I really enjoyed filming "Wetland Wonder" with two of my boys, as it took me to a remote National Park in the top West corner of Victoria, Australia - namely, Hattah Kulkyne National Park.

This park is home to the rare Regent Parrot, which I managed to capture (a yellowish parrot with a red beak) and also some water birds that I have never seen in the wild. So it was really exciting for me to be filming in an area I rarely get to.

I filmed from a hide over four days, and as the birds got more comfortable with the hide, the footage got better.

In this film, I wanted to give the viewer some appreciation for the position I was in relative to my subjects - which I think worked well in some of my closing shots. I also wanted to capture the beauty and tranquility of the area, which I think is very evident in the opening shots.

The birds in order of appearance are;

Red Necked Avocet
Emu
Australian Pelican
Great Egret
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Galah
Black Winged Stilt
White Faced Heron
Regent Parrot
Mallee Ringneck

I hope you enjoy watching Wetland Wonder.

Sorry David, some how I put this post into your description post.

Wow David:

You live in a beautiful, beautiful part of the world! Stunning. The lighting you are able to capture in your films is par none. You set the mood with great music and the content is always so rich and seamless from one perfect moment to the next. Thank you for this gem. I really enjoyed it. I loved the mirror-imaging of the water and the amusing spontaneous moments. And the Emu... wow.

This is the first time I've heard you narrate. You have a beautiful voice! And yes you gave us both the beauty of Australian wetland wildlife and the joy of filming it.

Thanks David,

Cat

David,
I really like this short, the morning light you had was just stunning, the intro pan was smooth as silk.

Out of the many good shots, the reflection of the red-breasted birds is an ace, then to make it better one of them bent down to take a drink, it was as if the bird was kissing it’s reflection, great shot.

Ron, those were the Galahs - as in "Flamin Galah!", and I have to aggree, that was my favourite shot too, the way they sycned was perfect!
David, this was entralling, beautiful, and smoothly edited. Image clarity was superb and the setup goes to show your determination to get these shots. As with Per's entry, I am again impressed with the commitment and patience required for this stuff. Good on ya!

WOW....species-tastic! Great selection of birds in the 3 minutes and some really good camera work in tracking flight and general exposure/focussing. I absolutely loved the shot of the two parakeets (i think) drinking in tandem...great moment (up there as a uwol fave!). Nice to see the Aussie variation of the Avocet too although your looks a little bolder than the UK version I think.

I really liked the light/colour in your opening shots. It gives it that Austrailian look straight off the bat. I would have liked a touch of Aus in the music too but then I think I say that everytime and I guess that might get a bit old after a while.

Your ending and final structure I thought was a little abrupt. I guess I wasn't expecting VO when most of the piece didn't have any. I really liked seeing you in the hide and your sentiment but the delivery and the way it sat at the end of the piece somehow didn't feel right. You also dropped the audio way before the VO, which felt like a mistake until your voice came in. Maybe your piece might have felt more balanced with the context of you in the hide introduced at the beginning rather than the end....a kind of 'come and sit in my hide with me while I show you all the bird life' kind of thing.

Anyway, fantastic variety, great shooting.

Mat

Wow David...you had me with that opening shot, just beautiful...

Then I was wishing you had enough lens to get me in close, and you did! Excellent.

Loved the two birds that bent down for a drink...they looked like Lovebirds to me, but you say they are "Galahs", I believe.

I like the shot of you in the blind...maybe it would have been better at the beginning as Mat suggested, but I loved the beginning you used...

Thanks!

Bob T.

David,
Lovely presentation of numerous species. I especially like your seamless transitions. It's like each bird was saying, "Here, come look at this friend of mine. I'll take you over." Your sequence of a single bird followed by multiples of the same kind is also very effective. Well done.

Nice colours David and really good film of cause! Smooth and nice… it some of the shots you got a perfect mirror in the water but you cut it out side the frame, I think that you can use that to, maybe first film the mirror and then you tilt up to the bird and keep both in the frame, just an idea. Well done David… well done

Excellent David, absolutely excellent.

Defiantly one of the best uwol entries I have ever seen.

I would disagree with those who have suggested that you should have introduced the hide at the beginning as I don’t think the style of the piece or the shots that you achieved required this much of a story. I felt it was perfectly pitched as a fly on the wall short with the images and music carrying the piece smoothly.

The ambient sounds at the beginning set the scene beautifully though I felt you could have brought the music up more slowly and softly as I felt it intruded ever so slightly on the ambience of the piece.

Wonderful smooth pans and the incredible light gave the whole film a slickness and smoothness which was almost unreal.

The timing of bringing the music down didn’t quite sit right with the ending but I like the way you closed by showing that you had been a quite observer of this scene for some time.

You and your boys must have had a brilliant four days.

Congratulations


Ps. where did you get your hide? That material looks like exactly the sort of stuff to let the wind trough but keep you concealed…..exactly the kind of stuff I’m after!

Hello David.


I must say you make a realy nice film here.You have realy used the magic light
and got this lovly warite of bird clip.The sharpnes is amasing,and a good composing.
Lock forword to see more of this film!


VJV.


_________________

David,

Very mice video!!! an awesome array of wildlife, some of which I would have liked to know what they were. The music selection was a good one and was very suitable!!

All in all I think it was first rate. Some great compositions!!

i was actually surprised to hear the naration at the end after 2.5 minutes of serenity. It broke my mood you set for me. this kind of video would be great in front of those "Tranquility" CD's you often see for sale!!

