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Pentax K-5 Mounted With Pentax SMC DA 35MM 2.4 (Nuthatch in Flight)
Lens: Pentax SMC DA 35MM 2.4 Camera: Pentax K-5 Photo Location: Porter, IN ISO: 500 Shutter Speed: 1/2000s Aperture: F4 
Posted By: Lmcfarrin, 01-15-2019, 06:50 PM

Nuthatch in Flight

Last edited by Lmcfarrin; 06-19-2019 at 07:31 PM.
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01-15-2019, 07:13 PM   #2
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Looking good
01-17-2019, 04:32 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lmcfarrin Quote
Nuthatch in Flight
Good catch - these are always interesting birds.
01-17-2019, 11:53 PM   #4
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Very good, especially with a wide angle..did you have to a fair amount of cropping.

01-18-2019, 05:53 AM   #5
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Nice shot I have about a million of these, but none of them are on purpose. Have the yard set up so the landing spots provide a view of the food area. That gives me time to get some nice shots with the birds not right at the feeders. I probably have at least 5 gigs worth of images of birds 'leaving' their spots to hit the feeders lol.
01-18-2019, 07:10 AM   #6
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Nice shot. I might be tempted to crop to a 4x6 ratio to cut out much of the bottom space which I find distracting.
01-18-2019, 07:57 AM   #7
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An interesting image, something I've never tried. (Wide angle BiF photgraphy)

QuoteOriginally posted by MSL Quote
Nice shot. I might be tempted to crop to a 4x6 ratio to cut out much of the bottom space which I find distracting.
That's a hard judgement to make without knowing how much crop room there is in the frame, how the bird will look cropped to enlarge it's size. Given the flight path of these little birds which is very erratic, I doubt the OP got the exact framing he wanted.

The amazing thing here is he got the image. And for a guy like me, who shoots these birds on a regular basis it's almost jaw dropping. You have to temper your criticism of everything else against the fact that he got the shot in the first place. And with a K-5 no less. No 8 fps 23 shot burst like I would have had with my K-3. Good framing etc. would have been bonus.

So maybe it could be better framed if the bird was lower in the frame, but let's give the OP the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he made the most of a tough situation.

Honestly, if the OP had told me in advance he was going to try for a nuthatch in flight, I would not have predicted results this good. I probably would have said that it was a waste of time trying.


Last edited by normhead; 01-18-2019 at 08:07 AM.
01-18-2019, 08:18 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
Very good, especially with a wide angle..did you have to a fair amount of cropping.
Yes. The cropping is a necessary ingredient in the recipe for this type of capture. I work out a pre-arranged focus distance and try to anticipate the amount of cropping for the pre-arranged focus point. I try to crop at a minimum to 3 mp which will be enough to enlarge to an 8x10 (8x8) print should I choose to print it. If the crop is more than 3 mp, allows for prints larger than 8x10.

---------- Post added 01-18-19 at 09:30 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by dLSK Quote
Nice shot I have about a million of these, but none of them are on purpose. Have the yard set up so the landing spots provide a view of the food area. That gives me time to get some nice shots with the birds not right at the feeders. I probably have at least 5 gigs worth of images of birds 'leaving' their spots to hit the feeders lol.
As the image shows the bird is coming to the feeder which allows for captures with no food in beak. I set this shot angle purposely. The wide angle lenses are the most efficient way to get unique captures of these small birds in flight. Short to long telephoto lenses require the camera position to be farther away from the feeder, tighter framing, and the viewing plane becomes flat. Because of the flat plane, probably can't get underneath the bird to acquire extreme angle captures.

By using normal lenses I can capture at any angle (above, below, side, rear) to include head on.

---------- Post added 01-18-19 at 09:43 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
An interesting image, something I've never tried. (Wide angle BiF photgraphy)



That's a hard judgement to make without knowing how much crop room there is in the frame, how the bird will look cropped to enlarge it's size. Given the flight path of these little birds which is very erratic, I doubt the OP got the exact framing he wanted.

The amazing thing here is he got the image. And for a guy like me, who shoots these birds on a regular basis it's almost jaw dropping. You have to temper your criticism of everything else against the fact that he got the shot in the first place. And with a K-5 no less. No 8 fps 23 shot burst like I would have had with my K-3. Good framing etc. would have been bonus.

