Factors that improve general quality of images... (1 Viewer)

Having only very recently obtained a digital camera I am no expert but it seems to me that there is a huge amount a photographer can draw on to improve his results in the field. Thought a thread on these isues might be helpful to all those starting out, perhaps to all of those who photograph wild birds and mammals in the field...
I agree that the best equipment will immediatly give one a huge advantage but have noticed that some individuals are obtaining consistently excellent results, of a very high standard, through Digiscoping and with lower end Digital SLR's.
I have found with passing time that experimenting with my own camera's settings and just getting used to the camera, (a Canon A95) I have really improved results. I still have a lot to learn and am starting to realize that I may continue to do so for a very long time yet..
Another huge step for me was buying a 20xwa lens for my scope, was using a zoom, again results improved.
I have also bought a quality tripod, probably my last and best purchase, as I think this is an area where I was falling down, my last tripod was not up to the job at all, a low end Velbon which lacked stability and a fluidly moving head.
Equipment apart though, the areas which I am most interested in are how you all approach the subject in the field. I think this may be the real difference between average and great results. I have found that I now often sit quietly in an area I know holds certain species of passerine, that I watch individuals for patterns in movement, favourite perches etc. May try setting up a feeding station in the winter...
Also, certain times of the year hugely increase your chances with certain species, as well as locations.
Knowledge of birds, ID, Calls Etc all help hugely.

Frankly life is too short, so if anyone out there has anything to share, please feel free!

Technical and artistic factors

I am replying rather hesitantly as there are much more able photographers than me on this forum. Undoubtedly, correct exposure, focus, lack of camera shake etc are vital to quality photography.
i didnt notice what camera you have, but most reasonably capable compacts, and certainly all slrs allow you to vary the important parameters affecting the image.
Exposure (ie how much light reaches the sensor) is affected by appeture size and shutter speed. Larger appeture and slower shutter speed allow more light and visa verca.
ISO determines the sensitivity of the sensor. (ie how much light is needed)
Appeture size also affects depth of field (ie how much of the photograph either side of the focus point is sharp). The smaller the appeture, the greater the depth of field. However, to compensate for a corresponding reduction in light reaching the sensor, the shutter speed most be slower, or the ISO higher.
Motion blur - if desired - needs a slow shutter speed (how slow depends on the speed of the object), and hence a small appeture or low ISO to maintain correct exposure.
Most cameras now have a built in light meter to help you work out the correct exposure. However, it can be fooled, for example by a strongly backlit subject, or a pale subject on a dark background. Spend some time learning how your camera meter reacts to difficult lihgting, and try using exposure compensation (which makes the camera either over- or under-expose in relation to what it thinks is correct).
All the above and more is covered in any number of books on photography.

The harder bit, I think is the artistic side. It depends on what you are trying to achieve, eg a record/id shot, an environmental shot, or maybe something that does more than illustrate what you saw but says something about how you felt or thought about the image. Again there are loads of books on this, but I'm not so sure it can be learnt that way. I would suggest looking at a lot of other images and deciding what you like/dislike and why.

Above all - enjoy it; dont get bogged down in technique and equipment for its own sake.

Fieldcraft is another thing entirely, although what type of image you want and what kit you have will affect how close you need to get. I find it varies from sit and wait in a likely area +/- baiting, to walking along and stopping when I see something interesting, partly depending on the baove, but also on time constaints and my own mood at the time.

I'm also not an expert... but have found that getting to know you site(s) is vital in getting the shots you want. I've spent lots of time watching birds so already had some idea of where certain species can be seen regularly, photographing them is just an extension of this. It's also important to think about when in the day the birds are present, so you can get in the right position for the light.

Angle of view can also make or break a shot, I've recently been spending time at a site where you can get down on ground level to photograph waders. Personally I real like bird level shots, so have been spending plenty of time in the mud! I also like to get shots where the bird is behaving (feeding, preening or flying), though these are much easier when using a dslr rather than digiscoping.

and another thing...

I agree with your comment about buying a good tripod, good support is vital. Another useful support is a beanbag, these can often be used where a tripod won't work and are great when shooting from a car window.

I've also found that shooting a burst of shots often gives better results than taking a single shot. It obviously gives you more chance of getting 'the shot', but also leads to better images. Pressing the shutter inevitably leads to some shake, when shooting a burst only the first shot suffers this, the following shots tend to be noticeably sharper.

Exposure compensation is also a good thing to get to grips with. I tend to under expose a lot of my shots, this has two advanages - slightly faster shutter speeds, and more importantly it stop light areas being 'blown' and loosing detail. Though if shooting a bird against a light backgroud (the sky) you may need to over expose to get detail in the bird... learning how to quickly alter exposure comp, and knowing what works in each situation is a big help.