Touchdown Great Blue

[JKenny]

Spend most of my hobby time shooting U-13 Boys Soccer

Now this - What a Challange :!:

Couple questions -

The "rule" for clean background still goes with nature shots ?

Do you still take the shot if your not totally ready and end up with something like this ?

10D - Shooting through brush, How fine/acurate is the little red box for focus ? other photos from this shoot the focus point seemed to be on some brush close to the red box ?

If the file is not in focus - you cant always fix it - do you ever go softer ?

Is this shot saveable ? or is it just another file to delete ?

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3905001&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1

Thanks
Jim

[PhotosGuy]

Do you still take the shot if your not totally ready and end up with something like this ?
Shoot first! Ask questions later! (Where have I heard that before?)

Shooting through brush, How fine/acurate is the little red box for focus ?
I don't know about yours, but I'm not trusting my center focus dot as much as I did before (300D)

If the file is not in focus - you cant always fix it - do you ever go softer ?
Sometimes yes. Most times no. Some selective blurring maybe. Too many variables to give a good answer. I guess I'd have to see an example.


Is this shot saveable ? or is it just another file to delete ?
I guess that depends on what it's supposed to represent? Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion.

Keep at it, Jim.

[Scottes]

A "clean" background to me is one in which the subject is still very prominent, and the background isn't distracting. The BG doesn't have to be sterile, just clean. This one isn't - there's definitely too much clutter.

But you take the shot anyway, at least until you have taken 20 pictures of a great blue heron and you're tired of boring pictures of GBH's. Then you start taking picture of egrets...

I recently read an article about beginner wildlife shooters. How they move through stages: Just get the picture ; Just get the picture in focus ; Just get a good picture ("Portraits") ; get one in natural habitat ; get one of the doing something (hunting, building a nest, etc) ; get one of them doing something unique ; and finally the point where they will rarely click the shutter until the animal is doing something that nobody's ever seen before. (OK, that's no longer "beginner.")


The little red box is rarely accurate enough for bird pictures it seems. I once took a shot of a hawk and the breast was in focus perfectly, but the eye was a little off. A truly great avian photographer pointed it out and now that all I can think about. You either have to tweak the focus manually or go with a high aperture to make sure that everything is clearly in focus. It's a pain.


You can't fix an out of focus shot. You can make it look less OoF, but you have to get the focus right in the first place. You could go softer to blur the background more, sure. I have an opinion that it's not right to do that in a wildlife photo but that's me. I won't do things like remove branches or erase distractions in the background.


I don't think this image is really saveable. I don't think it's horrible or anything, but it's just not good enough. I'd delete it if I had 20 other pics of GBHs, but I like to save some shots to look back at. Or the shot might have meaning to you. Personally I don't have any pics of a GBH, so this would be a keeper for me.

[Josh]

Do you still take the shot if your not totally ready and end up with something like this ?
Shoot first! Ask questions later! (Where have I heard that before?)

Thats right! I have thought about this long and hard....and even if you arent ready...so what...there is a chanc e that when you click the shutter everything could be in focus or it will be exposed right....think about it this way
If you take the photo when your not ready...there is a chance that it is not going to be a good photo and you will get rid of it..there is also a chance that it will be a great photo and you will be really happy you took it. on the other hand...if you dont take it....you will never be happy

see what I am getting at?
I think it is a good photo over all. Only thing I can think of is that you could have had a better angle at it but thats kinda hard to do....just depends where the birds land and the way they are facing.

I hope this helps you out some

[JKenny]

[/quote]I recently read an article about beginner wildlife shooters. How they move through stages: Just get the picture ; Just get the picture in focus ; Just get a good picture ("Portraits") ; get one in natural habitat ; get one of the doing something (hunting, building a nest, etc) ; get one of them doing something unique ; and finally the point where they will rarely click the shutter until the animal is doing something that nobody's ever seen before. (OK, that's no longer "beginner.")

Great comment ! As I think about my soccer experience ... that applies also

And like soccer "if the eyes are Oof - the photo is Oof"

This was taken at 2.8 and even though this GBH hung out for a while I was able to get some other shots with the Eye infocus and a little shine from the sun.

I did not anticipate the bird landing. Also, the way I see it by taking this photo I am just that much closer to getting a good photo :D

Thanks for the insight PhotosGuy and Scottes :!:

[PhotosGuy]

I did not anticipate the bird landing. Also, the way I see it by taking this photo I am just that much closer to getting a good photo
And:
I think it is a good photo over all. Only thing I can think of is that you could have had a better angle at it but thats kinda hard to do....just depends where the birds land and the way they are facing.

BIG "birds", including 747s, always land into the wind. Maybe that will help you to predict what direction they will be coming from at least part of the time?
Other people can probably expand on this. I rarely shoot them, although I do have an obscene duck pic in mind if the opportunity presents itself! :lol:

[JKenny]

PhotosGuy .... "BIG "birds", including 747s, always land into the wind. "

Now I remember :lol:
I guess I never told you, I used to fly Air Ambulance Helicoptes for a living. Oh well :D

Shoot first ask questions later - Josh you even said it - "Thats right !"

My wife saw this thread and said I like the other GBH photos you got that day why did you post that one ? I told her I also like the others but this one I wanted to get comments and thoughts of others AND I THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH ! ( I will keep the photo - in the work folder not the show folder )

And Photos Guy it is easier to figure out where the BIG "birds" are going to land because three things :wink:
1. Easy to sneak up on - they are very loud
2. Very Predictable - almost like they have a schedule
3. Nesting platform can be found next to 10,000 feet of concret runway

Once I figured out all three of the above I came away with this photo :)

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3933019&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1

[PhotosGuy]

Once I figured out all three of the above I came away with this photo
I got there late & came away with this one!
:wink:

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3933434

Well, that's interesting! It seems that Fotopic changed the image size, even though I resized it to their specs (500ppi). Now the Forum info on the pic says that it "forced it to 500 pixels" which is the size it was supposed to be. Ah, well, you get the idea.

[PhotosGuy]

I just realized, if you rt-click on to & goto 'View image' it looks OK!