Photo Story: Parakeet Couple at the Taj Mahal

Photographers come from all over the world to photograph the Taj Mahal.  The Taj Mahal is an amazing piece of architecture to photograph and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Rose-ringed Parakeet Couple at the Taj Mahal

But for bird photographers, the Taj Mahal also has a variety of birds. I’ve seen egrets, black kites, and Parrots at the Taj.  So, don’t forget a longer lens.  Tripods and monopods are not allowed at the Taj Mahal so it will need to be a lens you can carry and shoot without a tripod.

I captured this Rose-ringed Parakeet Couple in the wall when exiting the Taj Mahal Compound.  The parakeets must have a nest in the hole in the wall.  Unlike most parrots Rose-ringed parakeets do not mate for life.

I was not equipped for bird photography when visiting the Taj Mahal as there are restrictions on tripods and monopods and it can be difficult to carry large lenses with the lines and crowds at the Taj.

I did bring along an Olympus 40-150mm micros four thirds F4.0-5.6 lens (80-300mm full frame equivalent) which fared quite well photographing the parakeet couple, and is quite small to carry.  The Olympus M.40-150mm F4.0-5.6 Lens is quite a steal at $199 or less.

Parakeet Couple Photo Details

Camera:  Olympus OM-D E-M1
Lens:   Olympus M. 40-150mm f4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 140mm (280mm full frame equivalent)
ISO:  400
Aperture:   f/5.5
Shutter Speed: 1/250 of a second
Exposure Compensation: +0
Lighting: Bright, Sunny Morning

Bird Photo Processing

• Cropped the photo in Lightroom 5.
• Applied the Detail Extractor, Vignette Lens, and Lighten/Darken Center Filters in Color Efex Pro 4.
• Added contrast and pop to the photo by using the Fur and Feathers II filter in Topaz Clarity.
• Selectively sharpened the photo using the Unsharp Mask Filter in Photoshop CC 2014.

Written by Martin Belan

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