my best Bird Shot yet...IMO

I think I am finaly starting to get the hang of this, a little bit anyways. What do ya all think???

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What ISO did you use? The sky seems quite noisy. Or is it due to your jpg compression? Anyway, nice shot. Even if I would have prefered without the shadow on the top of it's wing... But you cannot always choose that kind of things

DDA

yea, this is definately a good picture, i'd say you've both got the hang of it...
ok i'm sorry i love lame jokes... lol, no seriously, there is nothing wrong with this capture, except as said above the noise in the background sky, but as i'm no expert on this, i hardly think i can critisize you on this...
Good job!

ISO was at 400, I think I should have it at 100 though. I think I induced the noise in PhotShop. I'll post the RAW if you want to see it. I am still strugling , BIG TIME, with PS LOL.

This is what my camera was set at for this shot....

Make - Canon
Model - Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Orientation - Top left
XResolution - 300
YResolution - 300
ResolutionUnit - Inch
DateTime - 2006:01:04 16:30:45
YCbCrPositioning - Centered
ExifOffset - 196
ExposureTime - 1/500 seconds
FNumber - 16
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
ExifVersion - 0221
ComponentsConfiguratio​n - YCbCr
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/500 seconds
ApertureValue - F 16.00
ExposureBiasValue - -0.67
Flash - Not fired, compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 300 mm
UserComment -
FlashPixVersion - 0100
ColorSpace - sRGB
ExifImageWidth - 3456
ExifImageHeight - 2304
FocalPlaneXResolution - 3954.23
FocalPlaneYResolution - 3958.76
FocalPlaneResolutionUn​it - Inch
CustomRendered - Normal process
ExposureMode - Auto
WhiteBalance - Manual
SceneCaptureType - Standard

Maker Note (Vendor): -
Macro mode - Normal
Self timer - 100/10 sec
Quality - Superfine
Flash mode - Not fired
Sequence mode - Single or Timer
Focus mode - AI Servo
Image size - Large
Easy shooting mode - Manual
Digital zoom - None
Contrast - High , +1
Saturation - High , +2
Sharpness - High , +1
ISO Value - 32767 (other)
Metering mode - Partial
Focus type - Auto
AF point selected -
Exposure mode - Tv-priority
Focal length - 75 - 300 mm (1 mm)
Flash activity -
Flash details -
Focus mode 2 - Continuous
White Balance - Auto

Are Rebel XT's always that noisey at 400iso?

No...My ISO800 isnt really that noisy IMO my ISO400 looks smooth as silk...i think it was just the resizing is what did it

Keep at it. I shot 3,000 pictures of birds last year and only have a handfull I deem worth sharing.

I tweaked your image real quick. Not necessarily the best I or someone else can do but I spent all of 2 to 3 minutes on it.

It would seem from your exif you shot in jpeg as opposed to raw even though you said you could post the raw file. Did you mean to say the unadultered jpeg file ?

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One thing,. You were shooting at f/16.
No need to stop down so far.. (I'm almost allways wide open but you can't necesairly get away with that)

If you'd been at say f8.. then you'd get the same shutter speed with a lower ISO..

Keep up the good work!

Thank you cyberdyne, that is the type of info I am looking for. I got closer to where I wanted to be on settings this time. From what I am told, my lens(75-300) is sharpest at around f11. I have a book on the way that should help me understand this exposure, aperature, and ISO stuff a lot better. But thanks to all of the help I get on here I am getting a little better.

The composition is good. If this is a cropped version, leave more room in front of the bird. Also, did you use tripod or handhold at 300mm? I like to use tripod when shooting wildlife unless my lens has IS or OS. You want to minimize camera shake to avoid blurring the detail of the feathers. Sometimes i event use cable release if the bird stays put long enough. Happy shooting.