quisumbing
General Santos City, Mindanao
November 2016
Canon 5DSR camera, Canon 600 mm Series II lens, Canon 2x TC, tripod, 1200 mm, F/8, ISO-500, 1/1000 second, from 88 meters.
Sharp with a good basic image design but the background Bokeh is distracting and having the second bird hidden been several rocks is less than ideal.
- Art Morris
FINALIST - Writhed Hornbill by Winfred Paler
Writhed Hornbill by Winfred Paler
Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Bukidnon
June 2019
Nikon D5, 800mm, 1/250 f/8 ISO800
Sharp gorgeous birds in soft light. At the least, this should have been a vertical. The fact that the rear bird is partially hidden by a branch and its tail merges with the lower bird cannot be overlooked.
- Art Morris