[jacamar]

Thanks Ken - very generous with your advice - interesting that you use those low shutter speeds.
Until now I just thought it was 30% equipment, 30% being in the right place at the right time, 30% technique, and then the mysterious and unknowable "Ken factor".

[RobG]

Ballet and painting.

Love the raptors, and the bokeh in the first shot of the heron is wonderful!

[TroutHunterJohn]

Thanks Ken - very generous with your advice - interesting that you use those low shutter speeds.
Until now I just thought it was 30% equipment, 30% being in the right place at the right time, 30% technique, and then the mysterious and unknowable "Ken factor".

Ditto the thanks to Ken. I often go back and fort between using TAV or AV modes. I do know that if I don't keep my ISO low (hopefully below 400), I can end up with noise issues. I'm looking applying some of Ken's advice to my bird shots.... but I have a looooong way to go.

Thanks again, Ken.

[kengoh]

Great pictures and tips - thank's very much!

Thanks, hope my tips can help.

Great pictures, especially of the barbet (Coppersmith barbet I guess..?) feeding its chick!

Yes correct, that's the Coppersmith Barbet feeding its chick.

Thank you Ken - some great tips.

---------- Post added 02-22-16 at 01:48 PM ----------



I tend to shoot with TAV. If I shoot with AV wouldn't the exposure be the same? Wouldn't the camera work the same way by adjusting ISO with TAV mode to achieve the exposure versus adjusting Time with AV mode but in either case wouldn't the resulting exposure be the same? If the shot would be over-exposed in TAV wouldn't it be also over exposed in AV by the same amount? I've seen lots of tips to shoot AV so there must be something I am missing. Thanks

Which ever mode we using, the exposure is the same, however for eg at AV mode, iso 80, F4.5, the shutter speed is 1/2500 sec but if your TAV mode is set to auto iso, same F4.5 and you locked the shutter speed to 1/1600 sec, the camera iso maybe below 50 but since iso 80 is the lowest, the image will be blown out and over exposed.

Thanks Ken - very generous with your advice - interesting that you use those low shutter speeds.
Until now I just thought it was 30% equipment, 30% being in the right place at the right time, 30% technique, and then the mysterious and unknowable "Ken factor".

Thanks, you forgotten, luck is another important factor, if you possessed all these but the bird just don't appear or keep back facing you without showing its face, you end up no keepable shots.

Ditto the thanks to Ken. I often go back and fort between using TAV or AV modes. I do know that if I don't keep my ISO low (hopefully below 400), I can end up with noise issues. I'm looking applying some of Ken's advice to my bird shots.... but I have a looooong way to go.
Thanks again, Ken.

You are welcomed, just keep shooting and you will improve over time.

[RobG]

My favorite setting is TAV, >95% shoot at wide open (F4.5 for my Sigma 500 or F4 for DA*300), 1/125s (for Sigma 500) or 1/80s (for DA*300) with tripod, ISO set to auto. This setting usually works for portrait shots of birds. The shutter speed has to increase for hyperactive birds (eg fantail, warbler etc) or bigger birds or when you are quite close to them.

Hi Ken - thanks for the info. Can I ask what tripod you use? I bought a light tripod but I find it's not useful for anything other than short focal lengths. I have a heavier tripod but it's really designed for video not still photos. Having said that I generally don't use a tripod for shooting wildlife at all, so I have to use faster shutter speeds to avoid blur. Do you use noise reduction in post processing?

Rob

[RockvilleBob]

Thanks, hope my tips can help.


Which ever mode we using, the exposure is the same, however for eg at AV mode, iso 80, F4.5, the shutter speed is 1/2500 sec but if your TAV mode is set to auto iso, same F4.5 and you locked the shutter speed to 1/1600 sec, the camera iso maybe below 50 but since iso 80 is the lowest, the image will be blown out and over exposed.
)

Ken - thank you very much. That explains some of my eagle shots. TAV is so convenient but I never thought about the low ISO issue.

[kengoh]

Hi Ken - thanks for the info. Can I ask what tripod you use? I bought a light tripod but I find it's not useful for anything other than short focal lengths. I have a heavier tripod but it's really designed for video not still photos. Having said that I generally don't use a tripod for shooting wildlife at all, so I have to use faster shutter speeds to avoid blur. Do you use noise reduction in post processing?

Rob

I'm using Benro tripod. Tripod is essential for bird photography, sometimes even a monopod is not sufficient, eg of the pitta shot at 0.5s.
Recommend you to use tripod from now on.

Yes noise removal is part of my workflow.
Share a tip with you, sometimes after shooting the bird at high iso and when the bird has gone, at the same position shoot again with lower iso (with slower shutter speed), use this shot to stack below the bird image and use photoshop layer/mask to merge, in this way the background noise is removed, that left the bird to work on.

[G_Money]

Quick and dirty fix.

[dadipentak]

Quick and dirty fix.

Very cool!

[r0ckstarr]

Share a tip with you, sometimes after shooting the bird at high iso and when the bird has gone, at the same position shoot again with lower iso (with slower shutter speed), use this shot to stack below the bird image and use photoshop layer/mask to merge, in this way the background noise is removed, that left the bird to work on.

That's a great tip. Thanks!

[swip]

Thanks John, below are the techniques I'm using for bird photography, may not be 100% perfect or correct, hope can be of some use to you.

Thank you for sharing, Ken!

[RockvilleBob]

I'm using Benro tripod. Tripod is essential for bird photography, sometimes even a monopod is not sufficient, eg of the pitta shot at 0.5s.
Recommend you to use tripod from now on.

Yes noise removal is part of my workflow.
Share a tip with you, sometimes after shooting the bird at high iso and when the bird has gone, at the same position shoot again with lower iso (with slower shutter speed), use this shot to stack below the bird image and use photoshop layer/mask to merge, in this way the background noise is removed, that left the bird to work on.

Thanks Ken - again I miss the obvious

[r0ckstarr]

[kengoh]

That's a great tip. Thanks!

Thank you for sharing, Ken!

Thanks Ken - again I miss the obvious

You are welcomed.

Forgot another tip which may be helpful to lower the iso.
Shoot with EV bracketing by lowering the EV this will lower the iso (at least 1 stop depending on your settings),, With EV bracketing the camera will shoot at +EV, -Ev and 0EV, choose the one shot with +EV, this will be the correct exposure.
This method works best with K5 series using the extended bracketing which K3 lacks of.

[normhead]

Share a tip with you, sometimes after shooting the bird at high iso and when the bird has gone, at the same position shoot again with lower iso (with slower shutter speed), use this shot to stack below the bird image and use photoshop layer/mask to merge, in this way the background noise is removed, that left the bird to work on.

I'm trying that for sure.