kingfisher flight montage.

[Ivor Ottley]

Here is a shot i put together blending a single burst Kingfisher flight sequence. Lackford lakes UK :) ..... Nikon D850 + 500mm f4 + 1.4x tele
700mm f6.3 1/3200
(NB. My images seem to be uploading to this particular forum with more color saturation than normal, or how they normally look on the web....any suggestions of solutions welcome ..thanks)

I have corrected the color space and uploaded it, but can't seem to delete the original image.....the less saturated one is correct.

[Arthur Morris]

No clue on the SAT variation ... As for the composite, it is quite neat. You did some good work in Photoshop (I assume).

Are these all from a single burst??? All of the birds look sharp and there are some great poses included.

with love, artie

[Steve Kaluski]

My images seem to be uploading to this particular forum with more color saturation than normal, or how they normally look on the web....any suggestions of solutions welcome ..thanks)

It's very simple Ivor, you currently do not have the correct Colour Profile embedded. For all web or projected images they must have an sRGB Colour profile embedded, your currently have an RGB profile. Depending on how you create your output images it's probably an unchecked box that needs to be checked (ticked).

[kevin Hice]

Very neat Ivor,I can hardly believe you got that many sharp images. TFS

[Ivor Ottley]

It's very simple Ivor, you currently do not have the correct Colour Profile embedded. For all web or projected images they must have an sRGB Colour profile embedded, your currently have an RGB profile. Depending on how you create your output images it's probably an unchecked box that needs to be checked (ticked).

Thanks Steve...i have been converting to sRGB, but not ticking the 'embed color space box'.....i have it sorted now..

[Ivor Ottley]

Very neat Ivor,I can hardly believe you got that many sharp images. TFS

Lots of practice and my d850 :)

[Ivor Ottley]

No clue on the SAT variation ... As for the composite, it is quite neat. You did some good work in Photoshop (I assume).

Are these all from a single burst??? All of the birds look sharp and there are some great poses included.

with love, artie

Hi Artie, yes a single burst, shown in order, but a little creative licence thrown in position wise.

[Daniel Cadieux]

This is pretty neat!! Individually the kingfisher would be too small in the frame, but added together like this as a composite is really ideal. Pretty creative and nicely edited - I love it.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, yes a single burst, shown in order, but a little creative license thrown in position wise.

Thanks Ivor. Were you focusing or in Manual focus mode and just clicking. If the former, I would love to see one of the RAW files so I can understand what the heck you were doing :)

[Ivor Ottley]

Thanks Ivor. Were you focusing or in Manual focus mode and just clicking. If the former, I would love to see one of the RAW files so I can understand what the heck you were doing :)

Hi Arthur....I use a particular set-up for wildlife that i have been experimenting with....Here is what i currently use, and did here for these shots.

1. I shoot Manual mode with auto iso, so i am controlling the creative elements.

2. Both front and rear focusing buttons....AF rear button and PV front button set to either 'group' or 'single point'.....depending on wether i am concentrating on 'in flight' or static/slower targets. I then alternate between the two.
I have found 'group' focus mode seems to work well for me with this kind of action.

I'm interested in what others use.

[Ivor Ottley]

This is pretty neat!! Individually the kingfisher would be too small in the frame, but added together like this as a composite is really ideal. Pretty creative and nicely edited - I love it.

Thanks Daniel...you are right, it opens up a lot of potential for some exciting creative images........

[Paul Burdett]

Hi Ivor. Spectacular image(s) well executed and processed. I actually prefer the first saturated one. Love the two-toned background. Cheers.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Arthur....I use a particular set-up for wildlife that i have been experimenting with....Here is what i currently use, and did here for these shots.

1. I shoot Manual mode with auto iso, so i am controlling the creative elements.

2. Both front and rear focusing buttons....AF rear button and PV front button set to either 'group' or 'single point'.....depending on wether i am concentrating on 'in flight' or static/slower targets. I then alternate between the two.
I have found 'group' focus mode seems to work well for me with this kind of action.

I'm interested in what others use.

