Lax Jought Posted October 2, 2018 Share #1 Posted October 2, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) I took these photos more than a year ago, I thought I'd post them here. At my previous address I used to give these magpies some snacks consisting of dog food meatballs sold at the supermarket. It took a few months to gain the trust of 2-3 magpies, and not long after that, the news spread and about 30 would turn up for a snack. These were taken with my M240 with the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 II lens. This is because the minimum focusing distance is between 0.5m to 0.7m. The distance from my shoulder to the tip of my fingers is almost exactly 0.7m so I knew if I set the lens to its minimum focusing distance (as per rangefinder focusing) and hold the camera at my shoulder, the photo would be roughly in focus. One hand would hold the camera and press the shutter, while the other hand would feed the magpies. I wish was able to use my M8.2, because with the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 and f/1.2, I could have held it at minimum focusing distance and had a closer composition due to the equivalent crop. But the M8.2 was at Wetzlar for repairs at the time. The shots were taken from a mix of f/1.2, f/1.8, f/2, and f/2.8 at most. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 2, 2018 Posted October 2, 2018 Hi Lax Jought, Take a look here The Australian Magpie.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Lax Jought Posted October 2, 2018 Author Share #2 Posted October 2, 2018 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 2, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted October 2, 2018 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 2, 2018 Author Share #4 Posted October 2, 2018 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david strachan Posted October 2, 2018 Share #5 Posted October 2, 2018 Super pictures. Well done cleverly photographed. I think my favourite bird too. I have some pet Magies as well. ... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 2, 2018 Author Share #6 Posted October 2, 2018 Super pictures. Well done cleverly photographed. I think my favourite bird too. I have some pet Magies as well. ... Hi David, were you at the Leica meet in Melbourne in 2016 by any chance? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted October 2, 2018 Share #7 Posted October 2, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Superb series. Better stock up on dog food because these smart birds talk to each other and put the word out. They are much like crows in that regard. You've likely made friends for life. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 2, 2018 Author Share #8 Posted October 2, 2018 (edited) Superb series. Better stock up on dog food because these smart birds talk to each other and put the word out. They are much like crows in that regard. You've likely made friends for life. I didn't have to stock up, I moved house! It was getting a bit nuts with 30+ magpies turning up every day. They knew when to come in the morning to catch me as I'm leaving for work, and they knew when I came home from work at the end of the day. I kinda miss them. (PS. The magpies weren't the reason we moved house.) Edited October 2, 2018 by Lax Jought Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david strachan Posted October 2, 2018 Share #9 Posted October 2, 2018 Hi David, were you at the Leica meet in Melbourne in 2016 by any chance? Yes i was there, and thoroughly enjoyed it. By the way the CSIRO put out a monograph on the Magpie...a fascinating read. All best... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted October 3, 2018 Yes i was there, and thoroughly enjoyed it. By the way the CSIRO put out a monograph on the Magpie...a fascinating read. All best... I thought so! I had a very good time too, it was such a pleasant afternoon to hang out with all of you. Do you recall that there was a Deakin University lecturer there? He gave me his business card but I lost it when I swapped wallets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share #11 Posted October 3, 2018 Yes i was there, and thoroughly enjoyed it. By the way the CSIRO put out a monograph on the Magpie...a fascinating read. All best... Also where can I find this monograph by CSIRO? I just did a general search on Google but nothing significant is popping up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david strachan Posted October 3, 2018 Share #12 Posted October 3, 2018 It's in CSIRO Publications, still available. Here's the link... https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/3880 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share #13 Posted October 3, 2018 It's in CSIRO Publications, still available. Here's the link... https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/3880 By complete chance, somebody posted about this book on the facebook magpie group and I just bought it online yesterday! Also, do you remember the Deakin U lecturer? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted October 3, 2018 Share #14 Posted October 3, 2018 #1, 3 & 10 are my favorites 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lax Jought Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share #15 Posted October 3, 2018 #1, 3 & 10 are my favorites Thanks! I usually get the strongest reaction from #3. Those eyes are so intense. One of my colleagues was looking at these photos on his computer screen and when #3 popped up, he said: "oh my god, why do they still look so angry?" Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.