All that aside, I could really use some post processing help. Let me know if anybody has time and I will upload a raw file and see what can be done -- I am really not very good at it!
Pingflood, are those Royal Terns ?
The last one you've got really good...almost a head on shot. However, they are all overexposed. Check your camera settings, look for a clipping flash on the cam lcd after you've taken the shot, then if need be, back off exposure in 1/3 EV steps until the display flashing stops.
PetKal: I did check for blinkies and saw none. Shot in RAW, so might've gotten a little over enthusiastic with the adjustments in Lightroom. If you want to take a look at any of the files I'd be happy to upload the originals. I suck at post processing so any advice would be appreciated.
Here's the last one taken down a bit.. but it looks a little flat
PetKal wrote:
Bird Sighting Alert. The fabled Wing Tong Egret seen in a Southern Ontario marsh.
Jealous! I hear we get that way when we get old and useless and have too much time on our hands... Go out and shoot some real birds for a change, Peter, we know you still have a few feeble shots left in those used hands of yours! Better than spending your old age lonely behind a computer taking my photography out of context and making a mockery out of it unprovoked for over 2 months now and intertwined over a dozen posts. Don't fret, Canon will come out with that fabled 10-stop IS !!! hahaha...
Not bad, but you should've used a longer lens or perhaps your reaction time is not what it used to be with those longer lenses? By the way, I think I've seen this one before....hmmm repeating oneself, senility settles in...
Geez, that's some accomplishment, with the slowish 100-400 to boot.
The first one is particularly good as it flies full force, beautifully angled wings, nicely sharp and exposed. That belongs on the wall, Matt.
I just up on this thread...interesting as I have the 400 5.6 also (just over 2 months old) and really need and want to learn how to shoot manually - I mainly shoot aperture priority. But I had to comment on this photo. These are some really nice photos of the family I enjoyed them. I see you shot it with manual exposure is it difficult. Also it seems that you were able to get real close to the family for these photos - are able to get close to them or are you using some kind of blind or are you cropping them?
PetKal wrote:
Wing, you are probably thinking of this image where I documented my first ever sighting of the Wing Tong Plover.
Your young memory seems to be heavily burdened by the pressures of your job.
Hmmm, you are correct Mr. Kal. There were 2 of these shots, you've been busy old man, perhaps time for your nap??
Methodical wrote:
I see you shot it with manual exposure is it difficult.
I'm no noelle, but I often prefer to shoot with manual exposure. When you remain in the same light it's often easier to do so than fiddle with the camera's various metering modes and trying to get them to do what you want. The camera will meter entirely different exposures when you point it towards the sky vs the ground even if the light remains the same, so the same bird might go from overexposed with a dark background to underexposed with a light background. What I do--and mind you, I am nowhere near in the same league as most of the people posting on this thread--is pick a 'reasonable' looking area (with enough range to tell me if the exposure is too high or too low), fiddle with aperture and shutter until the camera tells me the metering is right, fire off a frame, and then inspect the histogram and look for blinkies in the highlights. If everything looks good I'll run with that exposure; if not I'll adjust the aperture/shutter until it does. Then I'll use that exposure setting as long as the light doesn't change.
When carrying the camera in changing light conditions I usually leave it in Av (aperture priority) mode though.
However, they are all overexposed. Check your camera settings, look for a clipping flash on the cam lcd after you've taken the shot, then if need be, back off exposure in 1/3 EV steps until the display flashing stops.
