Rainbow Bee-eater Take Off

[Pam Osborn]

A Rainbow Bee-eater emerges at warp speed from a sandy burrow. Two adults were feeding a clutch of chicks. The adults repeatedly returned to the nest with dragonflies, butterflies, bees and any other insects that were unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity.

I had to use my car as a hide as they would not tolerate any other intrusion. The camera was a Nikon D2X with a 300mm f2.8 VR lens. This shot was taken in Kings Park, Perth Western Australia.

[George DeCamp]

Hi Pam!

Beautiful bird...love the colors! The eye and left wing look fairly sharp but the right wing is OOF. Could be you used a slow shutter speed or a wide f/stop (opened up too much). Better DOF could have helped in that situation (stop down lens).

Now, looks like you have just too much vegetation around the bird to change that, way too hard at least for me but I bet some of our Gurus here could probably do it.

By your description it sounds like you were lucky to even get this shot so I would use it for more of a species shot and be very happy you were able to catch it. I am new to that species so thanks for posting it and giving us a lesson on how they act in the wild.

[Arthur Morris]

I love the nest setting and you have done a good job of framing the subject. The bird, however, is not at all sharp. How were you supporting the camera? How were you focusing? Please include the technical details including shutter speed so we can have some idea of how to help you improve.

later and love, artie

[Pam Osborn]

Arthur,

Thanks. Yes the bird is softer than I would like. The shot details are 1/1250 @ f7.1, ISO 320, Shutter speed priority. The camera was a Nikon D2X with a 300 f2.8 VR lens + 1.7 TC. These birds won't tolerate anyone standing nearby (it also disturbs feeding of the young) so I shot from inside my car using a tripod with the legs together (I had left the monopod on our boat). They move quickly when exiting the burrow (this is just a hole about the size of their body with a cavern at the end for the chicks. I used a single area centre focus point (because of the grass) and prefocussed just in front of the stick lying horizontally near the entrance. I used Continuous servo autofocus on continuous high (5fps). You can only get one frame with the bird in it because of the speed they move through.

Your comments for improvement would be greatly appreciated,

Regards,

Pam

[Pam Osborn]

George,
Thanks - I assume you can also see my response to Arthur. As the shutter speed was 1/1250, maybe I should have moved the ISO above 320 to improve the DOF. I try and keep it low as possible to avoid noise but would be interested in your thoughts on using a higher ISO.
Regards,
Pam

[Arthur Morris]

The only way to have improved this would be to have focused accurately. When focus is close, you can at times selectively sharped as needed and save the image, but, even in digital photography JI = JO.

later and love, artie

ps: If this is the whole frame and you were using the central sensor only, then the sensor would not have been on the bird's head... IAC, you were asking a lot of your AF system in a difficult situation.

pps: Just saw your 2nd comment above. The problem with focus here had nothing to do with ISO or shutter speed; you simply were not focused anywhere near the bird's head.

[James Shadle]

Pam,
I am a D2X shooter. The problem is not DOF or shutter speed.
If you look just behind this beautiful bird you will notice an area that is nice and sharp.

Knowing the D2X, looking at this image and assuming (dangerous I know) that this full frame.
The AF sensor would have been positioned just above the birds head, and that would result in a swing and a miss.

Knowing where the bird is going to come out is a huge advantage (if you only knew when).
Under these conditions, I pre-focus on the spot. I will use Manual focus or AF-C Dynamic holding the focus if the action is fairly regular.

I hope this helps and keep them coming. I hope to see one of these in person someday.

James

[Jim Poor]

Hi Pam,
I spent a good deal of time trying to photograph these guys when I was in Australia for a few months in Alice Springs. They are quite worth the trouble. I'm not sure if you can revisit the site but if you can there are a few things I might try.

A portable blind is one, but I'll stick with the car for now.

I would manually pre-focus on the entry / exit point. I would also try for an image of the bird entering rather than exiting. It would then be facing toward instead of a way from the camera. It also might have more interest with a bug or some such that it is carrying back.

Since they move so fast, looking through the viewfinder might make timing tough. I'd use a remote cord and watch with the naked eye for the bird to return and then fire off frames like a mad man ;)

Best,
Jim

[George DeCamp]

The shot details are 1/1250 @ f7.1, ISO 320, Shutter speed priority. The camera was a Nikon D2X with a 300 f2.8 VR lens + 1.7 TC.

.... I used a single area centre focus point (because of the grass) and prefocussed just in front of the stick lying horizontally near the entrance. I used Continuous servo autofocus on continuous high (5fps).
Pam

Yep, seeing this now certainly means you focused slightly over the birds head. A different ISO or fstop would not have helped. I am with James and Jim perhaps manual prefocus here could have helped.

This is why it is best to always put in as much detail about the shot as you can (shutter speed, f/stop, lens, camera helps too) so we don't guess at what might be the problem. Much easier to take a stab at a suggestion with all he facts.

Keep'em coming Pam!!!

[Pam Osborn]

Arthur, James, Jim & George
Thanks for all the comments. I think the birds have left the nest but hopefully I may be able to find another one to try and improve on.
Pam