Post your Bird Portraits (2)

avondale87 wrote in post #19496473
cross posted from Aussie bird thread

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
they love the Silver Wattles, but are high up and get amongst the foliage
This was one of about 5 feeding when suddenly they all flew about in the tree then settled

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by avondale87 originally in forum: Wildlife

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by avondale87 originally in forum: Birds

Two excellent shots of the Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Richard! They really are an awesome looking bird.

amyandmark3 wrote in post #19496577
BE

IMAGE LINK: https://markowens.zenf​olio.com/img/s/v-10/p1467100893-6.jpg on zenfolio

Lovely shot of this emblem of the nation, Mark! Nice sharp image.

Tom in Arizona wrote in post #19496602
Curious look from a Gambel's Quail...

Hosted photo: posted by Tom in Arizona in
./showthread.php?p=194​96602&i=i105033095
forum: Birds

One of your best male Gambel's quail shots, Tom! I really like it.

Glossy Ibis

sogs wrote in post #19496560
Great capture! That's a tough one to identify.

I agree with you, sogs...I'm frequently unsure whether they are sharp shinned hawks or Cooper's hawks. Thank you for the nice compliment.

sogs wrote in post #19496646
Glossy Ibis

Great shot of the Glossy Ibis, sogs. They look so much like our White-faced Ibis. I've always though they are pretty birds.

amyandmark3 wrote in post #19496584
I used to have this setup. Keep in mind, with the 80D's crop factor, when the lens is at "600mm" it's actually an effective length of over 900mm! That is not an easy length to hand hold for anyone. However, it is possible with the right settings and practice.

To get good results from the Sigma 150-600mm, here's a few tips I used to get good results:

First of all you need to stop down to f/8-f/11. My copy of that lens was soft at f/6.3 no matter what. It's just a characteristic of the lens (one of the reasons for its relatively low price).
Secondly, you need to have stabilization ON if you're hand holding. Always. And, it helps if you have the shutter speed at 1/1250 or faster, preferably 1/2000 or faster if possible. That means letting the ISO go as high as neccessary to achieve the fast shutter speed and then deal with the noise in post processing.
Lastly, if using a tripod, that's when to turn the stabilization OFF. I rarely use a tripod, but when I did with that lens for stuff like moon shots or telephoto landscapes, I had to turn the stabilization OFF or it would cause blurred images. Other than when using a tripod, I left the stabilization ON all the time when hand holding.

Hand Holding - Stabilization ON
Tripod - Stabilization OFF

Don't take this personally, most of us have been where you're at right now, but in situations like you're having, 99% of the time it's user error that can be overcome with education and practice of correct technique. Good luck and have fun out there!

Pretty much did all this. Might try to post a couple bad images (possibly in a new thread as not to muddy this one up too bad). There is obvious motion blur in some images, totally understandable, but the focus has me scratching my head.

I am absolutely willing to accept user error if that's what it is

Had a Great Blue Heron land in the backyard. I went and got my camera and got one image then got the laughing in the second shot.

sogs wrote in post #19496560
Very nice shots of the Bluebird!

Great capture! That's a tough one to identify.

Nice captures of the young ones!

I guess they like seafood too. Fine shot!

Nicely done!

Beautiful close-up!

Two great scenes!

Nice portraits!

Beautiful shot of the Owl!

Thank you kindly Sogs.

American Avocet
Happy trails.

Lame-Duck wrote in post #19496645
Lovely shot of this emblem of the nation, Mark! Nice sharp image.

Thank you Mike!

sogs wrote in post #19496646
Glossy Ibis

Nice shot of this Glossy, sogs! Like LD mentioned, we only get the White Faced out here in Cali.

wxjef wrote in post #19496684
Pretty much did all this. Might try to post a couple bad images (possibly in a new thread as not to muddy this one up too bad). There is obvious motion blur in some images, totally understandable, but the focus has me scratching my head.

I am absolutely willing to accept user error if that's what it is

Well ugh, if you've done all that, the only thing I'd add on is to make sure your subject (the bird or animal) is well lit from the front (not backlit). Although backlighting can make for good photos in some situations, very generally speaking a bird/animal photo will turn out better with front (or side) lighting. I took a quick look at your "gallery" and it seems you know what you're doing, so it *may be* down to your lens/camera just don't play well together for some reason. If your camera works well with other lenses, and your lens works well with other cameras, I'm stumped for any more answers short of being there to try your equipment for myself, lol. Good luck, I hope you can resolve your problem asap.

Great blue heron.

Flamingos with the R6 and the Sigma 150-600c, using the Canon EF-RF adapter.

Photo from Tronhard's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (1202317)

paul katinas wrote in post #19496709
American Avocet
Happy trails.

Hosted photo: posted by paul katinas in
./showthread.php?p=194​96709&i=i120761473
forum: Birds

Marvelous shot of the American Avocet, Paul! I like the looking back pose.

K9Kirk wrote in post #19496741
Great blue heron.

Hosted photo: posted by K9Kirk in
./showthread.php?p=194​96741&i=i99717378
forum: Birds

Hosted photo: posted by K9Kirk in
./showthread.php?p=194​96741&i=i30681407
forum: Birds

Two very nicely captured shots of the Great Blue Heron, Kirk! I especially like your second shot. It's crisp, clear, and sharp!

kd_reno wrote in post #19496754

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ooD​yaH American Goldfinch by Ken Drozd, on Flickr

Very nice, sharp capture of the American Goldfinch, Ken! I like the setting.

Tronhard wrote in post #19496750
Flamingos with the R6 and the Sigma 150-600c, using the Canon EF-RF adapter.

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by Tronhard originally in forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive

Hosted photo: posted by Tronhard in
./showthread.php?p=194​96750&i=i53416577
forum: Birds

Hosted photo: posted by Tronhard in
./showthread.php?p=194​96750&i=i166545661
forum: Birds

Great series of flamingo shots, Trevor! All of them are quite nice.

Lame-Duck wrote in post #19496761
Very nice, sharp capture of the American Goldfinch, Ken! I like the setting.

Thanks Mike.