Bird Photography
Oct 28, 2014 07:37:21 #
boberic wrote:
There is a notorious problem regarding photographi... (show quote)
I might even add that one of the common species of Woodpecker, Acorn I believe, to the mountains of Southern California make a sound that I swear sounds like "phuck ewe phuck ewe..." ironically enough. I woke up once to that while camping.
Oct 28, 2014 07:48:51 #
BooIsMyCat wrote:
I have a Canon 70D with a Canon 100-400 mm lens.
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
Not much more than others here. I personally do not have the correct lenses for effective bird photography but a friend of mine, Steve Kikuchi uses a Canon 5DII and 100-400mm w/ & w/o a 1.4x Extender. He gets some pretty nice shots, especially Hummingbirds. But I don't have any of those but here are a couple of his other images below. I hope he does not mind me sharing.
Oct 28, 2014 07:54:40 #
lamiaceae wrote:
Not much more than others here. I personally do not have the correct lenses for effective bird photography but a friend of mine, Steve Kikuchi uses a Canon 5DII and 100-400mm w/ & w/o a 1.4x Extender. He gets some pretty nice shots, especially Hummingbirds. But I don't have any of those but here are a couple of his other images below. I hope he does not mind me sharing.
Mine are rather mediocre by comparison but may work on a different compositional level. Yes, I find shore birds easier to photograph too. The red reflection in the water is from a red sail on a boat behind the bird. The boat was moving. I saw the shot "coming" and just made a grab shot with the few seconds I had to capture it. One of my better spontaneous captures.
Oct 28, 2014 07:54:53 #
rando
Loc: Rochester NY
Consider wearing camo clothing. Recently watched a video with bird photographers and they say that they get higher number of birds when wearing camo clothing. They even have camo covers on their zoom lenses.
Oct 28, 2014 08:24:04 #
lamiaceae wrote:
Not much more than others here. I personally do not have the correct lenses for effective bird photography but a friend of mine, Steve Kikuchi uses a Canon 5DII and 100-400mm w/ & w/o a 1.4x Extender. He gets some pretty nice shots, especially Hummingbirds. But I don't have any of those but here are a couple of his other images below. I hope he does not mind me sharing.
Damned big hummers!
Oct 28, 2014 08:38:48 #
I find that I have the most success if I park myself somewhere they like to visit and just wait for them to come to me. I can never get a good shot where I just walk up on a bird. They always fly away. But if I am real still, they forget that I am even there and will sometimes land in a good place. And be prepared to focus manually if necessary. The camera AF can really be fooled by other distractions in the picture.
Oct 28, 2014 08:43:33 #
Mark7829
Loc: Calfornia
BooIsMyCat wrote:
I have a Canon 70D with a Canon 100-400 mm lens.
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
Get a bigger lens 500 mm with a 1.4 TC for 760 mm of reach. Heavy tripod with good gimbal head and wait. OR throw a 2x TC for 1000 mm of reach.
Stay in the car. Birds have adapted. I can drive up to a bird and shoot form inside the car but as soon as I get out, they fly. Use bean bag or other support.
Oct 28, 2014 08:54:22 #
boberic wrote:
There is a notorious problem regarding photographi... (show quote)
This is very funny! Great way to start the morning.
Oct 28, 2014 09:51:53 #
BooIsMyCat wrote:
Thanks!... I'm going for eagles and pileated woodpeckers so, my goals are high but my save rate is low.
I find raptors and woodpeckers to be generally shy and ready to scoot quickly at times. Possibly movement while composing the shot scares them off at times. Is your position out in the open or concealed?
Attempting to conceal yourself might help.
Bill
Oct 28, 2014 10:03:37 #
BooIsMyCat
Loc: Somewhere
Caysnowman wrote:
I find raptors and woodpeckers to be generally shy and ready to scoot quickly at times. Possibly movement while composing the shot scares them off at times. Is your position out in the open or concealed?
Attempting to conceal yourself might help.
Bill
Attempting to conceal yourself might help.
Bill
Not always possible. Shooting eagles for example - where I am, if you want to see one, get in a boat and traverse the lakes. Lived outside of Memphis for awhile and put up a feeder that attracted every bird in the area. The woodpeckers would bring their babies to feed and as long as I stayed 15-20 ft away, they let me roam, work or whatever while they fed their young.
My issue isn't so much about capturing them... I realize the pitfalls there. My difficulty is with my camera settings and that seems to be something I simply have to work out. No one stop shop.
Oct 28, 2014 10:19:16 #
wkocken
Loc: McGregor, MN
If you're really shooting at F20, I think that is a big problem. Open up to F8 or wider. That will allow you to increase your shutter speed and reduce your ISO big time. F8 might be a little trickier to focus. I only use F20 for landscapes where I want huge depth of field, and I can use a tripod and long exposure times.
Oct 28, 2014 10:27:43 #
SharpShooter wrote:
Boo, try shooting on Auto ISO a few days and see i... (show quote)
Auto ISO :thumbup: Beat me to it.
Oct 28, 2014 10:49:58 #
BooIsMyCat wrote:
I have a Canon 70D with a Canon 100-400 mm lens.
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
A difficult subject to do well.
A few suggestions:
Use a powerful flash with a better beamer. The beamer will provide 2 additional stops and faster recycle times at closer distances.
Use the highest sync the camera provides.
Sep up a feeder if you can.
Set the ISO as high as you can tolerate.
Use a monopod or tripod.
Here is an example of what works for me.
Oct 28, 2014 10:56:51 #
DJ Craig
Loc: Payson, AZ (North-Central)
BooIsMyCat wrote:
I have a Canon 70D with a Canon 100-400 mm lens.
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
My problem: When trying to photograph birds, I keep running into the problem where they may be sitting on a branch when I first see them but take to flight right about when I am set up for a still photo. If I set the camera high ISO and high Shutter Speed they continue to sit and my photos look grainy.
Any suggestions?
I shoot a lot of birds in flight, and like you, my favorite is the American Bald Eagle. I always shoot hand-held and generally my settings are shutter speed between 1,000 and 1,600, aperture between 8 and 11, with ISO set usually at auto. I generally use the same settings if the bird is still, figuring that it may take off at anytime. I took this first picture last fall with my Canon 7D, Tamron 18-270 lens. (I used my Canon Mark III, Canon 70-200 lens with a 2X extender, with which the second and third pictures were taken within the last two weeks.) Happy shooting!
Oct 28, 2014 11:06:08 #
BooIsMyCat
Loc: Somewhere
joer wrote:
A difficult subject to do well.
A few suggestions:
Use a powerful flash with a better beamer. The beamer will provide 2 additional stops and faster recycle times at closer distances.
Use the highest sync the camera provides.
Sep up a feeder if you can.
Set the ISO as high as you can tolerate.
Use a monopod or tripod.
Here is an example of what works for me.
A few suggestions:
Use a powerful flash with a better beamer. The beamer will provide 2 additional stops and faster recycle times at closer distances.
Use the highest sync the camera provides.
Sep up a feeder if you can.
Set the ISO as high as you can tolerate.
Use a monopod or tripod.
Here is an example of what works for me.
Great shot! Thank you for the feedback.
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