Nature Cattle Egret- First Real Try at Birds

under_net · 05-06-2012, 10:15 PM - **1 Like**

Would like to get suggestions on the shot. I am in the very initial stages of Photography...

Attached Images

photolady95 · 05-07-2012, 02:40 AM

Nice try but... shooting birds with a focal length of 300mm your shurtter speed should have been at least 1/450s. Faster would have been better. Also using a smaller f stop would have given you more detail. As a bird photographer, I usually shoot at f8, 1/500s to 1/1000s.
This photo of yours, the head is out of focus.
Remember this about shoot birds...they move, you may not see it with your naked eye, but they are always twitching.

And cropping. If you want the bird to stand out and be the main subject, crop both sides. You don't need the excess field views.

bezuidar · 05-07-2012, 04:08 AM

Tough to shoot birds...need at least a 500mm lens I would say. With a 300mm you are a bit limited. I also use shutter of 1/500ms and above with a decent f-stop of nothing less that f5.6. Up your ISO if needed be. I agree with Photolady. Cheers.

photolady95 · 05-07-2012, 04:37 AM

Originally posted by bezuidar

.need at least a 500mm lens

Most of my birds are shot with a Sigma 70-300mm lens at 300mm. Of course, I will say, if the birds are rather far away, a 500mm would be the lens to use.

Case in point:

smf · 05-07-2012, 04:53 AM

Please do not be discouraged if a 500 mm lens isn't in your budget right away.

Some options which could bring you considerable enjoyment and good photos include use of your existing lens (in the field or from a blind) and use of a lens plus a teleconverter (which could result in some loss of image quality).

Perhaps you'd be happy with results from a long mirror lens, potentially at lower cost than a non-mirror lens of equal length. I hope you can try a mirror lens under various lighting conditions before buying that specific lens.

Please consider use of a tripod, monopod, support of a beanbag on a car's window frame, and/or other means of providing stability when using a long lens. (I have had some acceptable results with a handheld lens up to 300 mm.)

Some resources for bird photographers are http://www.birdsasart.com/

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

http://birdphotographers.net

Arthur Morris, prominent photographer of birds, has a book on DVD and an earlier book in print. Although he uses Canon equipment, much of what he writes is useful to photographers using other equipment.

Best wishes!

**baro-nite** · 05-07-2012, 02:54 PM

It's a good start. You've captured an interesting an attractive "pose" with good lighting. You had the right idea to use a positive exposure compensation value when shooting a (mainly) white bird, however some of the white plumage appears overexposed. You might try spot metering instead, at least for a case such as this where the bird is a relatively small part of the frame. With bird shots autofocus has an unfortunate tendency to lock on a branch rather than the bird, which might have happened here. Shooting at low ISO is nice to do when the conditions warrant it, but here it might have been a better trade-off to shoot at higher ISO with a faster shutter and/or smaller aperture. Of course by dialing down the exposure compensation or otherwise adjusting the exposure to avoid blowing out the highlights, you'd have a bit more leeway on shutter/aperture to begin with.

Keep shooting and keep posting!

under_net · 05-07-2012, 10:24 PM

@ photolady -Amazing Shot!! Thanks for your helpful tips... I will try with this setting next time..... Thanks a lot!!
@bezuidar, smf, baro-nite - I will try to shoot with ur suggestions in mind. Thanks for the tips...

photolady95 · 05-07-2012, 11:50 PM

You're welcome! Hope to see more from you.

iFoto · 05-08-2012, 01:57 AM

Originally posted by photolady

Nice try but... shooting birds with a focal length of 300mm your shurtter speed should have been at least 1/450s. Faster would have been better. Also using a smaller f stop would have given you more detail. As a bird photographer, I usually shoot at f8, 1/500s to 1/1000s.
This photo of yours, the head is out of focus.
Remember this about shoot birds...they move, you may not see it with your naked eye, but they are always twitching.

And cropping. If you want the bird to stand out and be the main subject, crop both sides. You don't need the excess field views.

I would say exactly the same, really good advices

ICTUS TACTUS · 05-08-2012, 11:22 PM

As far as the finished product goes, I'd say try not to put the bird in the middle of the frame unless there's something intriguing to exploit by that type of placement.

