First ever photo posted on Bird Forum - please be gentle with me! (1 Viewer)

[peter hayes]

Hi All

This is my first ever picture posted on BF, but please DON'T be gentle with me! I am very keen to learn, as technical matters do not come easily to me. I have been grappling manfully with digiscoping and went to an RSPB reserve to capture an image of a Kingfisher. Here it is. I did not use the zoom on the Swarovski HD80 at all, and had the CoolPix 4500 in Macro mode. When the symbol turned yellow I let fly with the remote shutter and got three pictures. Here is the best one. The hide was full, which may account for the slight movement. I assume I should have had a faster shutter speed. To be honest, I was just grateful to get anything on my chip! I would appreciate any comments. Please be brutal, and remember I am a complete ignoramus!

Peter

 

[IanF]

First of all, Peter, congratulations on getting such a superb view of a Kingfisher :t: It looks to have been a nice distance away and in a very nice pose.

Looking at the shot, it makes a good record shot, but it's a shame about the blurring.

It looks as if you had the focus point almost right. The post being just about sharp and the head too. The blurring is I think as much caused from movement by the bird. I think it is shaking it's wings after diving to remove the water. The slight blurring of the head and post could have been from movement in the hide or the focus not being quite spot on. That is where the LCD magnifier comes into play and even then you need to take several shots varying the focus of the scope very slightly. As you say a faster shutter speed does help, but if the hide is shaking, there is little you can do about it.

Compositionally I'd be inclined to do a bit of cropping by getting rid of virually all that dark area to the left of the bird. The bird should be positioned more to the left side so that it has an area to look into. Doing this is quite an effedctive technique for improving a shot. Likewise I would crop quite a bit of the area above the bird. Try doing the cropping but maintain the photo proportions that you have now.

I'd have to give it 1 star rating.

Certainly a good effort and a great subject to start off with.

 

[Andrew]

From one beginner to another. If I struggle to get a decent shot with macro mode then I switch to automatic mode. I understand you had a very limited time to take some shots, there is nothing we can do about this. I tried taking some Dipper shots and missed out on a few brilliant opportunities due to limited time. One tip I have learnt is, if you know where your bird frequents (eg : a stone or that post) then set your camera to it and get all the focus and everything done. Take a few test shots and then when the bird comes you willhave your camera ready. But remember to press the zoom button in and out slightly to avoid auto shut off coming into action or change the auto shut off timings.

I have spent some time tonight learning the various set ups of the camera and will soon give Manual mode a go some time. The forum is a great source of help and us beginners are having a good time learning.

I give it a 2 star rating as it is all blurred, sorry. (I hate getting blurs in my pictures too!) 1 for quality and 1 for actually getting a shot of a Kingfisher!

 

[El Annie]

I think it's a great shot Peter blurring and all! But what interests me most is that it has been ringed and even more interesting the ring is on the left leg......

 

[peter hayes]

Ian: thank you for your detailed critique, which is much appreciated. I agree about the composition; I'll try to fiddle about in Photoshop 7 and perhaps resubmit this at a later stage. What do you mean, LCD magnifier? Do you mean that I should take shots at varying times as I zoom in and out to give myself a choice of focus positions?

Andrew: thanks to you too. How do I change the auto shut off timings? Thanks for the tip about focussing on a spot where you think the bird might appear. I could have done that, drat it! Thank you for your two star rating, and do let me know how you get on with manual mode.

El Annie: Thank you very much for your kind comments. I can't believe how nervous I have been submitting this! It was only a while after I studied the image (being bedazzled for quite a while that I had anything in the camera at all!) that I noticed the ring! What is the significance of it being on the left leg do you think?

Thanks to all.

Peter

 

[Karl J]

As for the techy bits I haven't the faintest idea but from what I see in front of me :

It's quite clearly a Kingfisher standing on a post, with a nice side-on view. It's got all the colours etc in the right place.

I'd be interested to know a bit more about the blurring, was it shaking its wings ? If it is then to me that makes it an 'action shot' which may not be as photographically ( if thats the correct term ) perfect as one standing 'statue still' I guess, but it captures a far more unique moment ... ie - the moment just after the bird came out of the water and had the need to dry its wings off. And, personally, I'd say makes a much better picture than one standing 'statue still'.

Yes ... nice one Peter

 

[Andrew]

In any mode other than Auto and Scene (where Macro is) press 'menu', switch to the screwdriver logo, scroll down to Auto off and select either 1 Minute, 5 minutes or 30 minutes.

 

[IanF]

Ian: thank you for your detailed critique, which is much appreciated. I agree about the composition; I'll try to fiddle about in Photoshop 7 and perhaps resubmit this at a later stage. What do you mean, LCD magnifier? Do you mean that I should take shots at varying times as I zoom in and out to give myself a choice of focus positions?

Peter

The 2x magnifier/lLCD shade as available from EagleEye/Photosolve/Jessops etc. It helps greatly in being able to get a more critical focus on the LCD screen.

