Red Kite. First Post.

[Iain Barker]

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/9188695502_5fa8b5493a_b_d.jpg

This is my first post. I have been trying to photograph Wildlife for a few years but never really shared any of my photos. I am always unsure of what post processing should be done on my images.

This Red Kite image was taken at the Bellymack Hill Farm in Galloway, Scotland on what ended up a rainy day.

Nikon D7000 Nikon 300mm f/4 AF ED. 1/500 f5.6 ISO 320.
The image has been cropped, slight exposure adjustments and slight sharpening.

Any comments and critique are welcome and I would love to here any thoughts on how I can improve at both the image taking and post precessing stage.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Iain,

This is an amazing first post as they say...this is not your first rodeo....this is a really nice picture. I like the balance and harmony in the frame...something that is hard to lean. What I like best is the story here...the beauty of flight....the power of this creature.... soaring over the world and looking down...what a great moment and thanks to you I am there.

The opportunity is probably more detail and work the eye a bit...how large was the crop? On balance, this is well done maybe more ISO to bump up shutter speed. Moreover, how can we get more critical detail in the image....shutter....panning technique..things of this nature.. but again - this is a sweet post.

One more thing: I love the muted, pastel background...this is really nice!!

And welcome to BPN!!!

[Iain Barker]

Jeff

Thank you for your encouraging comments. I have been photographing birds for a few years but never really shared my images.

On the full frame image the birds head was in the center of the image. I cropped about half the space on the right, and small amount from the bottom. The biggest crop was the top where just above the crop the tree line changes to sky in the top right corner which I thought was quite distracting.

I have only recently changed to the Nikon D7000 from a D80 and at the time was unsure of how high I could go with the ISO. If I were to take this photo now I would have had a higher max ISO which would have given a higher shutter speed and maybe slightly more depth of field to get the wing tips sharp.

[shane shacaluga]

Very good first post. Love that red kite and the plumage details on the upper wings. At first i thought it was noise in the background then realised it was pouring down. Were you under cover or getting soaked? :D

As mentioned above the shutter speed for flying birds is a bit low and with a D7000 you should be able to go up to ISO640 (even 800) if you don't have to crop too much of the picture

I think your blurred wingtips is not due to DOF but to the low SS. I am relatively new here too so dont take my comments too seriously ;)

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to seeing more shots

You are using same camera and lens as me so it will be great to compare the output ;)

[Iain Barker]

Thanks Shane,

I did get a bit wet but thankfully only in the last 15 minutes or so that I was there.
I am not sure in this case if the blurred wingtips are the shutter speed or slight lack of depth of field. I would need to look at the original raw image at 100% to see if there is any movement or if they are just soft.
I not have my max ISO set at ether 800 ISO or even 1600 ISO. I am yet to decide on the noise levels at 1600 but think that a sharp image with noise is always better then a blurred image with less noise.

[shane shacaluga]

Thanks Shane,

but think that a sharp image with noise is always better then a blurred image with less noise.

Agreed ;)

What I find at anything above ISO 800 on the D7000, is that unless you get the exposure spot on and a frame filling subject, trying to crop lighten dark areas ends up in excessive grain on the image which spoils it.

Are you working manual or on another mode?

[Iain Barker]

At the moment I usually use aperture priority with auto iso and min shutter speed set but save into U1 and U2. I have U1 set at a min shutter speed of 1/500 sec and U2 set at 1/1600 and pick one of these depending on what I think I can get away with due to the light. I just then select the aperture in want and adjust the exposure if necessary with +/- ev. If I need a different setting I switch to aperture or shutter priority.

I have thought about trying full manual but would hate to miss a good shot because i had not set the right exposure. I think I would need some practice in the garden first.

[shane shacaluga]

You could keep those 2 settings as backup in case something pops up that you are not prepared for in manual mode

[Iain Barker]

Good idea. I think I will give it a go. Thinking about this it would also solve the problem I sometime have with bird being against the sky and needed exposure compensation and then going below the skyline and no longer needed any compensation.

Thanks for your feedback.

[shane shacaluga]

I am still trying my best to learn how to set the exposure correctly

Make sure you read http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/ as Artie really makes it sound simple.

[Bob Miller]

Iain....I like this image alot! The muted bg from the rain is producing a uniqie soft bg that is appealing to me. You also have a nice wing position...and the photo does have a nice feeling to it of flight! Well done! I hope to see more of your work!

[Iain Barker]

Thanks Bob. It's good to get some feedback on my photos and I hope to post more images soon.