So maybe it could be better framed if the bird was lower in the frame, but let's give the OP the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he made the most of a tough situation.

Honestly, if the OP had told me in advance he was going to try for a nuthatch in flight, I would not have predicted results this good. I probably would have said that it was a waste of time trying.

Thanks norm, you are correct in your evaluation. The crop ratio and background composition are secondary to obtaining the rarely seen capture/s. I can have a perfectly composed and pleasing background and use the best crop ratio - doesn't mean anything without the capture of the bird in flight. I relate the evaluation of my bif pics to pics obtained by war photographers - evaluation of rule of thirds, blown highlights, etc. are not as important as the difficulty to provide such an image.

Last edited by Lmcfarrin; 01-18-2019 at 08:44 PM.
01-21-2019, 07:55 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
You have to temper your criticism of everything else against the fact that he got the shot in the first place. And with a K-5 no less. No 8 fps 23 shot burst like I would have had with my K-3. Good framing etc. would have been bonus.So maybe it could be better framed if the bird was lower in the frame, but let's give the OP the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he made the most of a tough situation.
Norm, all valid points and @Lmcfarrin has agreed with you. I think you've come down a bit hard on my comment. I wasn't looking for the perfect shot or worrying about compositional rules, just throwing out an idea to put a little more emphasis on the amazing subject that was captured.
01-21-2019, 08:20 AM   #10
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Nice shot!
01-21-2019, 08:23 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by MSL Quote
Norm, all valid points and @Lmcfarrin has agreed with you. I think you've come down a bit hard on my comment. I wasn't looking for the perfect shot or worrying about compositional rules, just throwing out an idea to put a little more emphasis on the amazing subject that was captured.
Ya, I usually start over the top and work backwards from there.

But usually people understand my point. (Although it's amazing how often people focus in some little digression that has nothing to do with main point.)

Personally, I've had so many great BiF shots ruined because half the bird was out of the frame, I find the wide angle approach refreshing. When the weather get above -20ºC I might give it a try with the K-1 and DA*55 1.4. Maybe the framing isn't optimal, but I've done a lot worse.

Last edited by normhead; 01-21-2019 at 08:31 AM.
01-21-2019, 11:02 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lmcfarrin Quote
Nuthatch in Flight
After seeing a bird standing face-towards-ground on a tree trunk, I realized that one of the birds flitting to-and-from our bird feeder is a nuthatch - they are very hard to catch as they flit around.
01-21-2019, 02:42 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by MSL Quote
Norm, all valid points and @Lmcfarrin has agreed with you. I think you've come down a bit hard on my comment. I wasn't looking for the perfect shot or worrying about compositional rules, just throwing out an idea to put a little more emphasis on the amazing subject that was captured.
MSL, thanks for giving audience and input in regards to the photo. I apologize for replying without clarity. You are correct too about the cropping aspect ratio. I tried a few different ratios to include 4x6, but because of where the bird was captured in the upper part of the frame my object framing was limited.
01-21-2019, 08:04 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lmcfarrin Quote
MSL, thanks for giving audience and input in regards to the photo. I apologize for replying without clarity. You are correct too about the cropping aspect ratio. I tried a few different ratios to include 4x6, but because of where the bird was captured in the upper part of the frame my object framing was limited.
I spent an hour sitting in my living room {it is cold out there right now} with a good view of our bird feeder. I got two good photos of birds landing on the feeder, but guys leaving it were just too quick for my reflexes.
01-21-2019, 08:06 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lmcfarrin Quote
MSL, thanks for giving audience and input in regards to the photo. I apologize for replying without clarity. You are correct too about the cropping aspect ratio. I tried a few different ratios to include 4x6, but because of where the bird was captured in the upper part of the frame my object framing was limited.
I appreciate the feedback. I'm not sure 4x6 is ideal either - maybe something closer to a square crop. I only know the limits of what's wrong when I cross them. Since we can all tinker digitally to our hearts content (time permitting) I see no harm in trying things out. It is a great shot of a BIF, and even more so using a DA35/2.4 (my one unfulfilled LBA item).
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