help with suggestions......couple of bird shots

i am trying to learn how to take bird pictures, here are a couple attempts, i am also learning how to use CS4,so please be kind. first up is a shot of a cardinal in an ash tree. slightly cropped and a little bit of tone and colour adjustments in photoshop CS4.


http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2565/img1798a.jpg


XSi, 70-200f/4L shot at 200mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, iso 200


next is a red bellied woodpecker at my feeder, cropped (to remove some background junk and anti-squirrel devices), tone and colout adjustments in CS4.


http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4782/img1819b.jpg


XSI, 70-200f/4L shot at 200mm, f/4, 1/4000sec, iso 1600. oops on the iso setting, forgot i had it set there for some indoor pictures.

Hey Jim,


My advice:


#1. Avoid photographing birds on man-made objects. Use feeders and set up perches close to the feeders. It's surprisingly easy [Y]


#2. Use Extenders. For bird photography aperture is not all that important. If you have a 1.4x, use it. For your second shot, there's no reason at all to be shooting at 1/4000. If you want to action, 1/2000 will do it usually. And I shoot my backyard bird shots at 1/320, rarely about 1/640. ISO 1600 is usually un-necessary. If there is a special reason you are shooting at 1/4000, please specify.


#3. Try to shoot birds at your level. For your cardinal picture it looks like it was in a tree above you. Set up a couple of perches near your feeder and find a concealed photography spot for yourself.


#4. Get as close as possible. Find a way; it's not all that hard. You'll find that your images improve very quickly.


Good effort, Jim. I was far worse off than you when I started birds. [8-|]


And because I feel like showing off[:#], I'll post a bird shot from yesterday [G]


7D/300 f/4L IS USM at f/8, 1/500, ISO 640.


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brendan

thanks for the pointers brendan, and sweet shot of the nuthatch ;)
the 1/4000sec, iso1600 was a mistake on my part......big oops......whats that camera to brain disease called?? lol i had my camera set to iso1600 and AV mode at f/4 trying to get some indoor no flash shots of my cats and forgot to reset everything. the ash tree is actually only about 8 feet from my feeder, and both cardinals and red bellied woodpeckers are very skittish birds, they take off if you blink, at least around my place. and yeah, the cardinal was above me, but that was the closest i could get to him without spooking him, or should i say, he wouldnt move any closer to me. and no, i dont own a 1.4x extender.......yet.......its on my wish list, as well as 100f/2.8L macro, ef-s 17-55f/2.8, 7D, and various other things..lol
once again, thanks for the pointers brendan :)


jim



P.S. where i work, there is a resident pair of northern goshawks in the area and they fly real close to us, when the weather improves, i am gonna try and get some pics of him or her

I suggest buying a blind. They run for about $100 and will make you invisible to birds. I want one myself [H]


I recently tried photographing a cardinal. I stayed in the same position outdoors in 20º F weather for 45 minutes without moving at all and finally a cardinal complied. But I forgot to widen the aperture (I shoot at f.8) so I got a nasty BG:


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Hey, it's my only cardinal shot so far, so I'm happy with it. But I need that blind [G]


Good Luck!


brendan

Brendan, I just bought one of those blinds, and want to start using it soon.


A few more questions, if you don't mind....


Can you be more specific on what you mean by "perches?" I've got several bird feeders. Naturally, they all have perches on them. Bird feeders are man-made objects, so are you saying that I should avoid photographing them hanging on the feeders?


Also, it's pretty difficult to not shoot upward when the danged feeders are off the ground at what is a typical bird feeder height.


Thanks for the help.

Hey Alan, I'll try to explain...


By "perches", I mean a natural object near the feeder. For example, I have one birdfeeder in my backyard. It is about 4' off the ground. I planted two hydrangea bushes next to it, and so when a bird comes to the feeder, it stops on the bush first to check it out. A "perch" as I used it is any natural object placed near the feeder that makes for a photogenic perch for bird photography. The Hydrangea does pretty well:


Yes, it's not sharpened after resizing. Sorry [:(] I'll fix that whenever I put it in a "Post your best" thread or for C&C.


[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/840x1120/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.36.40/IMG_5F00_3756.jpg[/img]


did I answer your question Alan?

Brendan, got it. Thanks.


I've got to figure something out, since my feeders are attached to a deck, which is about a half story off the ground. Maybe I'll try attaching some branches to the deck, near by the feeders.

My advice is to pay attention to the background. By changing your angle relative to the horizon, you can pick what the blurred background is made of, especially with a telephoto lens as the ange is very small. Try to place dark objects behind the bird to make them stand out more. If you are shooting up, get on a ladder and wait. I tried this last year with some humming birds who liked the top branches of a short tree, and that improved my pictures because it eliminated the bright sky behind them. I need to set up some feeders and perches myself to improve the bird-ability of my backyard.

thanks for the advice guys......i'll try what has been suggested and see how it goes......


james