First post…..Rufus-crowned Sparrow
Hi all, this is my first post. I have been doing birds for about 9 months with Canon 7d, 100-400 L lens. I am really trying to work on focus (sharpness) and backgrounds. I feel like this is one of my better efforts, lately. I am really looking forward to feedback now and in the future. Shot with AP and: 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 640 and 400mm. It is cropped about 50% and no other changes.
Hi Willie, and welcome! This is the place to learn!
Especially here in ETL, giving processing information is as important as shooting info. The bird looks just a little on the dark side, and sharpness, although not bad, could probably be improved a little in the future. Were you using just the center AF point? On a tripod? Being careful to "expose to the right"?
The best thing for sharpness is to get close enough to the subject that you don't have to crop. There is really no good way to "sharpen" a slightly soft image. And the way in which the JPEG is prepared, with resizing and export parameters is also important. You'll find a lot of great information here if you dig around the various posts. If you are especially interested in birds, you'll find a lot of information in the Avian forum.
I think the image would be a little more interesting with the bird moved off center a little, by cropping some off the top and right, but it's an excellent first post!
Last edited by Diane Miller; 01-06-2014 at 04:53 PM.
Thanks for the constructive comments, Dianne. I did use center AF point and on a mono pod. I bounce back and forth between monopod and tripod depending on distance walking. I do need to expose more to the right and use manual more. I usually try not to center birds so much, forgot on this one, thanks for that reminder. I look forward to browsing around more, with the holidays over! One goal this winter is to learn to handle RAW images and I will probably find info here and on the internet.
See the post Barn Swallow, just down the list a little, for some info on RAW processing. It's a wonderful tool!!
Willie,
I prefer when the smaller birds are not directly looking at the camera but that is just me others may like it. I agree with diane about the sharpness, but that could be from the cropping. I shoot with the same lens/body combo. I am a huge fan of getting closer rather then cropping. I started using a blind in my back yard. The neighbors may think I am crazy but the results are well worth it.
-Dave
Hi Willie!
This one made me go "awwwe"... adorable. I'd take a tad out of the rock (since it's rather bright)... Sweet capture.... thanks for joining us here!
www.mibirdingnetwork.com .... A place for bird and nature lovers in the Great Lakes area.
Hi Willie, I like the choice of a neutral color rock here as it helps the subject to stand out against a nicely blurred BG. There is an overall softness as others have mentioned-wondering if it's a support issue or that your lens might be back focused just a tad as I do see some sharper elements coming in to the rock at the lower rear of the subject. RE: Exposure and ETTR with a 7D- the meters on this camera are notorious for under-exposing by about a third of a stop and the highlight clip warning tends to not be very accurate, (Mine shows blown highlights about a third to a half stop too soon) which forces the user to under- expose even further if they rely heavily on it. This is a nice setup, I'd work more with it and try to position just a little closer to the subject, using a homemade blind if necessary. (A lightweight PVC frame crafted from a hardware store's plumbing dept and a sheet or tarp to hide behind with a cut out to shoot through works wonders!) Look forward to seeing more!
I made a blind with PVC framing on our deck, and positioned the feeders and water so I can place staging perches in a good place for pictures. I covered it with hunter's camo cloth -- it's a kind that has fake leaves cut out -- lightweight and see-through enough to let me keep an eye on the action.
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...3295/cat100379
The cover is clamped on with inexpensive spring-clamps that are just the right size to grip the tubing. (Wanted to be able to take the cover off easily when it's windy or raining.) Then I cut a slit for the lens and for better forward visibility. A pleasant place to hang out with a cup of coffee on a nice spring morning.
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