outdoor light for birds

gage · 14th of February 2009 (Sat)

Looking for sugestions on good lighting for near the birdfeeder , the idea being not needing to use a flash. I don't want to hurt their eyes either. Regards Gage

canonloader · 14th of February 2009 (Sat)

A fast lens, a good tripod, ISO 400, Av Mode. Birds are not always moving, they only appear to be. Shoot on high speed burst and keep the sharp ones.

gage · 14th of February 2009 (Sat)

My feeder is in avery shaded spot, If it is exposed the birds don't dine as often , they fear a resident Merlin and a hawk that checks out the area.

Duane N · 14th of February 2009 (Sat)

Perhaps some sort of light reflector?

canonloader · 15th of February 2009 (Sun)

If you shoot fill flash with a dedicated Speedlight, it's not going to hurt their eyes. Most birds in fact, just ignore the flash.

jgrussell · 15th of February 2009 (Sun)

Quote:

Originally Posted by canonloader

If you shoot fill flash with a dedicated Speedlight, it's not going to hurt their eyes. Most birds in fact, just ignore the flash.

Is that true of the Better Beamer as well - they ignore it?

canonloader · 15th of February 2009 (Sun)

I have used both a 550ex and the 550ex with the beamer on it and never noticed any overall reaction from the birds. Some do get startled, most simply ignore the flash. Using fill flash techniques, the actual light is softer, not as powerful as a full flash shot, and the beamer, while it reaches out further, seems to be a softer light, diffused more by the time it reaches out to distances that require the beamer. Either way, I have never noticed any bird being adversely affected by flash.

jgrussell · 15th of February 2009 (Sun)

Quote:

Originally Posted by canonloader

I have used both a 550ex and the 550ex with the beamer on it and never noticed any overall reaction from the birds. Some do get startled, most simply ignore the flash. Using fill flash techniques, the actual light is softer, not as powerful as a full flash shot, and the beamer, while it reaches out further, seems to be a softer light, diffused more by the time it reaches out to distances that require the beamer. Either way, I have never noticed any bird being adversely affected by flash.

Thanks very much for the info! I may add that to my shopping list... (after I upgrade my 420EX flash...)!

Pete · 15th of February 2009 (Sun)

As Mitch says, fill flash during daylight doesn't seem to startle birds at all (probably because the flash is so fast it's not noticeable).

They're more likely to be startled by the sound of the shutter.

canonloader · 15th of February 2009 (Sun)

Yes, fill flash is not something you can use at night. With the new Speedlights, it analysis the light from the cameras meter, then decides how strong of a flash to use to "fill" in the shaded side of the subject without blowing out the overall scene. It works amazingly well. Here's an old thread that explains the technique pretty well.

14th of February 2009 (Sat)	#1
gage Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 55	outdoor light for birds Looking for sugestions on good lighting for near the birdfeeder , the idea being not needing to use a flash. I don't want to hurt their eyes either. Regards Gage

14th of February 2009 (Sat)	#2
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: outdoor light for birds A fast lens, a good tripod, ISO 400, Av Mode. Birds are not always moving, they only appear to be. Shoot on high speed burst and keep the sharp ones. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

14th of February 2009 (Sat)	#3
gage Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 55	Re: outdoor light for birds My feeder is in avery shaded spot, If it is exposed the birds don't dine as often , they fear a resident Merlin and a hawk that checks out the area.

14th of February 2009 (Sat)	#4
Duane N Cream of the Crop Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chesapeake, VA USA Posts: 7,829	Re: outdoor light for birds Perhaps some sort of light reflector? __________________ www.3rdicreations.com

15th of February 2009 (Sun)	#5
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: outdoor light for birds If you shoot fill flash with a dedicated Speedlight, it's not going to hurt their eyes. Most birds in fact, just ignore the flash. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

15th of February 2009 (Sun)	#7
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: outdoor light for birds I have used both a 550ex and the 550ex with the beamer on it and never noticed any overall reaction from the birds. Some do get startled, most simply ignore the flash. Using fill flash techniques, the actual light is softer, not as powerful as a full flash shot, and the beamer, while it reaches out further, seems to be a softer light, diffused more by the time it reaches out to distances that require the beamer. Either way, I have never noticed any bird being adversely affected by flash. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

15th of February 2009 (Sun)	#9
Pete Moderator Prime Mover Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38,426	Re: outdoor light for birds As Mitch says, fill flash during daylight doesn't seem to startle birds at all (probably because the flash is so fast it's not noticeable). They're more likely to be startled by the sound of the shutter. __________________ *Pete* UK SE Catch of the Day

15th of February 2009 (Sun)	#10
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: outdoor light for birds Yes, fill flash is not something you can use at night. With the new Speedlights, it analysis the light from the cameras meter, then decides how strong of a flash to use to "fill" in the shaded side of the subject without blowing out the overall scene. It works amazingly well. Here's an old thread that explains the technique pretty well. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Reflected Light/Outdoor Portraits	Matt30D	Small Flash and Studio Lighting	2	11th of February 2009 (Wed) 19:14
Outdoor Flash with no ambient light	cory1848	Small Flash and Studio Lighting	1	17th of July 2008 (Thu) 14:02
Outdoor Light	sw2001	Macro	9	29th of March 2006 (Wed) 19:46
Outdoor Light is Nice Now Eh?	Robertson Bruce	Small Compact Digitals by Canon	0	14th of November 2005 (Mon) 12:12
Outdoor photos in low light	JonathanSQ	General Photography Talk	6	16th of August 2005 (Tue) 05:54