The most important thing you learned about photography in 2023? (1 Viewer)

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

What did you learn last year that made the biggest difference in your bird photography?

For me, it was to sharpen only the parts of the photo I need by masking off the subject. The idea is to avoid sharpening noise in the background, where it is often the most noticeable. Consequently, you don't need as much noise reduction, and retain details on the bird. This has made a big difference in my higher ISO photos. I learned this from one of Simon d'Etremont's YouTube channel.

 

[MiddleRiver]

What did you learn last year that made the biggest difference in your bird photography?

For me, it was to sharpen only the parts of the photo I need by masking off the subject. The idea is to avoid sharpening noise in the background, where it is often the most noticeable. Consequently, you don't need as much noise reduction, and retain details on the bird. This has made a big difference in my higher ISO photos. I learned this from one of Simon d'Etremont's YouTube channel.

Funny you mention that. I finally drank the LR subscription kool-aid and the new masking tools are amazing, and they help me do exactly what you suggest. Of course deN also permits selective masking.

In general I learned that there is a limit to longer-is-better in optics. At a certain point, I start getting heat haze/refraction/distortion. There is no substitute for getting close to the birds!

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Funny you mention that. I finally drank the LR subscription kool-aid and the new masking tools are amazing, and they help me do exactly what you suggest. Of course deN also permits selective masking.

I use GIMP and Darktable, so I create the mask manually... I find that the mask doesn't need to be super precise. If you look at it at 200%, you'll notice the sharpening difference, but most people won't do that.

In general I learned that there is a limit to longer-is-better in optics. At a certain point, I start getting heat haze/refraction/distortion. There is no substitute for getting close to the birds!

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Now, how to get close all the time 🤔

 

[Mike Crawley]

Always remember to take a spare battery

 

[Frank van Drogen]

I realized that the combination of modern, mirrorless cameras and the amazing performance of denoising software really increases the ISO range that can be used. On one hand it helps taking photos at less than ideal light conditions, but it is also impressive what even a shaky person like me can do handheld (I know, IS in both cameras and objectives had made tremendous progress as well!)

 

[Farnboro John]

Check and recheck your settings frequently, its amazing how the camera can change them knocking against you on its strap - and for that matter you can change them yourself for a particular circumstance and forget to reset to normal jogging!

(Yesterday my brother went to take a photo of his wife's birthday cake and had to wait ten seconds because he'd still got the time delay on from a self-taken family group. Tee hee!)

John

 

[vergan]

I use GIMP and Darktable, so I create the mask manually... I find that the mask doesn't need to be super precise. If you look at it at 200%, you'll notice the sharpening difference, but most people won't do that.


Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Now, how to get close all the time 🤔

Hi mate!
Any tip for using gimp and darktable with bird images? Any link to learn/folllow?
Thanks and cheers

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

Hi mate!
Any tip for using gimp and darktable with bird images? Any link to learn/folllow?
Thanks and cheers

Hello, thanks for your reply. For me, it has been a learning curve, and I have only scraped the tip of the iceberg. My processing procedure has changed as my skills/preferences evolve over time. I usually google to figure out how to do something, so there is no single source that I use. Like I mentioned earlier, Simon d'Etremont's channel is full of good advice, so I take what he says and figure out how to apply it to my tools. He said something to the effect of: processing parts of your image separately will take your photo to the next level. That is what resonates with me.

What I did at the very start using only GIMP with JPEGs:
1. Noise reduction
2. Unsharp mask
3. Exposure
4. Levels
5. Saturation
6. Crop
7. Vignette (sometimes)

What I currently do (still a beginner) with RAW images:

In Darktable
1. Crop
2. Draw a mask around my bird
3. Apply sharpening only to the bird
4. Denoise the entire image
5. Adjust levels around the histogram
6. Use curves to adjust shadows
7. Use shadows and highlights tool
8. Adjust exposure on the bird only; add masks around parts of the bird that need more exposure
9. Draw additional masks to adjust regions of my photo that are too bright/dark; adjust accordingly
10. Adjust saturation
11. Adjust contrast
12. Apply local contrast to the bird (sometimes)
Back to GIMP:
13. Check/adjust levels
14. Maybe add a vignette

At any point I can play with a new tool and incorporate it into my workflow. Feel free to DM me to ask questions.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

What did you learn last year that made the biggest difference in your bird photography?

I reckon don't underestimate what a camera and a bit of photo editing can do, even a superzoom. It hasn't made much of a difference yet but I think it will in 2024.

I have a tendency to be quite rigid in that I spent 2023 and 2022 only taking pictures when I thought the conditions were right.

I took these pictures of Waxwings the other day. I spent about 15 minutes watching them with no intention of taking pictures. Trees on either side, gloomy day and so no point. Given I'd missed all of the Waxwings floating around on the rowan trees due to not being out for a few months, it suddenly dawned on me that I may as well give it a go as I'm not going to get any other pictures of Waxwings this winter.

Shutter speed is 1/80 in both pictures I think (I never push the ISO above 400). Handheld, stood up and so not easy to keep the camera steady. 'Not much photo editing gone into the pictures: quite a bit of denoise and a touch of brightness, contrast and sharpening (all with Affinity). Someone with better photo editing software and more experience in photo editing could have made a much better job of it.

Either way, they haven't turned out too bad considering the conditions, 'not perfect but much better than I expected, and given that most of the Waxwings have moved on and I missed them when they were here; they're better than nothing.

It wouldn't work with a dark bird mind you, but still, I've learned not to be so rigid and to not underestimate the camera!