I take several shots at the same zoom position varying the focus on the scope slightly whilst half depressing the shutter to lock the camera settings. I also take shots at different zoom ranges as this sometimes helps composition later and also i find at lower zoom lengths, although marginal, sharp focus is sometimes easier to attain.

 

[peter hayes]

Thanks Andrew. I'll have to get the camera in front of me to figure out what you mean!

Karl: what you say is music to my ears! I am a beginner at this, but it seems to me if some elements of the image are in focus and others are not, then clearly the bird is moving. To describe it as an action shot may be a little too generous, but thanks all the same. The main thing is that I got a Kingfisher, and this will spur me on to - hopefully - greater things.

Thanks very much for your comments.

Peter

 

[Karl J]

Well, don't know about the terminology, but I think you got my point about it doing something as opposed to doing nothing.

Just thinking back to a thread from the other day - have you tried photographing a Heron ?

I'd have thought they'd make a good practice subject.

 

[peter hayes]

Karl

That's a brilliant idea actually, given that they're rigid for most of the time! I'll have a go, practising the various settings.

Thanks again.

Peter

 

[peter hayes]

KC

Thanks you for your encouragement! I almost didn't bother submitting this picture as it was not sharp enough. I look at the pictures in the Gallery and I am embarrassed!

Thanks very much for your tip: I'll start looking out for easier - more static - subjects!

Peter

 

[paula]

Well done Peter, getting this artistic impression of a Kingfisher. I rather like it in spite of the blurring! All has been said above, the only thing I can add is.......just keep doggedly at it and not be afraid to try out different settings and get to know your camera through and through. Well done getting this shot of a bird I have never seen. Look forward to our Devon Bash, might get some more memorable photos then.
Rating: 1 star.

 

[peter hayes]

Thanks very much Paula. I know you're very good at this lark, so I look forward to seeing you in action in Devon! Maybe we'll even get you a Kingfisher.....

Thanks for your advice. I'll try out some different settings on a bird who stays still longer than a few seconds!

Peter

 

[bcurrie]

Hi Peter,

I have been watching this since it was posted, but just did not have time to critique it. First, I really appreciate your desire to improve your skills by asking for a critique, and that you have posted this for a critique. As usual, I have not looked at others comments, so excuse if this is info already given.

First, it is a good pose. The bird is looking in a good direction, it is a nice profile. I can appreciate what a full hide will do when trying to photograph. You have already mentioned shutter speed yourself, so you must not be a "complete ignoramus." You do not mention the EXIF data, so I am unsure of what shutter speed or aperture (f-stop) you may have used. You did say Macro and I am not familar enough with your camera to know if Macrochoses the settings for you. By the looks of it, it would seem that this was not a picture perfect sunny day, which makes taking the picture all the harder. I think the DOF was a good choice, singlingly out the bird well. The shutter looks like it may have been quite slow, which may not have been too preventable depending on the lighting, but going with at least a 1/100, preferably no less than 1/250, would be my preference. Also, there is too much room above the bird. I would recommend cutting out at least 1/2 of it. Also, try to leave more room in whichever direction the bird is looking into. This gives the viewer a feeling of anticipation of "what is he looking at?" and invariably will receive a higher score (all things being equal). I also would have preferred a little more room on the bottom, giving some balance to the photo (with my recommendation to crop some off of the top). On the left side of the photo I would recommend cropping off that entire white-ish band. If you could have used a lower ISO, to help reduce noise, I would recommend that. If not, I would have a go of it with Neat Image to see what it does for the noise reduction.

Hopefully this has not been brutal, but helpful instead. Thanks again for posting it.

Rating: One star.

 

[peter hayes]

Brian

Not brutal at all, just honest. And that's what this forum should be all about. I very much appreciate your advice and expertise. I shall certainly bear in mind all you say, and I agree with all the points you make about how to improve the quality of the shot and the composition.

Thanks very much for taking the time and trouble to post that detailed critique Brian.

Peter

 

[John Marshall]

Hi Peter

Nice attempt at your Kingfisher.

Respecting ring on left leg! My thoughts will be that the bird was ringed by a left handed ringer. I have been ringing for over forty years and all birds ringed by me are on the left leg. I too am left handed.

Best wishes for your future pictures.

 

[normjackson]

Really nice picture. The most likely objection is always going to be that there is nothing in the picture that is totally sharp. Still, rather than simply reject it as a blurred photo (much too good for that) why not turn it into something a bit more "painterly". Hope you don't mind me hijacking your photo for a few minutes. I simply did a sharpen using Photoshop and Neat Image (a program I've been playing with after a recommendation on this forum). I realise this ain't subtle or imaginative and may well not be perceived as an improvement. I guess the point I'm trying to put over is that I reckon you could have a lot of fun playing around with this image in an image editing package and might well come out with something really striking.

Just something to add to your already long list of things to do. Sorry!

P.S. I had to do the crop to satisfy image size requirements. Hope this post works...

 

[peter hayes]

Norm

Very much appreciated! It certainly does work for me. The image is much sharper and the cropping also helps a great deal. I feel you have made the most of the raw material. I will have to get to grips with Photoshop as well, it seems!

Thanks again.

Peter