Titmouse

[CM Prince]

Titmouse

Nikon D90, 1/250 sec. at f / 6.3, ISO 800, 500 mm.
Taken at TX State Park

All C&C greatly appreciated.
just trying to improve


Thanks for taken time to look

C M

[Diane Miller]

I don't know your camera body or lens, but sharpness isn't optimal here. Maybe the bird was twitching, or moved after a focus was established. Looks like there is a very narrow band of sharpness on the mid-back. DOF is very small at that aperture. At 600mm, I often shoot small birds at ISO 1600 and f/14 in full sun. That shutter speed is also low for 500mm, as is the DOF at that aperture. Looks like you were in the shade or under clouds. Although full sunlight isn't the best, you might try some there to see if you can get sharper pictures. Once you learn the parameters to shoot sharp in bright sun, then go for lower, softer light. It is frustrating. In a case like this, with limited DOF -- focus needs to be on the face.

[Diane Miller]

You also have an underexposed image with a blue cast. I don't know the coloration of the bird but assume it's more neutral gray. Here's a guess, just for comparison. I brought up exposure (with a Curve) and did some color tweaking with Color Balance, then reduced saturation on Yellows. All this should be re-done in raw conversion, though. Getting exposure and color right will help bring out the detail and sharpness that is there.

Use the histogram as a guide for exposure when converting (it's an exposure meter on steroids) and with experience you'll learn to see exposure and colors. It's also possible your monitor is not showing you the image accurately.

[David Kenny]

The background is nice and clean and you have good eye contact. But the image does seem very soft. We're you using a tripod on this one and what lens was this taken with?

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi CM, you simply needed more SS, 1/250 isn't enough to nail the subject, hence the softness and lack of sharpness/detail. Unless the subject is stationary and you fire a burst of frames (hoping one will be sharp) you will find slow SS is your enemy. I've just shot a Little owl very close up at f/16, 1/160 ISO2500 500 plus 2x and it's razor sharp on a tripod/Uniqball head, but this is down to the subject being completely still. Not sure how far you can crank the ISO on this body, but Nikon do have a good reputation, so push the ISO to gain the SS required.

[CM Prince]

Thanks to Diane, Dave and Steve for the great advice.
I did use a tripod, the lens is a Sigma DG 50-500 VR f/ 6.3.
My ISO will go up to 3200 but I don't go over 800 most of the time.
What is a good monitor to look at I use win 7.

Thanks again for all the time and help

C M

[Diane Miller]

Steve's advice is excellent, as is his technique. But it's only 1/5 of the story. You need an excellent lens, a camera body that will focus with great accuracy, and a tripod or beanbag that will stabilize the lens enough for the SS. And the technique to use them, knowing the limits of each. Long focal lengths are much more challenging than short ones. The slightest camera/lens vibration will soften an image. The role of SS is to freeze that motion as well as the subject's.

Others here can probably suggest monitors. If budget is a factor, there were a couple of $500 range ones recommended in the last year by David Brooks, in articles in Shutterbug magazine. The Dell Ultrasharp was one -- I forget the model. For starters, you want one that doesn't change in brightness as the horizontal viewing angle changes.

You should start a thread in the Photography Gear forum. (Or is Digital Photography Workflow more appropriate?) Calibrate, and work in a dimroom.

[Steve Kaluski]

If you are stuck at ISO800 then you need to think about changing bodies, otherwise you will miss the majority of shots because your SS is just too low. The old rule of thumb is 500mm lens, 1/500 minimum SS. Camera bodies especially Nikon are really good at hi ISO with little or no noise and you do not have to pay the earth for a good camera body. There are some excellent images with basic kit and it comes down to budget & how far you are going to take this 'photography' and the what end result is for. Also having lens with image stabilisation does help, likewise keeping your body on AI servo. Basically if the image isn't sharp no matter what you do, bin it, it just takes up space on the HD and it will NEVER be sharp. If the shot is right in camera then basically minimal processing is required and keeping your workflow simple, with few steps means your images will keep to, or as close to the original capture. Truck loads of software will not make your images better, but will probably take it far enough away from the original scene, likewise you will be like a rabbit caught in the headlights, not knowing which way to turn, or in this case, what software to use.

The more you shoot, the better understanding you have with your camera/lens and things will become instinctive when shooting and more natural. ,Nikon do provide info on how to use their metering, this is also key in getting exposure right, although Nikon is different to Canon so again you need to look at this. If you like shooting Avian watch their characteristics & behaviour, in time you can predict what they will do and so you can be ahead in camera/lens preparation, (settings), and move the lens slowly, sudden movement will spook the subjects, slowly and if the subject looks at you, STOP/FREEZE otherwise it will fly. Even in a blind I use camo gloves and balaclava, sounds daft but with with easily spooked subjects any sight of skin can mean getting the shot and not, also breaking up the contour or shape, but now I digress.

Get your images and technique out in the field right, then the rest is a walk in the park.

[Arthur Morris]

All good advice above but you need to find a way to focus on the bird's eye in situations like this....