 

[Farnboro John]

I reckon don't underestimate what a camera and a bit of photo editing can do, even a superzoom. It hasn't made much of a difference yet but I think it will in 2024.

I have a tendency to be quite rigid in that I spent 2023 and 2022 only taking pictures when I thought the conditions were right.

I took these pictures of Waxwings the other day. I spent about 15 minutes watching them with no intention of taking pictures. Trees on either side, gloomy day and so no point. Given I'd missed all of the Waxwings floating around on the rowan trees due to not being out for a few months, it suddenly dawned on me that I may as well give it a go as I'm not going to get any other pictures of Waxwings this winter.

Shutter speed is 1/80 in both pictures I think (I never push the ISO above 400). Handheld, stood up and so not easy to keep the camera steady. 'Not much photo editing gone into the pictures: quite a bit of denoise and a touch of brightness, contrast and sharpening (all with Affinity). Someone with better photo editing software and more experience in photo editing could have made a much better job of it.

Either way, they haven't turned out too bad considering the conditions, 'not perfect but much better than I expected, and given that most of the Waxwings have moved on and I missed them when they were here; they're better than nothing.

It wouldn't work with a dark bird mind you, but still, I've learned not to be so rigid and to not underestimate the camera!

I'd be pretty pleased with those. Sometimes bright light doesn't help with birds whose colours are as subtle and nuanced as Waxwings.

I think you could give yourself a better chance with a higher shutter speed and less concern about ISO but they look sharp anyway so you know your own abilities best! 👍

John

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

I'd be pretty pleased with those. Sometimes bright light doesn't help with birds whose colours are as subtle and nuanced as Waxwings.

I think you could give yourself a better chance with a higher shutter speed and less concern about ISO but they look sharp anyway so you know your own abilities best! 👍

John

One of those occasions when you get lucky, John. 'Reason being that because we've had so much rain, there was a small beck underneath the trees filled with water and so they'd found a spot where there was plenty of food and water for a drink and stayed there for a good while. These two had just popped down for a drink and hopped up onto branches at eye level. Shooting up into the sky would have been another matter given the colour of the bird and the colour of the background, 'just no contrast whatsoever.

I did experiment when I first bought the camera and noticed a huge difference between 400 and 800 ISO but only a marginal difference between 200 and 400, and so I settled on no more than 400 ISO. I don't pretend to be a photographer, it's a hobby and I've no doubt that someone more experienced with cameras could get more out of it by using their experience of a wide range of settings depending on the conditions.

I do firmly believe that the answer for better pictures rests largely on my use of the camera as opposed to the camera's technical aspects, however. I reckon I'll always believe that and that's a result of the experience of what works and what doesn't: when it hasn't worked it has just about always being due to my fieldcraft. With one exception actually, I was taking pictures of a male Black Redstart on a sunny day and the fieldcraft was good but the pictures went horribly wrong, on that occasion I could have done with more technical knowledge of the camera!

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

I reckon don't underestimate what a camera and a bit of photo editing can do, even a superzoom. It hasn't made much of a difference yet but I think it will in 2024.

I have a tendency to be quite rigid in that I spent 2023 and 2022 only taking pictures when I thought the conditions were right.

I took these pictures of Waxwings the other day. I spent about 15 minutes watching them with no intention of taking pictures. Trees on either side, gloomy day and so no point. Given I'd missed all of the Waxwings floating around on the rowan trees due to not being out for a few months, it suddenly dawned on me that I may as well give it a go as I'm not going to get any other pictures of Waxwings this winter.

Shutter speed is 1/80 in both pictures I think (I never push the ISO above 400). Handheld, stood up and so not easy to keep the camera steady. 'Not much photo editing gone into the pictures: quite a bit of denoise and a touch of brightness, contrast and sharpening (all with Affinity). Someone with better photo editing software and more experience in photo editing could have made a much better job of it.

Either way, they haven't turned out too bad considering the conditions, 'not perfect but much better than I expected, and given that most of the Waxwings have moved on and I missed them when they were here; they're better than nothing.

It wouldn't work with a dark bird mind you, but still, I've learned not to be so rigid and to not underestimate the camera!

I agree with you! I have been pushing myself to go out on cloudy/foggy/rainy days. Going beyond one's comfort zone gives one a chance to learn new things.
I believe it is possible to find a good photo in most conditions.

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

I agree with you! I have been pushing myself to go out on cloudy/foggy/rainy days. Going beyond one's comfort zone gives one a chance to learn new things.
I believe it is possible to find a good photo in most conditions.

Definitely, MM, in relation to going out on cloudy days, you just never know what you'll bump into and you can then return for a photograph when the weather is better or even give it a go when the conditions do not seem anywhere near right.

As an example, I've been out today, a walk down to the local reservoir, awful weather, just to have a look along the path for a couple of miles or so and see what's going on. I've been looking for Brambling for a few weeks now, gone to some known places and seen nothing, forgot all about them. To get onto the path, it's four doors down from my house. I've got onto the path walked a little bit farther up and a flock of birds have landed in the trees on the other side. Got my binoculars on them and it's a flock of Brambling. The direction they've come from is a few big houses that were built for the mine owners years back, big and expensive by our standards, with mini orchards growing out of the back of them.

I'm thinking they must have come from there. 'Waited for a while, didn't see them return to where I thought they came from, went on my walk. 'Came back a few hours later and a few of the Bramblings are sat in a tree right in the middle of the garden/min orchard of these bigger houses.

There you go, I've searched the known places farther afield, saw nothing, and it turns out there's a flock four doors down in the back garden. They're probably there ever year unbeknown to me!

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

And very much unexpected.