Diane Miller
03-03-2013, 11:15 PM
I've had a lack or luck (or persistence) in my brief time as a bird hunter. Finally got a lens on a sparrow in a reasonably pleasing setting. Frustrating -- joggers and loud chatterers can blast by on a trail and the birds ignore them. I stop and point a camera at them (trying to pretend I'm looking the other way) and they get paranoid.
No chance here to move and get the branch off the bird -- it flew. I was lucky to get this much.
Canon 5D Mk III, 600mm II, 1.4X. Big Gitzo, Wimberley II. ISO 800, 1/640, f/14, because I had just been shooting 2 geese and trying to maximize focus on the back one. Didn't take time to change the setting. When I did, the bird flew. But thanks to the wonderful pinpoint AF on that body I was able to focus right on the bird's face. (AI Focus, one point selected.) Only a slight crop from FF. Slight adjustments in LR, went to PS to remove a few very small distracting OOF branches, and did a slight amount of Detail Extractor to help out the shadows.
No chance here to move and get the branch off the bird -- it flew. I was lucky to get this much.
Canon 5D Mk III, 600mm II, 1.4X. Big Gitzo, Wimberley II. ISO 800, 1/640, f/14, because I had just been shooting 2 geese and trying to maximize focus on the back one. Didn't take time to change the setting. When I did, the bird flew. But thanks to the wonderful pinpoint AF on that body I was able to focus right on the bird's face. (AI Focus, one point selected.) Only a slight crop from FF. Slight adjustments in LR, went to PS to remove a few very small distracting OOF branches, and did a slight amount of Detail Extractor to help out the shadows.