05-07-2012, 04:53 AM	#5
smf Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Midland, MI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,083	Please do not be discouraged if a 500 mm lens isn't in your budget right away. Some options which could bring you considerable enjoyment and good photos include use of your existing lens (in the field or from a blind) and use of a lens plus a teleconverter (which could result in some loss of image quality). Perhaps you'd be happy with results from a long mirror lens, potentially at lower cost than a non-mirror lens of equal length. I hope you can try a mirror lens under various lighting conditions before buying that specific lens. Please consider use of a tripod, monopod, support of a beanbag on a car's window frame, and/or other means of providing stability when using a long lens. (I have had some acceptable results with a handheld lens up to 300 mm.) Some resources for bird photographers are http://www.birdsasart.com/ Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART http://birdphotographers.net Arthur Morris, prominent photographer of birds, has a book on DVD and an earlier book in print. Although he uses Canon equipment, much of what he writes is useful to photographers using other equipment. Best wishes! Last edited by smf; 05-07-2012 at 04:56 AM. Reason: insert blank line

05-07-2012, 02:54 PM	#6
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	It's a good start. You've captured an interesting an attractive "pose" with good lighting. You had the right idea to use a positive exposure compensation value when shooting a (mainly) white bird, however some of the white plumage appears overexposed. You might try spot metering instead, at least for a case such as this where the bird is a relatively small part of the frame. With bird shots autofocus has an unfortunate tendency to lock on a branch rather than the bird, which might have happened here. Shooting at low ISO is nice to do when the conditions warrant it, but here it might have been a better trade-off to shoot at higher ISO with a faster shutter and/or smaller aperture. Of course by dialing down the exposure compensation or otherwise adjusting the exposure to avoid blowing out the highlights, you'd have a bit more leeway on shutter/aperture to begin with. Keep shooting and keep posting! Last edited by baro-nite; 05-07-2012 at 02:55 PM. Reason: typo

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05-07-2012, 02:40 AM	#2
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Nice try but... shooting birds with a focal length of 300mm your shurtter speed should have been at least 1/450s. Faster would have been better. Also using a smaller f stop would have given you more detail. As a bird photographer, I usually shoot at f8, 1/500s to 1/1000s. This photo of yours, the head is out of focus. Remember this about shoot birds...they move, you may not see it with your naked eye, but they are always twitching. And cropping. If you want the bird to stand out and be the main subject, crop both sides. You don't need the excess field views.

05-07-2012, 04:08 AM	#3
bezuidar Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Centurion, South Africa Photos: Gallery Posts: 380	Tough to shoot birds...need at least a 500mm lens I would say. With a 300mm you are a bit limited. I also use shutter of 1/500ms and above with a decent f-stop of nothing less that f5.6. Up your ISO if needed be. I agree with Photolady. Cheers.

05-07-2012, 04:37 AM	#4
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Originally posted by bezuidar .need at least a 500mm lens Most of my birds are shot with a Sigma 70-300mm lens at 300mm. Of course, I will say, if the birds are rather far away, a 500mm would be the lens to use. Case in point:

05-07-2012, 10:24 PM	#7
under_net New Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Atlanta Posts: 13 Original Poster	@ photolady -Amazing Shot!! Thanks for your helpful tips... I will try with this setting next time..... Thanks a lot!! @bezuidar, smf, baro-nite - I will try to shoot with ur suggestions in mind. Thanks for the tips...

05-07-2012, 11:50 PM	#8
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	You're welcome! Hope to see more from you.

05-08-2012, 01:57 AM	#9
iFoto Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 177	Originally posted by photolady Nice try but... shooting birds with a focal length of 300mm your shurtter speed should have been at least 1/450s. Faster would have been better. Also using a smaller f stop would have given you more detail. As a bird photographer, I usually shoot at f8, 1/500s to 1/1000s. This photo of yours, the head is out of focus. Remember this about shoot birds...they move, you may not see it with your naked eye, but they are always twitching. And cropping. If you want the bird to stand out and be the main subject, crop both sides. You don't need the excess field views. I would say exactly the same, really good advices

05-08-2012, 11:22 PM	#10
ICTUS TACTUS Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 56	As far as the finished product goes, I'd say try not to put the bird in the middle of the frame unless there's something intriguing to exploit by that type of placement.