shooting birds is tough!

[down_shift13]

i've heard from people that bird photography is tough, well lets say i didnt believe it till i experienced it this morning. i went down to the nearest beach here, which is redondo to test it myself. they swoop up and down and its really hard to track, plus the only lens i have is the canon 100-300 usm you have to stop it down to f/8 or f/11 to get some sharp shots. ai servo works wonders! http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif care to share your experiences....

[tim]

It's easier with a shotgun ;)

[CyberDyneSystems]

It's allways easier to destroy than to create... :p

Yep,. birds is tough :)

[Scottes]

I have to agree, birds are not easy - and birds in flight are even more difficult.

A bunch of us put together a list of tips and tricks for shooting wildlife, and birds are covered pretty thoroughly. Check it out here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=42510

[RockOne]

Yep.Birds in flight are difficult (and the smaller the bird the worse it gets :-) ), but you did well with these. !

[IanD]

Birds are tough but when you get that "keeper' it is the most rewarding feeling (well OK, maybe not the most rewarding feeling, but darn close) Like anything else, the more you practice, the better you will get and you have a fine start. If you get bitten by the "birds in flight" bug, you might want to consider looking at the Canon 400 f/5.6 a wicked fast and sharp lens. Often refered to as "The toy" lens due to it's light weight. I would not trade mine for anything.

[KenE]

I tried my hat at this for the first time yesterday. Sandhill Crane are in abundance in Burns. Dark and stormy day, and I learned a ton- you can see some pretty obvious shortcomings in the shots I've processed so far.

Using a 20D with a 70-200f/4, usually around f/10-12, and usually at the long end. Should have bumped it up another ISO setting, opened up the aperture, and sped up the shutter, but I like the duck shot as it is, motion-wise. Should have put it in Servo mode, but I'm still learning and forget to check settings too much as it is!

Had lots of bald eagles but not enough lens for them. You could always tell when the eagles come around. Every other bird clears out. :)

http://130.94.161.162/Images/Exploring2005/Burns-March/album/

[Scottes]

Ken - f/10-12?? I almost always shoot at max aperture (f/5.6 for the long lenses I use) to make certain I get the shutter speed. Don't be afraid to get bump the ISO! (I try to tell myself that every time I shoot birds...)

I also like the motion on the last shot - but aren't those geese of some sorts?

[KenE]

Thanks for the tips- I sort of get in the groove and don't experiment as much as I should. Afterword I think more about what's going on, rather than in the moment. The step up to the 20D from a G1 has been overwhelming to say the least.

I did some research and found those are, indeed, Pacific White Fronted Geese. Seemed ducky enough to me! /knows nothing about birds other than I like 'em

[down_shift13]

i think i got bitten by the "birds in flight" bug Ian coz i went back in the afternoon. during that time i saw another guy with a longer lens, it was bigger than my 100-300 he had it mounted on a monopod. ai servo does drain your batteries quicker. nway thanks for all the comments. here's another one.. :D all i need to worry is timing them with a background.. :lol:

[RJSorensen]

I have a nice collection of the 'wrong end' of many birds I could share with you . . .

[IanD]

I have a nice collection of the 'wrong end' of many birds I could share with you . . .
Birds have a wrong end:confused::confused::confused::confused:

[RJSorensen]

That is what Tammie tells me . . . it was news to me too.

[Solo175]

Yes, IanD
Birds do have a wrong end, when they are dumping some unmentionable substance on that LENS :shock:

[down_shift13]

sure i want to see some of that "wrong end" collection

[RJSorensen]

LOL, you may begin viewing them at this link: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=55736

Enjoy . . .

[DSMITH131]

only if they would sit still a little while thats why i refuse to do a photo shoot with them

[Onwuma]

Bullcrap it's tough, you seem to be good at it.

[aam1234]

From the limited experience of shooting birds, I found a trick or two:

- Don't laugh at this one, but open both of your eyes when tracking them flying.

- When there are many birds of the same kind (e.g. seagulls at the beach), try to observe their behavior. Usually there is pattern in their movement.

- An obvious one. Use all focus points when they are in flight and the BG is the sky.

- Lastly, don't be afraid of high iso. In a bright day, you virtually can't tell the difference between iso 100 and 400.