A couple of birdies

[Pops]

Just caught lunch



Grabbed a nut and ready for take off

[Pol]

Re: A couple of birdies

Yay ..... brilliant! I especially like the shot of the Robin.

Pols

[Stephen]

Re: A couple of birdies

Yay ..... brilliant! I especially like the shot of the Robin.

Pols

Me too, a real belter. I wonder if with the tit shot you needed a faster shutter speed though. Just looked at the Exif and reckon you could up the iso to 400 and gain a couple of stops of shutter speed. But hey I'm no expert at bird shots as you know

[coupekid]

Re: A couple of birdies

Pops, that Robin is an absolute belter!

I bet you were pleased as punch with that one werent you!

[Pops]

Re: A couple of birdies

Pops, that Robin is an absolute belter!

I bet you were pleased as punch with that one werent you!

Real chuffed. I managed 7 shots of him with the insect in his mouth. Strangely enough he just kept moving around with it. Started on a bush and then hopped over to the post. I reckon he was posing in exchange for all the food I give him

[Pops]

Re: A couple of birdies

Me too, a real belter. I wonder if with the tit shot you needed a faster shutter speed though. Just looked at the Exif and reckon you could up the iso to 400 and gain a couple of stops of shutter speed. But hey I'm no expert at bird shots as you know

On this occasion Stephen the camera was 30 feet away from me. It was prefocused on the feeder and AP was being used so I was stuck with what I got. Did grab 26 shots at that session and most were acceptable for keeping.

[Pol]

Re: A couple of birdies

On this occasion Stephen the camera was 30 feet away from me. It was prefocused on the feeder and AP was being used so I was stuck with what I got. Did grab 26 shots at that session and most were acceptable for keeping.

Shots such as the one of the Blue tit landing or taking off from the feeder are pure luck and you really don't have time to be thinking of changing the aperture or shutter speed on the fly as the bird is gone in less than a nanosecond.

If you really want to aim for a small bird about to land or taking off, one method is to use maybe f/14 with a fast lens such as a 100mm 2.8 and set things up close to the feeder and fire the shutter from a distance with a long cable switch. That's approximately what Mick Johnson once suggested to me and I think that's how he's done so himself.

The smaller aperture means you stand a better chance of getting good/sharp fanned out wing definition. However, the small aperture also means you wouldn't have a smooth/blurred bokeh ... which is why Mick makes his own background with painted boards. He also suggested a system of flashguns that can freeze the action.

It requires a lot of pre-planning and preparation, prefocusing, long cable, loads of patience and day after day of disappointment. I'd suggest a length of camo cloth to keep the bird poo off yer kit is also a handy luxury.

Pol

[Pops]

Re: A couple of birdies

Shots such as the one of the Blue tit landing or taking off from the feeder are pure luck and you really don't have time to be thinking of changing the aperture or shutter speed on the fly as the bird is gone in less than a nanosecond.

If you really want to aim for a small bird about to land or taking off, one method is to use maybe f/14 with a fast lens such as a 100mm 2.8 and set things up close to the feeder and fire the shutter from a distance with a long cable switch. That's approximately what Mick Johnson once suggested to me and I think that's how he's done so himself.

The smaller aperture means you stand a better chance of getting good/sharp fanned out wing definition. However, the small aperture also means you wouldn't have a smooth/blurred bokeh ... which is why Mick makes his own background with painted boards. He also suggested a system of flashguns that can freeze the action.

It requires a lot of pre-planning and preparation, prefocusing, long cable, loads of patience and day after day of disappointment. I'd suggest a length of camo cloth to keep the bird poo off yer kit is also a handy luxury.

Pol

Thanks for that Pol.
I did take a few this morning with a different lens (50-150mm f2. and did get better results. Tomorrow I will try your suggestion of closing the aperture a bit more.
I do drape an old coat over the kit. In fact it is one that I have worn regular in the garden and I rather hoped they would be accustomed to the colour
I do have a 30 foot cable and it reaches nicely into the shed so I can wait in comfort.
I chose this particular feeder because the early morning sun is behind and slightly to the right of the camera.
Anything worthwhile and I'll let you know.

