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Archive 2014 · First time poster bird advice

  
 
Lilki
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · First time poster bird advice


Hi all. My photos are not on par with the fantastic images I've seen in here but I really want to learn so.. here goes. I love taking pictures of the local birds that frequent my yard, but I've found my image quality sadly lacking. I'm not sure if it's a matter of poor technique, limitations of my lens, or a combo of both. I'm shooting with 5dmkIII and an old 70-200 2.8 IS with 1.4 converter. I know this lens is not ideal for bird photography. I find myself very frustrated that I can't get closer and both of these photos have major cropping. I keep calling to the hawks to come closer but for some reason they ignore me. If you could please give me some suggestions how I can improve I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks and I look forward to participating in the community.

N16A3408.jpg by fzzlcat, on Flickr

N16A3407.jpg by fzzlcat, on Flickr

I just happened to hear the hawks outside and ran out to take these. I wasn't quite quick enough and cut off the first hawk with the dove in it's claws.



Oct 11, 2014 at 05:40 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · First time poster bird advice


Red tail hawks, how many I have shot, mostly from underneath like these or sitting on a branch.

Keep practicing. The only trouble with a 70-200+1.4X is that its too short, so was the 500f4 I once had. The lens is always too short

However, I have seen many nice images with a 300 f4 or 400 f5.6. The image quality of your second is not bad at all for such limited focal length. A short lens is easy to hand hold and learn to track with.

Bird photography requires a lot of time getting to know the location and habits of the birds. Then learning to stalk them. Some areas have less timid birds which are easy to approach.

Practice on seagulls for flying shots and songbirds at a feeder for perched shots.



Oct 11, 2014 at 07:23 PM
Christian H
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · First time poster bird advice


Something like 300 mm is actually long enough if you know locations where you can get close to birds. 99% of bird photography is about spending time in the field. Birds that frequent city parks or popular wildlife refuges tend to become somewhat habituated, so those are always good bets.

Another approach is to give up on field guide imagery - boring anyway - and go for compositions that emphasize the bird in its environmental context and/or that take advantage of interesting locales and light (e.g. Ray Hennessey, Jess Findlay, Matthew Studebaker.)



Oct 11, 2014 at 09:31 PM
Lilki
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · First time poster bird advice


Thank you both so much for the good advice. @Christian I looked into visiting my local wildlife refuge and it looks life it would be a great source of information. Ben- practicing my tracking on seagulls is a great idea. No shortage of them Are you shooting with the 600 now?


Oct 13, 2014 at 02:15 AM
sbeme
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · First time poster bird advice


I would remove the partially captured bird in the second and I think you have a fine image. Good color, focus, feather detail and exposure. I get close to birds in Florida at several popular and accessible sites where the birds are plentiful and less skittish. BIF is a whole other challenge requiring anticipation, opportunity, fine auto-focus tracking, bursts of images, faster cards, and careful attention to whites and underlie bottoms of the bird. I don't think super reach is as necessary and the longer lenses are even harder to use for BIF
Shorebirds, preserves, possibly some zoos for practice, ducks in a pond might all give you practice and some chances for good shots
Maybe look at birdphotographer.net, Artie Morris' site for locations near you popular with bird photographers
I don't know where you live but there is a large contingent of FMers shooting birds in Calif that might direct you to top locations
And post here
Scott



Oct 13, 2014 at 09:27 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · First time poster bird advice


Lilki wrote:
Thank you both so much for the good advice. @Christian I looked into visiting my local wildlife refuge and it looks life it would be a great source of information. Ben- practicing my tracking on seagulls is a great idea. No shortage of them Are you shooting with the 600 now?


No, I sold my 500 f4 when I moved to Utah. It took me years to learn where to go in Spokane Washington (my previous home) where we also had wintering eagles. I decided to specialize in landscapes and use the money for landscape lenses. By the way, I bought the 500f4 in 2006 for $5500 and sold it in 2012 for $5500. Not a bad deal.




Oct 13, 2014 at 10:46 AM
Lilki
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · First time poster bird advice


Ben, that's amazing! I'd call that a win win situation

Thank you so much for the pointers Scott. When I type in that web address it comes up as a blue page with a bunch of links for general photography. I couldn't find anything about birding locations though. It says the domain might be for sale. Does that sound the right page to you? Maybe I'm missing something..



Oct 16, 2014 at 08:04 AM
sbeme
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · First time poster bird advice


sorry. Plural. Try this:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/content.php



Oct 16, 2014 at 08:11 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · First time poster bird advice


Lilki wrote:
Ben, that's amazing! I'd call that a win win situation

Thank you so much for the pointers Scott. When I type in that web address it comes up as a blue page with a bunch of links for general photography. I couldn't find anything about birding locations though. It says the domain might be for sale. Does that sound the right page to you? Maybe I'm missing something..


It happened once, maybe not again. What happens when the RF mount gets replaced? I hit it at a good time.



Oct 16, 2014 at 05:00 PM
Lilki
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · First time poster bird advice


@Ben- As in most of life's journeys, I suppose timing is key

@Scott- That one worked. Thank you so much.



Oct 17, 2014 at 05:55 AM





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