POST YOUR BIRDS IN FLIGHT !!!

shalu wrote in post #18856706
Thank you very much, Mike and Robert!

California gull caught a crane fly

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Dang, That's a mouth watering meal!! ߘ

Just Starting out in this birds in flght CC Welcome

mikexlt wrote in post #18856721
Just Starting out in this birds in flght CC Welcome

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These are nice shots, Mike, but that are a bit too dark. You really can't see much detail on the bird when they are dark like this.

I shoot in RAW mode, and for birds in flight like these hawks, I overexpose by one full stop (on a black colored bird such as a crow, I overexpose by two full stops, at least). Simply point you camera at the sky, and set your expose. Once this is done, you are set to shoot birds with the sky as your background, If you are shooting a white bird like a gull for example, I find it necessary to shoot with no over exposure. Sometimes I even under expose, because it's too easy to blow out your white birds (since they are so bright). You'll have to experiment to see what exposures work best. As a very general rule, my shutter speed is 1/1600, my aperture is f/5.6, and my ISO is 400. I tend to adjust my ISO to fine tune my shots for the correct exposures. RAW mode is very popular for shooting birds in flight. I like it because once I get the correct expose of my bird in flight against a sky background, that exposure will still be correct if the bird drops from a sky background to perhaps a tree background, for example (as long as the bird remains in the same direct lighting).

If you shoot in aperture priority mode, try starting out with an aperture setting of f/5.6, and an ISO of 400. You will need to set your exposure compensation at +1 (one full stop) or more for darker birds, and less for light colored or white birds.

Some folks like to shoot in TV (shutter priority) mode. I sometimes do. I will start off with my shutter speed set at 1/1600, and my ISO at 400. Here again. I'll start with an exposure compensation of +1 for starters, and adjust appropriately to get the correct exposure for the bird.

All these setting are simply starting points for the days shooting. You will undoubtedly have to adjust these settings, depending on the amount of available light, and for the lightness or darkness of the bird. It is a learning curve that we all have to go thru, but you'll soon find the settings that work best for you.

I know this is kind of confusing at first, but with practice, it becomes second nature.

Capn Jack wrote in post #18856550
Pelican

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Very nice BIF capture Jack.

shalu wrote in post #18856706
Thank you very much, Mike and Robert!

California gull caught a crane fly

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Absolutely stunning, Shalu. Extremely nice detail. I love the water droplets coming off the gull.

harryv wrote in post #18856709
Dang, That's a mouth watering meal!! ߘ

Lame-Duck wrote in post #18856782
Absolutely stunning, Shalu. Extremely nice detail. I love the water droplets coming off the gull.

Thank you very much, Harry and Mike!

bald eagle

shalu wrote in post #18856803
Thank you very much, Harry and Mike!

bald eagle

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Spectacular shot, Shalu. I'm definitely envious of this one.

Snowy Egret

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2epu​r6K

Lame-Duck wrote in post #18856814
Snowy Egret

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2epu​r6K by Michael Sorsky, on Flickr

How are you liking the 80d for BIF?

equetefue wrote in post #18856815
How are you liking the 80d for BIF?

It does a very nice job for larger birds. Dove, swallows, and the likes, are quite difficult to capture in sharp focus.

To me, this camera is a "Jack of all trades." I really do like it.

Doemasters wrote in post #18856753

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/EE1V7768-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/EE1V7653-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/EE1V7652-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A on Smugmug

Nice in-flight shots. It's interesting to compare these natural-light captures to those from multi-flash setups.

Lame-Duck wrote in post #18856814
Snowy Egret

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2epu​r6K by Michael Sorsky, on Flickr

Good pose, and excellent capture of the white tones.

Archibald wrote in post #18856821
Good pose, and excellent capture of the white tones.

Thank you Archi. I always appreciate you thoughtful comments.

WOW