Our high resolution imagery captures the colour and structure of a bird wing to a level of detail that boggles the imagination.
Take the wing of the Sacred kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus for example, a species seen widely around the coast of Tāmaki Makarau. Our images capture the magnificent differences in coloration between the dorsal (top; blue) and ventral (bottom; russet) surfaces of their wing.
Closer up, the overlapping nature of the wing is apparent with covert feathers resting on top of the main primary flight feathers of the wing. At 2.5 times magnification the amazing nature of the feather vane is apparent, each vane made up of thousands of tiny barbs that not even our cameras can capture.
The barbs and their components act to “zip up” individual feathers which together create the perfect strong and light aerofoil to allow birds to fly through the air, and in some cases the ocean as well.
So when you see birds preening, it's often not to impress mates, it’s actually to ensure that its flight-gear is in top condition.
Capturing this level of detail requires more than just the right equipment, but having the right equipment makes it easier.
We use the Canon 5Ds for its 50 megapixel resolution and Broncolor Siros lights for their consistency. Three lenses were used for the bird wings, all from Canon.