Closest I've come to a flying bird-help needed

Just like when you use Binoculars for the first time, you see the subject with your eyes, then pick up the binoculars while keeping your eyes on the subject then put the binos in front of your eyes, soon it will be second nature. It takes practice but the method is the same. Keep your eye on the subject then move into the viewfinder and soon the bird will appear. Problems start when you take your eye off the subject to find the camera.

Same as in baseball, the coach always said to me "Keep your eye on the ball"

Enjoy learning, it is half the fun!

 

Gaye,

It really is a matter of practice, practice, practice. You first have to decide that this is what you want to accomplish, and then you go out and take a few thousand shots of gulls, pigeons, ducks, geese, and just about anything that you can find that will fly on a consistent basis.

As for learning to track, and lock onto these guys, I would start at a relatively low zoom level (say 200mm), and then as you get more adept, increase the zoom until you are maxed out (400mm).

This is about the only way that I know of that mere mortals like you and I can develope any level of competency.

Good start. Just keep practicing.... :wink:

Frank

 

They are a little soft but this adds to the mystique and takes them into the realm of artistic. Well done Gaye.

 

I'm a LONG way from being an expert on this, but one bit of advice I'd add Gaye, is that the gliding birds are a good way to start - gulls, geese, your egret friends, etc. They tend to maintain a constant speed and direction which makes practicing easier.

I tried to get Red-winged Blackbirds in flight today. I succeeded exactly zero times. Well not quite true - I did have the RWB centered in the frame in a number of shots. I also managed to get some wonderfully in focus shots of trees. Now if you think about it, if the trees are in focus, it's not likely that the bird will be.

Neil

 

Hi Gale.

Can I give you a tip from what I have learnt so far about things in flight. See my latest Macro Pictures posted yesterday.
ALL birds and insects have a prefight mode. In other words they do something very similar each time they are about to take off. They also have a flight pattern. So as the other members have said it is a question of practice practice practice, but I also sit and watch and watch and watch. Suddenly you begin to notice what they do the instant before they fly or the direction their flight path usually takes.
Some Birds flex their legs and jump, others dive before rising in flight. Butterflies leap upwards and left or right and bumble bees slide of the petals of flowers as their power to weight ratio is so bad.
So go out and observe as well as take pictures. I make copious notes and I always PREFOCUS AHEAD OFF THE DIRECTION IN WHICH I THINK THE SUBJECT WILL HEAD OFF. I store the the prefocus, and place the subject in the top left=right=bottom etc. and hold that until it takes off or comes into range. Then WHAM THE BLIGHTER HAS GONE OFF IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION!! Result zero. However, when you come back with just ONE image in focus and you are as happy as a pig in the proverbial.
I hope the above helps, and good luck at the weekend.

My new D2H could arrive today, so I am hoping that the more sophisticated focussing will help me in 2005. I have a D70 at the moment.

With my very best wishes. Bob F.

 

Back Again

I have just been studying your image. So here goes.

I think this bird flexes its legs PRIOR TO TAKE OFF. It needs to spring upwards and forwards to gain sufficient momentum for flight. The wings are partially open so that the first beat lifts the bird into the air and clear of the surrounding vegetation. Focussing is therefore slightly forward of the bird and on the branches it has to clear when going in this direction. So if you can get back there at some time and the bird is in a similar position, place bird in lower right hand side of picture. Prefocus on crossed branches. Watch the birds legs and wings as soon as either of them move HIT THE SHUTTER BUTTON and pray. You can see what is sharp in your picture so study it for future reference.
Of course all this could be a load of rubbish, as I have only just started to study flight patterns, but then again it may not be so idiotic after all.

BW. Bob F.

 

This is a real informative thread.....thanks to everyone participating. I have been wondering about this myself!!

 

Beautiful Image Gaye

Hi Gaye

This is such a beautiful image I just had to play. Hope you don't mind.

1 Original
2 sharpen and some other stuff, levels
3 Artsy Fartsy, with feivels gothic glow action.

Thanks
Gale

 

GAYE...

A little trick Ron Reznick taught me to track birds in flight.....

When you place the lens hood on the 200-400, make sure that the little tighner upper knob is pointed upwars and in line with the white dots on the centerline of the lens. Use the litle knob just like you would a gun sight. It's saved my butt countless times when I haven't been able to locate a flyuing bird by scanning the skies through the lens and never finding the sucker.

 

Re: Beautiful Image Gaye

You did a fine job, Gale, but in sharpening the birds, you oversharpened the trees and leaves in the process, and the sharpening
accentuated the slight noise in the background as well. This is a perfect case for selective sharpening through layer masking.
If you didn't see it, I just wrote a tutorial on the technique here:

https://www.nikoncafe.com//forums/viewtopic.php?t=1289

 

Gaye,

Anytime you need some help fixing up a photo, just email to me the largest size you can untouched and will try to help. My e-mail will handle 10 megs. RAW files ok also.

techwish@bellsouth.net

I would be happy to share any of the little tricks I have learned, still a novice at this. But willing to share.

Cheers
Gale

 

Hi Gaye

I was where you are at a couple of years ago, so here is some of my meager knowledge:

1. Ron's tip using the lens hood screw as a gun sight works well. If you combine that with keeping your eye on the subject and both eyes open when you look through the camera you will soon be able to acquire the target rapidly.

2. I find it works best if you set up your camera so that the focus is triggered by the AF-ON button - not the shutter release.

3. Of course, you want to be in continuous focus mode.

4. For birds in flight I have had most success setting the AF area mode selector to the second position - dynamic area AF.

5. I carry my camera on my tripod when I anticipate birds so I can set the camera up rapidly. If you are using a ball head, then make sure the slot that allows excess vertical movement is facing you. This will allow you to tilt the camera steeply upwards if you need to. Conversely, if you anticipate tilting downward then orient the slot away from yourself.

6. Make sure to orient your tripod so that you can pan in the direction of anticipated flight without a leg getting in your way as you (in an excited state), run around your pod tracking your prey.

7. When you are panning, make sure you keep panning after the shot.

8. Since you have a zoom, leave yourself some cropping room. Full frame flight images are for the lucky or the extremely skilled photographers.

9. It is difficult to anticipate exposure on flight shots, as the background can quickly shift from trees to sky. In bright, sunny conditions I frequently set my camera on manual and expose for sunny f/16 or for the highlights. In duller conditions I will set my camera in aperture priority. In both cases, figure out the lowest ISO you can get away with in advance.

10. If you can, focus on the eyes. If you are shooting larger birds, take the DOF you will require to keep the wings sharp under consideration. The temptation is to shoot wide open, but at 400mm and more that can be a problem.

Believe it or not, all this becomes second nature with practise. I think that is why we see so many bird photos - they are a challenge, and who can resist that.

Anyway, I hope these tips help.

 

Excellent list Rory. Pretty close to the checklist that I go through each time I set up for shooting flying birdies.

Frank