It was bright blustery day. The wind on top of the cliff was so powerful that I had trouble holding the camera still - no tripod. So a lot of my images came out blurred. I sharpened this a bit with PS.
NIKON D300 - Sigma OS 150.0-500.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 - Focal Length: 500 mm - ISO 500 - Exposure: 1/640 sec at f / 13
Welcome! The image is sharp but with the harsh off angled light you pretty much had no chance... Aside from the chick and the fact that you did not fall off the cliff, this does not have much going for it....
The red box on the right side of the histogram shows that there are big areas of oveer-exposed whites, on the birds, and especially on the whitewashed rocks. Becasue of the harsh light, the blacks are also clipped on the left side of the histogram. Try to get out on a cloudy day and then look for a pleasing arrangement where most or all of the birds are looking at you or at least straight ahead.
Best to learn to evaluate your histograms in the field. I can recommend ABP II (916 pages on CD only). It has a large section on evaluating the histogram and then adjusting the exposure if need be.
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
Hi Hilke,
A big warm welcome to the BPN family...the composition is a tad on the tight side, the head angles on your birds are all over the place...also there is noise in the background...I agree with Mr. Morris' good advise...just keep on practicing...looking forward to your next one...:cool:
A cool image idea and despite the tough conditions, you managed well. Artie is a very tough critic, but a great teacher as are the other excellent photographers who are on here and have commented already. I can echo with their thoughts and comments.
So don't be shy, we are all here to learn. Would love to see more images. :)
Hi - another big warm welcome to the BPN Family - My Fav birds these guys.
Have to agree with Artie! Make sure you use your Histogram to check your exposure and turn on your over exposure blinkies - so you get a visual indication of anything that is over exposed.
There are a lot of threads in the educational resources forum in regards to exposure and head angles.
Also worth getting your light angle right - generally you want it behind you so that your shadow points at your subject and the subject is front lit.
If you need any help turning on your over exposure blinkies just PM me.
As mentioned Arties book is worth every cent and many times more. Looking forward to seeing more :)
Thanks. I'll take all your advice to heart. I actually have Art's CD and will review that section. I was hoping for an overcast day, but no cloud in sight. This was my only chance for a trip to the island, until next year. I'll pay more attention to the noise, the angle, the histogram watching for clipping .... There is so much to learn - both the camera and the lens are fairly new and I am still feeling my way around.
Hi Hilke, Lot of great news: 1- You have a good attitude! 2-It is way easier to learn with digital than with film. Way. 3- Digital is free for you at this point. That means that practise if free. So get to work. In the beginning you can take pictures of anything just to study the hisograms, learn your camera, and learn to add and subtract light. 4- You have lots of room for improvement.
Good luck!
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
Northern Gannets on Helgoland
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