Flying Parrot Photography

*CHANNEL UPDATE* Hello my birding friends! As some of you know I'm in the midst of relocating to East Gippsland after selling my Pambula property.

Unfortunately I've not managed to find a new home (not one that I like anyway...) so I'm currently moving all my belongings into a storage facility and heading to Mallacoota early June for a couple of months, with my 3 parrots in tow!

Going to wait patiently for that right property with a nice outlook, some studio space and a garden filled with birds. In the meantime it's boxes of chaos piled high haha!

Looking at doing a social meet-up in Mallacoota - if not a full tour - so if you're in the vicinity keep that in mind ... jump onto my mailing list for the next official update.
www.flyingparrot.au/subscribe

I do have a new video in the pipeline, hoping to get that one out over the weekend, it's about a sometimes-neglected setting that deserves a little attention every now and then.

Thanks for your patience, I hope you stick with me over this somewhat rocky transition, I look forward to seeing you soon xx S

1 week ago | [YT] | 79

Flying Parrot Photography

One of my mentorship students was asking what to do about heat haze, so I thought I'd share some tips of what you can - and can't - do about annoying heat haze, along with my work-around to help you come home with a shot, even in challenging conditions. www.flyingparrot.au/post/heat-haze-and-bird-photog…

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 34

Flying Parrot Photography

Oh geez I'm failing somewhat as a YouTuber - it's been all kinds of crazy since getting back from my trip to Indonesia. Sold the house on my return and tomorrow I'm heading interstate to look for a new place to live, and after 27 years under the one roof, it's exciting and kind of terrifying at the same time!

Needless to say, amidst packing, figuring out what the heck is in all those cupboards downstairs, real estate browsing, removalists, conveyancers, storage facilities and wondering if it's possible to live in a van with 3 parrots for 2 months, poor old channel is a little neglected!

Bear with me while I navigate this big shift and find a nice new studio space to work from! I do have a new video in the pipeline which I will finish eventually ... and a backlog of birding adventures to share with you too.

XX S

PS: Did I tell you I'm heading to Japan for a 'bucket list' birding trip with John ‪@MaddoxphotographyNZ‬ Maybe you should come along!
Read more here: www.flyingparrot.au/japan-tour-2027

1 month ago | [YT] | 44

Flying Parrot Photography

I had the absolute pleasure of spending some time with ‪@RogersBirdingHotspots‬ when he visited the Sapphire Coast recently. Of course we went looking for the Ground Parrot … 🦜 😅

1 month ago | [YT] | 5

Flying Parrot Photography

Greetings from Pekutatan, Bali! Having a lovely time in the tropics but home in a few days and looking forward to getting back to my channel - I have lots of insights to share and some new tutorials in the pipeline.

Plus a couple of birding adventures to show you what I found birding in Indonesia, which was not without its share of challenges! No guides or tours this time, just roving around on scooter and foot, into local plantations and empty lots, to see what I could see.

I look forward to catching up with you all soon!

White-headed Munia, a fairly common but delightful, small finch.

2 months ago | [YT] | 60

Flying Parrot Photography

FINALLY!! Beowa Part 2 is uploading!! I apologise for being a little mysterious of late ... I have been so busy working on my mentorship program, I set video editing aside to concentrate on making the mentorship the absolute best it could be, without unnecessary fluff and technical blah 😄

I'm super excited to be working with my first group next week - and there is still one spot left if you'd like to brush up your creative bird photography skills, working with me live in each and every session over zoom for the next 12-14 weeks (at the introductory price - with extra love for my first group too!)

www.flyingparrot.au/group-mentorship

Next in the pipeline, another free tutorial before I jet off to Indonesia for a tropical birding adventure 🌴🦜 Of course there will be a video at some stage. XX S

2 months ago | [YT] | 40

Flying Parrot Photography

Although getting enough shutter speed is a consistent issue when photographing birds, it's amazing how low you can go when you need too!

I took this Superb Fairy Wren in shade in early morning light at just 1/200th second.

It's all about good technique and knowing when to make the trade-off between image quality and settings.

You might be surprised to know I don't pay much attention to settings. I do keep checking where I'm at as the light's changing, but that's more to do with optimising image quality than 'getting it right'.

It's something I teach in my mentorship, enabling you to not constantly worry about settings - and instead focus on creativity.

I'm going to do a dive deeper into this on an upcoming video, for those of you that suffer from 'settings fatigue' - it used to be a big problem for me, especially in low light. Are you confident with settings or do you 'second guess' your choices?

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 64

Flying Parrot Photography

Bird photography can be so 'on the fly' it can be hard to imagine you need to plan to get the best results. But that was the big game changer for me: when I finally stopped being a reactive photographer and started to utilise creative techniques and shoot with intention. There was a noticeable shift in my work, and it's helped me to continue to build steady progress ever since.

I'm not the world's best photographer - and probably never will be - but I'm definitely in a place where I see opportunities open up in front of me, and I know what to do to make the most out them.

Which is exactly what I'm teaching in my mentorship program. So excited to be working with some of you for the next 12 -14 weeks via zoom. I'm looking forward to seeing the results that this 'longer format' session can bring compared to cramming everything into weekend workshops - plus it's going to be fun!


Seeing my photography move forward and helping others do the same has taken my enjoyment of bird photography up several notches - I'm getting more obsessed by the day 😄

I still have 2 places left if you'd like to work with me for the next couple of months in a relaxed and supportive group environment.

Find out more and apply here: www.flyingparrot.au/online-workshops

PS: 'Back to Beowa', Ground Parrot hunting part two is well underway, stay tuned!

2 months ago | [YT] | 41

Flying Parrot Photography

For those of you in the vicinity of the Sapphire Coast I'm hosting a bird photography day at Panboola Wetlands on Saturday 7th February.

A workshop without the work! Double birding sessions with some editing tuition in the middle of the day when the light is not much chop - delicious morning and afternoon tea plus lunch included.

It's Gang Gang season and I'm always on the lookout for Emu-wrens, we're bound to see something interesting....

Find out more: www.flyingparrot.au/workshops

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2 months ago | [YT] | 43

Flying Parrot Photography

Back from my short trip and my shiny new laptop was waiting for me when I got home! Wow, it's so fast now I wonder why I didn't upgrade sooner. Unfortunately lost my half-edited video in the crash but happy to start afresh with my new machine.

In the meantime, here's a new blog I've written, pondering the 'sport' of birding, I'd love to hear your thoughts:

www.flyingparrot.au/post/when-birding-starts-keepi…

2 months ago | [YT] | 35