Caught off Bunch Beach near Sanibel, Florida, on Christmas Eve, a sunset.
D300, 1/250th, F4 with 200-400mm @ 200, ISO 640.
I took a lot of shots, almost all blurred from the low light, or high ISO (as I got over 1000 I found I lost too much detail). None of the shots skimming were very good, and the (nice, sharp, easy) shots sitting in a flock were boring.
I liked this one because of the flock flying shots, it isolated a bird fairly well, and the crowd scene below gave a feeling of how many there were. But it's also a bit noisy. I might work on that a bit more, but was starting to lose detail.
THe other thing this had, which 99% of the rest did not, is you can make out the eye. Almost every other shot the blacks blended and the eye was just plain missing, even with some detailed post processing.
Suggestions welcomed.
PS. A few other shots here, at the top of the galary.
Lot's of action here, wish the main bird was not intersecting with another - so it goes in a flock (smile).
Shutter is kinda slow, try and keep it higher. Looks like you were trying hard, f/4.0 and a high ISO, maybe conditions were not right for BIF. Low light can cause soft images. If you want a nice eye shot, try 400MM and isolate the head with center sensor. Seek HA and eye facing lens and light source.
Looks like light was at your side as well, that's not a bad thing but with BIF we try and keep wind and sun at our back if possible. on balance, well done keep practicing, I love these birds.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 12-26-2009 at 01:41 PM.
Hi - black and white birds are tough in anything but the softest light or with the use of flash to open those blacks up a bit.
Love the sweet golden light, good HA and visible eye on the main bird. Does give a good feel for how many birds were there.
Wish that the main bird did not merge with others in the background.
Ferguson - I like the light, and the fact that you caught the main subject coming toward you with a good HA. I also like the OOF skimmers on the ground, that make a nice base IMHO. These guys are hard to get in focus and with correct exposure. Agree with Jeff and Lance that it would be a much nicer image if the main bird were not overlapping the others. That said, I've tried to do just what you did here, and with much less success than you. Nice work and keep at it.
Hi Ferguson,
I like the capture...agree with the techs. and sound advise given, with these types of capture, its all a matter of patience and timing...keep at it...looking forward to your next one...:cool:
Black Skimmer Flock