Terrific job

David, fantastic video and definitive your best to date!
Splendid colors, so colorful birds and the light!
Could have wished that you didn't cut off the head of birds in the mirror scenes, but that is very minor.
This is on my top entry list!

You have some pretty amazing shots here David. I loved the one of the Emu, also where the Black Winged Stilt hops on top of the other Stilt was amusing, I'm guessing it's part of their courtship/mating ritual.

Top notch videography here.

Good heavens, what a beautiful and varied assortment of birds! I remember looking through bird books when I was a kid and thinking how great it would be to see some in action; well, you provided that in a short three minutes. My breath caught when the two red-breasted birds bent down for a drink together. That had to be an incredibly magical moment for you.

Four days edited down to three minutes. Wow. That’s patience and commitment at work. Thanks for the wonderful presentation.

Top class entry as we have come to expect from you David.Whenever I think I am getting a grasp on this video making thing,I view your video's and know that I have a long way to go....stunning entry and no doubt a top 3 entry

Thanks to all of you for your positive feedback.

I am trying hard with my filming and feel I am starting to improve. What I am enjoying is where UWOL takes you sometimes. On many occasions when UWOL is not on, I might not make the effort to get out there (although I always try and maximize my time with the boys) however, when UWOL comes around, I find myself thinking where I can get some exciting footage. This is leading to some great times filming, and also with the family. I'm sure we are all experiencing the wonderful "add on" benefits of UWOL.

Most people commented on the shot of the Galahs, and it is a nice shot without a doubt however, i just love the opening morning scenes. I also would have loved to have captured the Emus drinking better however, I just couldn't get back far enough with the 120 - 300mm f2.8 Sigma lens. I just love this lens. If I had my standard 20x or even the 6x, it would have made for some nice shots, as they came right by my hide and were backlit beautifully. Without the hide, I would never have got half the shots I got, so I certainly would encourage anyone looking to capture shy wildlife to invest in one.

Peter: My wife made the hide for me using material from Aussie Disposals, which is a chain store here which sells army surplus material and the like. I bought four expandable tent pole thingies, plus green nylon material plus the camouflage stuff plus some green guy rope string. Sue then did the rest.

Thanks once again for all your positive feedback. It's been very nice sitting up the last few nights watching some amazing footage from all over the world!

I can’t add much more to the accolades already posted. Really beautiful footage as usual David.
You have a very pleasant, quiet voice and should try adding a commentary to your next video. Although I absolutely hate doing a V.O. for my own videos I have to agree that it does result in a more complete story.

Hi David:

It's Cat,,, again! Now that I have seen a all of the UWOL films, I am able to sit back, relax and soak up the beauty of a selected few (with my husband). We have come back to yours and it is simply so beautiful. Thank you friend, it is such a joy to see this again. You see, we are so compelled to crank through the entries and comment, it is our obligation. But now (as I grow older, HA!) I enjoy basking again in the handful (harder, and harder to pick out these days) that fill my soul. Thank you David.... This was simply beautiful and filled my soul. The only problem I can pick out is that it ends so quickly. Thank you, and UWOL, for entering into my life and blessing it so.

Sincerely,

Cat

Thanks Cat,

It was so lovely to read your last post. Thanks so much for your generous and kind words.

You really are something special Cat - whether it pitching in to support the people in Iowa, solving download/computer problems in Norway, or just supporting your fellow UWOLers, I think we are just so privileged and blessed to have you in our company.

I hope you have a wonderful day, as you have certainly made mine!

that was great mate! - what a spot, I can see I'm going to have to put some serious time in at the national parks round here - fantastic stuff

David,

The colours! The colours! That opening shot was beautiful, with the red sunlight lighting up the trees.

I found it unusual to see so few cockatoos. They must all be in the suburbs! In my holidays in NSW I'm regularly woken up by what seems like hundreds of sulphur crested cockies screaing round the houses. Some great close-ups of them too.

You had to get the flamin' galah in too. Wouldn't be an Aussie wildlife film without one!

You used the relfections in the water to great effect, especially with the black winged stilt. The shot of the pair mating was just perfectly framed, and nicely close up too.

There were some great pans there - the avocets at the start, in particular. You got a lot of subtle movement in your scenes, nice gentle pans, and they really add an extra dimension. That's something I need more practice at and probably better equipment too.

Great location (check it out in Google Earth!) - great film.

David,

I have to agree with Mike. What fantastic colors. It is a very lovely film. I liked the synchronized dipping into the water.

Oliver

Wow, I felt like I was in some amazing virtual reality zoo. I love the opening shot- so ethereal, made me feel as if I was also hearing and feeling the place, it was so vivid. The birds were amazing- the emu was fascinating to see, and the mirrored birds, especially the galahs, were beautiful. I liked the way you commented at the end. Not sure if it could have been made to feel more part of the film- maybe by leading in more with the music rather than the extended gap of silence. But no matter, I liked it, and felt it added, to see you at the end and know how you had captured this amazing place. Thanks so much for your patience, and in sharing your 4 magical days with us.

Hi David,

You just gave me one more reason to visit Australia.
I loved every single second of your video! It was as if I was there in the hide with you.
(Wish I was)
Very nice birds, and amazing colors!

Thank you very much for sharing.
I look forward to your next videos.