Beginners Progress - Flight Photographs (1 Viewer)

I'm quite interested in photograhping the birds I see during my fairly regular daily walks. I was quite pleased with the results I was getting with my Olympus E100RS but the delays on switch on etc. were annoying. I invested in a 350D and used my existing EF 35-135USM plus the TCON-17 used with the E100RS. This combo aproximated to the focal length of the Olympus. It worked but the results were not as good as the E100RS on its own but the operation of the 350D is really spendid in comparison. A few days ago I bought a second hand EF100-300 USM and have tried it out in sunshine today for the first time.

I attach some thumbnils of the results. These have been very heavily cropped and have had USM applied. After reading the advice in these forums I have used 1/500 sec Shutter priority, AI servo and and partial metering.

Lots more practice required with the existing equipment but I do feel the need to get in closer. No doubt a longer lens will make hand holding more difficult

Any comments?

Tom - GØSBW

Nice pics! They're all in focus, basically. I want to get smaller birds in flight, that's hard! You don't have to try to keep up with a larger, slower bird. After awhile you learn how to lead the bird or follow it well for a good shot. Practice makes perfect, or good anyway, LOL! Happy birding! :flyaway:

Hi, Tom, I'm afraid I am no one to critique or offer advice, but I'd love to know what that gull is in your 4th shot? I've never seen wings that long relative to body size outside of albatrosses! Perhaps it's the angle of the shot, but what an amazing ratio! Well, to my unfamiliar-with-WP-gull eyes.

Katy Penland said:

Hi, Tom, I'm afraid I am no one to critique or offer advice, but I'd love to know what that gull is in your 4th shot? I've never seen wings that long relative to body size outside of albatrosses! Perhaps it's the angle of the shot, but what an amazing ratio! Well, to my unfamiliar-with-WP-gull eyes.

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Hi Katy

I'm a beginner at identification as well as a bird photo tyro. This is one of the reasons for taking the camera along on my walks

My attempt at identification is as follows (the area is salt marsh bordering on reed beds and wheat fields).

First two shots could be Hen Harrier or Marsh Harrier, the third Mallard, the gull I dont know - it as about twice as big as a Black Headed Gull. My bird books don't help, I thought maye a Hering Gull but the proportion of wings to body and tail posture are different to book illustrations. The final photo is a Little Egret - we have a couple on the marsh and I see them most days.

Cheers

Tom

Thanks for that, Tom! :t: Why don't you post that gull photo in the Bird Identification Q&A forum and see how fast you get an answer? I'd love to know what species that is.

Katy Penland said:

Thanks for that, Tom! :t: Why don't you post that gull photo in the Bird Identification Q&A forum and see how fast you get an answer? I'd love to know what species that is.

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First pic is a male kestrel (common). Guess the second is the same bird?

I'm no good on gulls either, but i'd guess at either lesser or great black-backed gull.

Cheers

Jeff

I don't know about the gull, but the first two photos are of a Kestrel, the third is of Mallards, and the last is a Snowy Egret.

These photos are good enough for identification, but for more dramatic photos, you should try to get them flying towards you instead of away from you. They also need to be sharper.

--Garrett