Difficulties in Bird Photography (2 Viewers)

[timeshadowed]

I have enjoyed viewing all of the excellent photos of birds that are posted on BirdForum. But I'm curious about just how many times an effort to get that perfect photo has failed to happen despite having the opportunity to view the bird for an extended period of time.

I would be interested in hearing some of your experiences in this area. Some things I'd like to have included in your responses are:

1. How long was the bird clearly in view?
2. Did the bird fail to remain still long enough to focus the camera for a still shot?
3. Was foliage or other objects a problem in obtaining a clear photo despite being able to clearly ID all of the bird's major field marks?
4. The name of the bird and the place you where at at the time this event took place
5. The lighting and weather conditions - sunny, cloudy, raining, sleet, snow etc.
6. Were you alone or in a group at the time - did anyone in the group obtain a clear photo?
7. The type of habitat - rainforest, pine forest, city park, swamp, etc.

Just so that everyone can take part in this thread:
8. I would also like to hear how long it took to obtain that perfect photo - was it easy, just a point and shoot photo or did it take time to wait for just the right moment.
9. Anything else that would be of interest.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[Catherine3678]

Well, sometimes the "perfect shot" "just happens" but usually it's "one in a thousand". There's "this blade of grass" or "twig" that invariably is between subject and camera. For some reason the camera will focus on that blade of grass or twig. What gets me about this problem, is IF you WANTED THAT blade of grass or twig to be in focus (perhaps because of an interesting bug on it), you'd NEVER get it.

 

[timeshadowed]

Well, sometimes the "perfect shot" "just happens" but usually it's "one in a thousand". There's "this blade of grass" or "twig" that invariably is between subject and camera. For some reason the camera will focus on that blade of grass or twig. What gets me about this problem, is IF you WANTED THAT blade of grass or twig to be in focus (perhaps because of an interesting bug on it), you'd NEVER get it.

Thanks for your comment. Yes, it is very upsetting to try so hard, but fail because a gust of wind or something else, has gotten between you and your subject!

But what I had in mind was more of the times that one fails to capture the bird on film due to the bird's own activity - ie moving to another spot, getting behind the leaves, going to another tree just out of range. Or the times that a blurry photo is all that is obtained.

 

[samuel walker]

The perfect shot involves a lot of waiting. I love the markings on wigeons(insert your species here). I've shot them in perfect light to show the bird. What I may want is to show duck and drake together in one shot on the water. be sure that some idiot Mallard will swim between them at the wrong moment or a cloud will cut the light. So I wait. Wait for a green heron perched on a log to stab the water and hoist a fish. Sometimes an hour but you know he's fishing and you'd like a shot of what the bird is designed to do. Worth it but tiring at times.
Sam

 

[tizziec]

Practice practice practice and be prepared at times to get one out of 100 shots LOL If it was not for digital and memory i would never attempt it. Making sure you have everything set forthe best depth of field as well as fastest shuter speed definately helps. Oh and nice place to sit and WAIT. I often use the fort on my daughter's swingset as a blind

 

[tizziec]

I would also add spending a LOT of time observing the behaviour of the birds you want to photograph. I happen to have a small flock of mallards that fly over the roadway from one pond to another EVERY morning at the same time. I use them to practice photographing birds in flight. It is all in trial and error (LOTS of error) but with a lot of patients and a lot of film/memory to kill you can get a few really spectacular shots.

Personally I am still working on learning my new camera and leave it on presets most of the time with a slight under exposure that can be fixed later with the right software (at least that s the idea) there are a couple of books specificaly geared towards birding photography that have been pretty useful.

 

[psilo]

Whether you get that shot you want is really all down to preperation and observation. You have to decide what it is you are after and stake out the bird or the place etc. You have to watch bird behaviour and watch the light to see where it appears at its best. Early morning and late afternoon are usually best as midday gives harsh light. Things like vegetation in the way is down to bad planning. Birds not posing well or light going is all down to patience and waiting for the right opportunity. "That shot" can be gotten quickly or it may take many hundreds of hours. By and large its all down to the complexity of the shot and what you really want.
On the whole though to get consistently good shots you really need to learn how photography works and get an understanding of it. Leaving cameras on presettings is leaving too much to chance and often leads to bad exposures and poor results. By learning the principles of photography you are taking more control yourself and have more chance to capture that magic shot.

 

[Keith Reeder]

The only thing more important than preparation and observation is luck - that's the thing that deals with the blade of grass, the gust of wind, the bird moving just as the shutter goes off... It really is a big part of the end result, whether we realise it or not.

But knowing your subject is - IMHO - the most important thing which we can have a direct influence over assuming that you know how to use the camera, because as Psilo suggests, you're not going far without some basic photography skills and a knowledge of the camera.

Unless Lady Luck decide to play a bigger part than usual!



Knowing something about the behaviour of your bird allows you to find it, and be where you need to be at the right time.

 

[Vectis Birder]

I have difficulties in bird photography, for sure - all my photos are crap.

 

[joannec]

I have difficulties in bird photography, for sure - all my photos are crap.

Me too. I think it is one of the hardest, if not THE hardest of subjects to photograph well.

 

[eddwillis]

try the salmon

Me too. I think it is one of the hardest, if not THE hardest of subjects to photograph well.

If you think birds are difficult try salmon or weasels

 

[NickRno77]

For the perfect bird shot IMO (relatively new to bird photography):-

1/ Make sure its Sunny

2/ Make sure the Sun is on your back

3/ Shoot the bird in a natural environment i.e. twig, foliage etc

4/ Make sure your aperture is set so you get the bird in the DOF

5/ Use the highest shutter speed possible

Hope this helps?

