Post your best bird shots!

[Joel Eade]

Thanks Brendan, here's another one with the same setup taken this morning.[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.32.28/_5F00_MG_5F00_6875.jpg[/img]

[Brendan7]

Awesome! I also use a setup; but anything besides titmice, chickadees and nuthatches are usually too shy. How do you attract woodpeckers and cardinals? Please explain your technique, I am intrigued! I'm sort of a beginner at this; your shots are, again, awesome.


Here's my favorite shot so far (I've been using a DSLR for four months). I believe I've already posted it in this thread, but I don't see any problem in posting it here.


Canon 7D + 300mm f/4L IS USM


f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 320. Manual Exposure, Handheld.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.36.40/IMG_5F00_1726.jpg[/img]


brendan

[Fast Glass]

I only had one chance to photograph a woodpecker, this was taken through the fence.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.28.86/_5F00_MG_5F00_8011.TIF-reduced.JPG[/img]


This is not really my typical keeper, but since it's my only one I'll keep it untill I get another chance to photograph it.


John.

[Joel Eade]

Brendan,


My house backs up to about 5 acres of woods so we have woodpeckers and cardinals in the area naturally. I have found that woodpeckers like suet the best and cardinals like black oil sunflower seeds. I keep the feeders stocked all the time and use dead tree limbs mounted in christmas tree stands as my perches so they are easy to change and move around to get good light.


Once you get them coming in regularly you can move your perch to a spot where they will stage before coming to feed....the set up your hide to get the best sun angle and the best distance. Sun angle is critical...you have to avoid your subject being backlit or lit from the side with harsh light. With digital it is all about proper exposure and especially avoiding underexposure. You have to learn to push the histogram to the right just enough to maximize detail without blowing the highlights.


You will not be able to get the best detail unless you have good light and can push the exposure a little towards the right on your histogram. Underexposure is death to digital images. You have great gear....don't be afraid to push the ISO up on your 7D to get good exposure, also to enable you to get a shutter speed at least 1/320 or faster. This is especially true of small birds because they are seldom still and a telephoto lens magnifies their motion. You should consider the Canon 1.4 extender it helps to keep back just a little further. You reall cannot have too much focal length. A good tripod will be a valuable asset as well.The 300mm lenses are nice for the backyard but I wish I had saved longer and bought the 500 f4.


Some birds are more skittish than others but the downy woodpeckers and red bellied woodpeckers aren't too bad. I have found the hairy woodpeckers and pileated woodpeckers to be the most difficult.


Scour the internet and read all you can on exposure technique. Look up Arthur Morris and www.birdsasart.com[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.32.28/IMG_5F00_1444.jpg[/img]

[Brendan7]

thanks for all the great info. This will be a huge help! I am going to get me some suet! Beautiful capture with that blue jay.

The 300mm lenses are nice for the backyard but I wish I had saved longer and bought the 500 f4.

I am one of those who go against the grain here. I will refer to the Robert Capa quote, which goes something like, "If your pictures aren't good, you're not close enough". I've tried both the 300mm f/2.8 and 500mm f/4 and honestly I would rather have the 300. You can get close with your legs, not just long scary glass. But that's just me!


brendan

[BryanKing]

I typically don't try to photograph birds, but was just visiting some relatives and took a few shots of the humming birds and would like some advice from those who are much better at it.


Equipment: 50D, 70-200 f/4 IS at 200mm


ISO 800, f/4, 1/200s


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.30.36/2010_5F00_01_5F00_27_5F00_036.JPG[/img]

[Joel Eade]

Bryan,


I've tried hummingbirds a little. To get a good shot with natural light is tough. There are sort of 2 different camps with regard to hummingbirds...some feel they should be protrayed naturally like you have done, others go for the multiple flash setup in order to freeze the wing motion. With multiple flashes you can dial down the output of each flash to effectively obtain adequate light and still create a super fast exposure on the order of 1/15,000 sec. Look up Ralph Paonessa, I believe he has a tutorial on his web site. Heres one I took just experimenting with flash..it's not great but demonstrates the idea.[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.32.28/IMG_5F00_9559.jpg[/img]

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

Bryan, with a feeder you can move it so that the sun is behind you. Your shot is quite underexposed especiall the subject, you need good light so that you can see the detail on the bird's colorful throat. Good luck next time!


Osprey and a carp.


I had good light and relatively close distance, hope you don't mind the nasty background []. I don't know what was up with the fish, but I think it was a dead one.


40D and 500 f/4L IS, f/4, 1/1600, ISO 250, manual exposure, handheld





Peacock


I wish that I'd used a smaller aperture so the feathers in the bg were sharper


40D and 500 f/4L IS, f/4, 1/250, ISO 400, manual exposure, handheld

[Brendan7]

here are a couple of my recent ones


7D + 300 f4 L IS @ f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 500[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/800x600/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.36.40/IMG_5F00_2445.jpg[/img]\


Mourning Dove


Same Setup, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 500


[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/714x322/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.36.40/IMG_5F00_2619.jpg[/img]

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

Hi Brendan,


First one looks good interm of detail, head angle and exposure. One minor problem is that not enough space on the left, looks like you also clipped the tail a bit.


I like your compositionon the second one, but your main subject is underexposed. The background is too bright. Good luck next time and keep shooting.