[Autumn]

Re: A couple of birdies

You have obviously got a really good set up Pops. I think your bird photography is excellent. Although I don't do much in the bird photography line, I do understand what is required, because of the critiques at our club. We also have an excellent bird photographer who is a member and whose bird pictures go in magazines all over the world.

From what I have listened to, your robin could have done with a little more catchlight in his eye and perhaps being a touch sharper on the feathers. Now, (says she, who knows nothing), if this were taken with a tripod, you did not move. So it has to be the bird that moved - how inconsiderate - so if the robin moved a little, do you need to use a faster shutter speed?

It's marvellous how I can suggest solutions, when I can't do it myself.

Anyway - they are all very good and I really like you posts.

[Pol]

Re: A couple of birdies

Thanks for that Pol.
I did take a few this morning with a different lens (50-150mm f2. and did get better results. Tomorrow I will try your suggestion of closing the aperture a bit more.
.

Sounds as though you've probably had a more successful day than me!

I'd never actually got around to trying Mick's suggestions before so I set about having a go with it all today. I spent at least 5-6 hours at it, carted kit around the feeders as the sun moved, fiddled about trying to get the best angles and lighting etc. All that work and no more than maybe a dozen birds all day! A few Sparrows, a couple of Blueys and that was it!

To add insult to injury (and my ever more aching back) there wasn't one single shot where any of them were still ..... so I only kept the one shot of a male sparrow who at least kept his head still enough as the shutter fired.

I'm adding a shot of the setup I used + a copy of the one I kept. I wanna have something to show for the agony I suffered.

With the setup - the feeder, flashgun and fencepost are almost in line. Flash is about 2-3 ft from the feeder and the camera is about 4-5ft on the right ... so it's all quite close together. I also used a 30ft cable switch for the camera and there's a cable connecting the camera and the off camera flash. Exif is included in the Sparrow shot.

All in all ..... I was disappointed with today's efforts. The setup was working fine, tested the lighting each time I moved to a different feeder and all was well ....... there just weren't enough birds and the ones that came just didn't hold still long enough or they used the opposite side of the feeder.

I only had the one flashgun but it would probably be better with an extra slave or two .. then use a feeder that's in the shade then I reckon you'd have better control of the lighting. I think Mick uses a total of 3 + wireless remote - but that's all way beyond my knowledge or capabilities.

Here's the setup




and here's the only one I kept, just so you could get some idea of how it worked.




Pol

[Pops]

Re: A couple of birdies

You have obviously got a really good set up Pops. I think your bird photography is excellent. Although I don't do much in the bird photography line, I do understand what is required, because of the critiques at our club. We also have an excellent bird photographer who is a member and whose bird pictures go in magazines all over the world.

From what I have listened to, your robin could have done with a little more catchlight in his eye and perhaps being a touch sharper on the feathers. Now, (says she, who knows nothing), if this were taken with a tripod, you did not move. So it has to be the bird that moved - how inconsiderate - so if the robin moved a little, do you need to use a faster shutter speed?

It's marvellous how I can suggest solutions, when I can't do it myself.

Anyway - they are all very good and I really like you posts.

Thanks for the constructive comments Autumn.You are right about possibly needing a faster shutter speed but there are times when I use a 30foot cable release and am not able to make on the spot changes. Another consideration is that even a slight breeze can rustle feathers.
One thing I have learnt from forums...no matter what your own specialist topic might be it certainly does not prevent you from seeing defects in other types. I very rarely take landscapes but at times feel justified in critiquing landscapes taken by others. I even dared to find fault with one of Stephen's once.

[Autumn]

Re: A couple of birdies

I even dared to find fault with one of Stephen's once.

Gosh, that was brave of you.

[Stephen]

Re: A couple of birdies

Gosh, that was brave of you.

Hey, I welcome comments as much as anyone, please don't put me on a pedestal as someone who's photos are perfect and therefore there is nothing to improve, I certainly don't believe it.

[Pol]

Re: A couple of birdies

.......... please don't put me on a pedestal .

Ok - if you insist, Yorkie.

Pols