 

[psilo]

Sunny conditions are not always best for good bird photography. Bright sunny days during the middle of the day should be avoided as the light can be very harsh and exposures are difficult to get right. Early morning and late afternoon/early evening (in summer) are best times as then the light is more diffused and gives much warmer tones.
Having the sun at your back is often preferred but dont rule out shots where the sun is coming in sideways or even straight towards you as backlit birds can produce some stunning photos.

 

[postcardcv]

I agree with others, having some basic photographic knowledge is just about essential, and good knowledge of the subject is even more vital. Even then you need to rely on luck to a very large degree. This year I've taken thousands of shots and only a few have been exactly what I've been trying to acheive.

Then comes the next problem, after putting in a lot of time with the local little stints this autumn I finally managed to get the shot I was after, however the first people I showed it to were seemingly unimpressed... So I guess getting the shot you want is one thing, getting the shot someone else wants is a whole different ball game.

that stint shot - http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/108674

 

[psilo]

LOL Peter then that beggars the question. Should you take photographs for yourself or for others? personally I would say the former. Secondly if people were unimpressed by that photo then they know nothing! It is a superb photo, certainly one to be proud of.

 

[Vectis Birder]

I can never seem to get a sharp shot. I use a tripod when possible but even so 99.9% of my shots are not quite sharp. Ok my old Nikon 70-300 G lens was a cheap piece of rubbish (especially at the 300mm end) but my Sigma 170-500 APO lens should be MUCH better. I use a Nikon D70 and sometimes the AF does hunt a bit and I resort to manual focussing with mixed results.

I also am not that great at post-processing either...

 

[Keith Reeder]

however the first people I showed it to were seemingly unimpressed...

Stuff 'em!



John Robinson made a very good point on a gallery "thread" recently - if you like your picture, who cares about anyone else?

I know it's not that cut-and-dried for most of us, but he makes a good point nevertheless.

Thing is, we thought it was a great image.

I for one really appreciate the positive feedback I get on some of my pictures, but the number of positive responses on the gallery seem to prove nowt.

Nigel Pye for example never fails to impress the hell out of me, yet many of his pictures will get no more than a handful of comments; whereas pictures from other contributors seem to attract a slew of comments, even though they are clearly not in the same league (hell, they're not even in our league, bless 'em! - hopefully that's enough smilies!)

If you know your pictures are good, then that's all that matters really.

Just show 'em to a few non photographers and you'll realise just how impressive your images are, Pete.

 

[tizziec]

I can never seem to get a sharp shot. I use a tripod when possible but even so 99.9% of my shots are not quite sharp. Ok my old Nikon 70-300 G lens was a cheap piece of rubbish (especially at the 300mm end) but my Sigma 170-500 APO lens should be MUCH better. I use a Nikon D70 and sometimes the AF does hunt a bit and I resort to manual focussing with mixed results.

I also am not that great at post-processing either...

I don't know about the Nikon, but my Pentax has an option to sharpen teh pictures in the menue. It is set to a SLIGHTLY soft image out ofthe box but once I found the function on the menue my pics cleared up.

I miss being able to just adjust everything instantly with my old 35mm. GOinf digital definately is taking alot of prectice, nopt to mention reading up on forums and trouble shooting LOL I am getting there though

 

[psilo]

Now now keith why should comments in the gallery be purely based on talent? The gallery like the forums is a social place where people share and encourage whatever their photoraphic abilities. Also people dont look at photos just for talent alone. Photos press peoples buttons for all kinds of reasons and if there was a league that said you cant give positive feedback because that photo is not up to scratch then it is aleague i certainly wouldnt want to be a part of.

 

[Ian Mc1]

Perfect bird shot?

Not sure how you define a perfect bird shot.
When I'm out walking the estuary I try to set up camera ready for most sudden bird encounters.
This includes AV setting (for me F3.5) for fastest shutter speed.
Highest ISO which should not produce too much noise.
Camera set on high speed continuous shots.
Check all settings are as you want them.
Maximum time for camera to stay powered up and readiness to restart as soon as it shuts down.
Contantly looking around.
Full zoom ready.
Mental note to set at minus 1/3 stop if white bird sighted.
Here is a shot which was well received in my flickr page.
Had no idea when I went out that a seagull would be my favourite shot of the day so be ready for anything !!!

I have enjoyed viewing all of the excellent photos of birds that are posted on BirdForum. But I'm curious about just how many times an effort to get that perfect photo has failed to happen despite having the opportunity to view the bird for an extended period of time.

I would be interested in hearing some of your experiences in this area. Some things I'd like to have included in your responses are:

1. How long was the bird clearly in view?
2. Did the bird fail to remain still long enough to focus the camera for a still shot?
3. Was foliage or other objects a problem in obtaining a clear photo despite being able to clearly ID all of the bird's major field marks?
4. The name of the bird and the place you where at at the time this event took place
5. The lighting and weather conditions - sunny, cloudy, raining, sleet, snow etc.
6. Were you alone or in a group at the time - did anyone in the group obtain a clear photo?
7. The type of habitat - rainforest, pine forest, city park, swamp, etc.

Just so that everyone can take part in this thread:
8. I would also like to hear how long it took to obtain that perfect photo - was it easy, just a point and shoot photo or did it take time to wait for just the right moment.
9. Anything else that would be of interest.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.