Hi Again Ivor. Thanks for getting back to me.

re:

#1 -- Understood. That is what you should be doing most of the time. Be sure that your EC is set to zero :)
#2 -- Again, understood. I use only Group (grp) for flight photography.

I am sorry for not making myself clear: for each of the original images in the composite was AF active at the moment of exposure. In other words, were you actively tracking the bird in flight while maintaining active AF?

with love, artie

[Ivor Ottley]

Hi Again Ivor. Thanks for getting back to me.

re:

#1 -- Understood. That is what you should be doing most of the time. Be sure that your EC is set to zero :)
#2 -- Again, understood. I use only Group (grp) for flight photography.

I am sorry for not making myself clear: for each of the original images in the composite was AF active at the moment of exposure. In other words, were you actively tracking the bird in flight while maintaining active AF?

with love, artie

Hi Artie, yes my AF button was held down whilst i was tracking the bird and firing off the shutter.... I do use the battery grip, so 9fps.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks, Ivor. That is totally amazing. Can you post a jpeg that represents the NEF file for a single image, perhaps the one on the lower left ...

thanks, a

[Ivor Ottley]

Thanks, Ivor. That is totally amazing. Can you post a jpeg that represents the NEF file for a single image, perhaps the one on the lower left ...

thanks, a

Here you go....one is an unedited LR Raw file and the other lightly edited to show detail.
All my editing involves both lightroom...(Initial balancing of light) and then photoshop...(main editing)

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Ivor. Those are illuminating -- I was trying to understand the framing. But here is the problem, perhaps: you said "yes my AF button was held down whilst i was tracking the bird and firing off the shutter...."

So I must ask, what AF mode were you using? (There are no AF points that cover the bird as shown in the screen captures above :)

with love, a

[Ivor Ottley]

Thanks Ivor. Those are illuminating -- I was trying to understand the framing. But here is the problem, perhaps: you said "yes my AF button was held down whilst i was tracking the bird and firing off the shutter...."

So I must ask, what AF mode were you using? (There are no AF points that cover the bird as shown in the screen captures above :)

with love, a

Sorry Arthur, I have no way of showing the focus points on screen......I used 'Group' AF mode. This was the last shot of the burst. Ivor

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks, Ivor,

Assuming that you are not moving the AF away from center then it is hard to believe that all of the images could wind up sharp with the AF Group nowhere near the subject. BTW, you can see the AF points using the free Nikon Capture NX-D.
with love, a

[Ivor Ottley]

Thanks, Ivor,

Assuming that you are not moving the AF away from center then it is hard to believe that all of the images could wind up sharp with the AF Group nowhere near the subject. BTW, you can see the AF points using the free Nikon Capture NX-D.
with love, a

You would think so Arthur.....but yet this particular burst were all very sharp ......my explanation would be that this final shot may well have been on the same focal plane as the earlier more centred images (We are talking about a burst of only a few seconds).... I have also found quite often that for whatever reason, once i obtain focus...my set-up tracks very well, even when well away from the original lock af point. The Nikon Capture NX-D software is great, thanks for the info on that !! It shows the 'group AF' centre points.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Ivor. "Well away certainly qualifies here. All that matters is that you got the shot!

with love, a

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thanks, Ivor,

Assuming that you are not moving the AF away from center then it is hard to believe that all of the images could wind up sharp with the AF Group nowhere near the subject. BTW, you can see the AF points using the free Nikon Capture NX-D.
with love, a

Hi Artie and others... I think the reason that the lower left kingfisher is sharp when no focus point would cover it is because sufficient depth of field for any small changes in focal plane. Also if the Nikon setting Blocked Shot AF Response is set to the middle setting or higher the camera will maintain the last locked autofocus for a period of time such a panning with a tree blocking. This also works without a tree blocking, so if the bird stays in the same plane of focus even though no autofocus point covers it with sufficient depth of field the bird will be sharp.

Here is a link to a plugin for Lightroom that will show the active focus point.

http://www.lightroomfocuspointsplugin.com/