Gene51 wrote:
Thanks, Ellie!
You may not be satisfied with some of the shots you've taken, but you have some control over what happens next.
Part of it has to do with the gear. There is a relationship between quality of gear and quality of result. The price paid for gear is not always a clear indicator of quality however.
Today you can get a good clean used D800 or D800E for around $1400, and a good clean used Sigma Sport 150-600 for $1200 and start taking some truly stunning images, with a decent tripod and head, or even a monopod right away. If you work out regularly at a gym, you can even hand hold it. The combination weighs around 8 lbs.
The next component is networking - find others who do what you want to do, and try and hang with them. Photo clubs are a really great place to start. There is always a bird/wildlife photographer in the mix, and because they are members in a photo club, they are likely to be happy to share. In NYC there is a group of birders that send out tweets (how appropriate), identifying unusual or migratory birds that happen to visit several parks in the city - Riverside, Central Park, Bryant Park, Tompkins Sq, Trinity Churchyard, etc. There is a large enough network that I get as many as 20 tweets a day during the height of the migration.
Next is time investment. You need to be patient. You can get lucky and find 40 eagles before you get out of your car. But more often you will need to wait, sometimes for hours, before a single one shows up.
Observation - understanding the habits and behaviors of your subjects, which way they will be facing when landing, hunting, taking off, etc, and the time of day they do these things - will help you be at the right place at the right time.
I am looking forward to seeing some great shots from you pretty soon!
Here are a few recent shots taken with a D800 and the Sigma Sport, hand held. You can come pretty close even with a D610, though you won't be able to crop as much to get the same sense of intimacy. Small birds are definitely the hardest to shoot - they change positions quickly, and their heads are constantly in motion. But perseverance does pay off eventually.
Thanks, Ellie! br br You may not be satisfied wit... (
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Thank you, Gene. I agree with all you have said. Unfortunately, because of a serious muscle disease, I can no longer hold that heavy gear. (No amount of exercise will help)
Another issue is cost of some of the gear. I do buy refurbished when I can.
Therefore, I have to practice and follow all your other advice and suggestions using what I currently have: a Nikon d5500 with Nikkor 55-300 lens. I will continue to keep trying to improve. But gosh....your shots have set the bar really high! But will be fun to try to reach it.