Suggestions for beginning BIF targets?

[Snydremark]

Hi all,

I just treated my self to a shiny, new 100-400L this weekend to go with my 40D. :cool: What a lens!

My question is, what are some good birds to use for BIF practice? I'm in the Pacific NW. I saw some robins and finches on the way to work this morning...but they're a bit erratic and fast for me; and our pigeons pretty much sit around like lumps :s.

TIA,
-Eric

[chauncey]

I use seagulls for practice.

[katodog]

Sea Gulls. There's always plenty around, just go to any McDonald's parking lot and you're bound to see anywhere from 5-50 of the little buggers. You can practice on any bird in flight, and it's actually a bit better to practice on the ones that are too fast or the ones that fly in jagged paths. It'll get your body used to the motions needed for tracking birds.

If you want to practice softly first, airplanes are the best. They fly slow enough across the sky that you can keep up with them. Airplanes will also teach you the best settings to use for different types of sky, i.e., cloudy, partially cloudy, bright sunlight, etc..


You can also practice on any ground-based subjects, like cars or kids. As long as you can get your body used to the movements associated with tracking subjects you'll do alright.

[Snydremark]

Thanks for the tips! :)

[BradM]

I would also suggest gulls, and start off by shooting them as they fly into the wind. They will fly slower and even hover for you depending on your location here in the PNW. This will help you frame the bird, get the focus and try to avoid rear view shots.

As you become more comfortable shoot them flying down wind, you will everything speeds up considerably. ;)

[davebreal]

Gulls are a great way to start out. Ducks and Geese are also fun, and pretty predictable in flight.

[ducklabdad]

Great advice from several great Bird photographers!! If You have not Check out BradM's website!!! His work is amazing!!

[wayne_eddy]

You may be up to this already: switch to AV mode to set your aperture and let the camera set the shutter speed, adjust your ISO so you get the shutter speed you want . I use Manual Mode, AI Servo and Spot Metering quite a lot for my BIF if the lighting is constant.

[pingflood]

Just get one of these:
http://www.beacheswoodendecoys.com/detail.php?product=9

And have a friend throw it at you.

:D

wayne_eddy: I would steer people towards M mode right away, personally. It will cause less frustration with exposure problems IMO. My take is to (unless you need a greater DOF for some reason) set the lens to wide open in Av mode, and ISO as high as you need to get a shutter speed of at least 1/1250 (I prefer 1/1600). Snap off a few test shots and make sure the histogram looks ok. Yes, it's more to learn up front, but if you start out in Av mode you end up with things like small black bird against sky, large white bird against sky, bird against white cloud, bird against dark building, yada yada and no meter in the world is going to do a good job in those situations.

[wayne_eddy]

Just get one of these:
http://www.beacheswoodendecoys.com/detail.php?product=9

And have a friend throw it at you.

:D

wayne_eddy: I would steer people towards M mode right away, personally. It will cause less frustration with exposure problems IMO. My take is to (unless you need a greater DOF for some reason) set the lens to wide open in Av mode, and ISO as high as you need to get a shutter speed of at least 1/1250 (I prefer 1/1600). Snap off a few test shots and make sure the histogram looks ok. Yes, it's more to learn up front, but if you start out in Av mode you end up with things like small black bird against sky, large white bird against sky, bird against white cloud, bird against dark building, yada yada and no meter in the world is going to do a good job in those situations.

Agreed and that is pretty much the same workflow as I use.

As soon as the camera comes out of the bag (normally well before I even see a bird) I check my settings and shoot a target that is in light and about 18% grey (fencepost, tree bark etc) have a look at the histogram to get an idea about the exposure require. If I see a white target I shoot something very bright I adjust accordingly.

Certainly the OP wanted a helping start to get some immediate results and the elementary method I posted would have assisted. There are many other threads and indeed FAQ's to for the OP to review for more detailed information.

Good luck with you shooting!

[Sprint8]

I agree with pingflood, and I use the same settings for my 50D. I actually setup C1 so that when I turn the camera on it is set at... manual, f4, 1/1600, ai-servo, hi speed drive, and spot focus, and then adjust from there.

I also agree with shooting in manual mode. I resisted for a long time before giving in and now I very rarily use aperature priority.

I would also suggest shooting Egrets and GBH because they fly slow and are large enough that you can stay focused on them easily enough. That is assuming you have them in your area.

[Methodical]

I'd suggest manual mode too but use a smaller aperture (i.e f8) to get sharper images.. f8, 1/1000 or higher and whatever ISO to keep it at the shutter speed you want. I usually meter off the grass in the same light and take some test shots to see how it looks...does it look like what I see with my eyes. The problem most time with Av mode and shooting to the sky is crazy different exposures as mentioned above. We all have our way of doing it. There are some articles out on the web...I will see if I can find some I have and post