15Bit wrote:
Peter, I confess that despite its technical merits i find the banding in the background distracting.
Distracting ? 15Bit, you haven't seen nothing yet.
This is the same bridge guardrailing in the background, yet from a different angle and much closer. Granted, one could apply some sorta photoshop blur to the background, however, if resorting to such alterations, then might as well go all the way and transplant a scene from the Belize jungle including Howler monkeys and all.
PetKal wrote:
Distracting ? 15Bit, you haven't seen nothing yet.
This is the same bridge guardrailing in the background, yet from a different angle and much closer. Granted, one could apply some sorta photoshop blur to the background, however, if resorting to such alterations, then might as well go all the way and transplant a scene from the Belize jungle including Howler monkeys and all.
Handheld 1DMkIIN + 400 f/2.8 IS wide open.
This background isn't as distracting as the other. Great pigeon action. I assume this is one of your trained ones I've read so much about on these forums
I would love to see this with the Belize jungle and howler monkeys!!!
Exactly, stunt pijuns in action.
Incidentally, I call that a BIF 5 difficulty level:
(1) smaller bird
(2) fast bird
(3) head on flight
(4) busy background
(5) wide open fast lens (in order to blur the background)
The BIF 6 difficulty level would add "erratic flight pattern" to the above list, such as swallows in flight.
The BIF 6 type shots are kinda uncommon because they exceed the existing cameras' AF design capability by a lot. Not only that they require a good strategic positioning vis-a-vis the swallow nesting colony or similar, they are also true camera shutter burners. After some lackluster attempts a few years back, today I wouldn't even think of spending my time trying to get those.
Very talented/experienced BIF photographers like Mark Fadely and Jody Melanson are much more likely to get some BIF 6 type shots if they set their minds to it.
I think i still find the first shot more distracting.
As far as swallows go, i rate them as a 10 on that scale. I have trouble following them with my eye, and the one time i tried with the camera it took me about 2 mins to realise it was way out of my league. As you you say, they are a much greater test of the photographer than the equipment, and i am not embarassed to say i found myself lacking.
John_T wrote:
...soon as Peter gets his 1DXs Mark V it'll all be a piece of cake.
Hopefully so, John....there is a huge qualitative difference between trying to focus on anything that "flies by" (i.e., minor/slow focusing distance change) and something that flies/runs/drives fast straight towards the camera (i.e., major focusing distance rate of change).
The new AF system (1DX and 5DMkIII) certainly holds promise in that regard.
Here is another example, although this kinda rough shot difficulty "rating" may appear rather abstract for non BIF shooters.
Slow flight (0), no AF diverting background (0), moderate head-on speed component (0.5), large bird in VF (0), fast lens wide open, although in this case it didn't really have to be (1).....
all that gives a BIF difficulty level of 1.5.
John, one ought to respect a photographer who is prepared to embarr-ass himself and suffer for his art.
I'd rate the BIF difficulty here as 2 if it wasn't for perfectly impaling the bird on that tower's peak which sends the capture difficulty off scale. You also seem to have tilted the environment in order to slow down the bird's flight, which is a testament of your superior technique as well.
Sorry, Jefferson, I see no bird, just a bug which is, honestly, a bit of a distraction.
As John has suggested, perhaps your BIF shot difficulty should be rated in "pints".
