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View Full Version : How come most don't shoot small birds in flight?


Desmond Chan
12-07-2009, 03:09 AM
Stumbled upon this flckr gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38337571@N02/sets/72157622819808778/

Not sure how he did it or even if the birds actually "pressed" the shutter button :)

Doesn't seem to be that difficult :D:D
Ian McHenry
12-07-2009, 04:09 AM
And that doesn't include the 55 images in his hummer collection !!!
Nice work Roy if you get to see this page.
Here is another great flickr BIF photographer also in Canada:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinyfishy/sets/72157600602648350/
Cheers: Ian Mc
Magnus Thornberg
12-07-2009, 05:57 AM
Stumbled upon this flckr gallery:
h
ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/38337571@N02/sets/72157622819808778/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38337571@N02/sets/72157622819808778/)

Not sure how he did it or even if the birds actually "pressed" the shutter button :)

Doesn't seem to be that difficult :D:D

I´m pretty sure that he use birdfeeder and 2 flash setup to catpure the birds! I have tried it m my self! The birds often fly to the same branch and then to the feeder!
Here is my 2 expemples! Little to much flash but i got them:)

http://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pwQbOEoLUDKuUqhbzB-fmo8u8n4Fp9ohYvtseDv_hlWKli6GF2s1jncDZZbbjruyGhn4F Q3BMWMDmEGhrqrlz5A/_MG_3443-Edit_1024_n%C3%B6tis.jpg

http://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pKs03HSE26kQAdnS3jdqBYvaTJktYHgzFAyhr9F90n0iPlAC B5Jtee6EOz8XSVVucjc-dM46CRP-6sCC4Ilzy-A/_MG_3654-Edit_1024_n%C3%B6tis.jpg
Arlon Motsch
12-07-2009, 09:42 AM
I've managed a few hummers with flash that froze them pretty well. Nothing else though. I tried using "trap focus" around the feeder but the birds are just too fast for the AF. Seems by the time the camera thought they where in focus and tripped the shutter they weren't. )-:}

Best luck I've had was using a small aperture with a remote flash on my old Nikon D50.
HERE (http://www.pbase.com/arlon/image/101251753/large.jpg)
Dan Brown
12-07-2009, 10:37 AM
Looks to me like most of the shots are very noisey, which probably means very high ISO's and/or heavy crops, maybe a hint of the techniques used along with multi strobe (on some shots). Very nice collections!
Aidan Briggs
12-07-2009, 06:41 PM
Do note that hummer shots are relatively easy if you have a feeder or flowers up. All you have to do is prefocus, and anticipate their behavioral patterns. Songbirds are trickier as they don't hover, but the same principles still apply
Desmond Chan
12-07-2009, 09:39 PM
Do note that hummer shots are relatively easy if you have a feeder or flowers up. All you have to do is prefocus, and anticipate their behavioral patterns. Songbirds are trickier as they don't hover, but the same principles still apply

Agreed. Hummers hover, when they do, they're as good as sitting still. No flash needed...well, perhaps unless you want other poses :D Songbirds landing shots are not as difficult as their take-off and free flight shots. Their take-off is too fast, pretty much invisible, and their flight time is too shot to get a focus lock on. Not to mention they're small birds to begin with and they usually don't fly where you'd get a clean background.
Desmond Chan
12-07-2009, 09:41 PM
Looks to me like most of the shots are very noisey, which probably means very high ISO's and/or heavy crops, maybe a hint of the techniques used along with multi strobe (on some shots). Very nice collections!

As far as I can see, the image quality could be better (some exposure look pretty bad). Still, an impressive collection.
Desmond Chan
12-07-2009, 09:42 PM
Here is another great flickr BIF photographer also in Canada:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinyfishy/sets/72157600602648350/
Cheers: Ian Mc

Saw that, too. I think NSN has a "tinyfish" posting there.
Ian McHenry
12-08-2009, 12:00 AM
Sorry. What's NSN ?
Desmond Chan
12-08-2009, 12:18 AM
Sorry. What's NSN ?

Naturescapes.net
Jay Gould
12-08-2009, 04:41 AM
Des, to answer the title question, I think most do not shoot small BIF is because with most lenses that you are able to handhold up even to the 500 a small bird is not going to fill the frame and will require a large crop. When you make a large crop you might get you crop slapped!! :)
Peregrine Craig Nash
12-08-2009, 02:20 PM
Jay "Crop Slapped" very funny!! They could also use extension tubes with a long lens.
Shawn P. Carey
12-08-2009, 03:43 PM
Les Campbell who lives in Massachusetts out near the Quabbin Reservoir was doing this over 30 years ago with slide film. Image that!

I have not seen Les in many years now, I would guess he's in his 80's by now.

His photography would BLOW YOU AWAY! A true master if there ever was one.