The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I was trying to take shots of the birds in the yard and this dove stopped by for a bite. So I started to take his pic when he looked up at me like, “What do you think your doing” then he puffed up his chest and cocked his head. I had to stop and laugh. He saw that too and flew away.
Specific Feedback
I’ve been taking different shot with different setting to see what’s best. All help is welcomed.
Technical Details
R5m2
70-200mm 135
f22
1/80 sec
ISO 800
no flash
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Hi John. While you can sometimes get good images at a variety of settings, bird photographers usually lean toward using wide apertures to minimize the background clutter and isolate the bird, and high shutter speeds to stop action. It looks like you had pretty bright light, so the 800 iso was probably quite reasonable. In this case, I’d probably have been at something like f/4 to f/5.6 with that lens which would put the shutter speed at 1/2500 or 1/1250 respectively. If the dove took off, you’d probably get some wing blur at 1/1250, but not too much and 1/2500 should stop dove wings (I think). You have pretty good detail in the plumage on these shots, but at 1/80th almost any motion of the bird is going to affect image quality. That’s not to say it can’t work-the old bird photographers were happy to get 1/10th as a shutter speed and I’ve seen some old images that worked at 2 seconds.
The best thing I ever learned about photography is that shade is your best friend and bright sun is your worst enemy, due to harsh contrast. The second best thing is to get down to the level of your subject.
Shade or soft light isn’t always easy to come by in terms of hoping for cloudy-bright conditions, but it happens twice every day – before sunrise and after sunset.
Dennis, this is the info and help I’m looking for and needed. I will take this info and try again today.
Thanks a bunch. Although, the temp is in the 20’s today so I won’t be outside for long. The birds and squirls don’t seem to mind as long as there is food to eat.
Diane, this is more great help and advice. I did notice the bright contrast and tried to minimize it in PS. I’ll keep trying. The days here lately in VA are both, clear and cold so I won’t be trying to get eye level with these guys on the ground, LOL bur. I do try to get as close as I can though. I’m about 20 feet away in these shots. I’ll keep working at it and keep asking for advice.
Thanks
Yeah, I’ve noticed getting low isn’t always possible. (I’m not as young as I used to be.) I trick my birds to getting up on perches. They’ll do almost anything for food!
Compensating for bright sunlight can sometimes be slightly effective with the Shadows and Highlights sliders in LR or ACR, and I assume in most raw converters. But it’s never even close to the lovely lighting you get by shooting subjects in the shade. Easy to do a quick experiment – place some 3D object out where the birds are and shoot it from the same spot several times during the day as the sun moves, then shoot it when it’s in shade. A vase of artificial flowers with a wide range of colors, with some white, is a great test subject.
Distant landscapes do work well in bright sun, due to the filtering effect of our usually-dirty air.
Excellent advice from two experienced bird photographers. Soft light and a lower vantage point will result in a more engaging picture. Doves are such big babies though and I hardly ever can get close to them, but keep trying.
@Kris_Smith, @Diane_Miller, Thanks for the great advice. I’m pushing 70 so my bones aren’t as agile as they used to be, as well. I’m going to build some kind of perch for them to try and get them off the ground. That should improve the BG and hopefully composition as well, I think.
Diane, I will experiment with objects as you have suggested to learn the best settings for the time of day.
I have figured out that if I’m going to take bird images, I’m going to have to get a longer lens., (any suggestions). I usually stick with close-ups and macro images but I’m trying to expand my portfolio a little and try something different.
Kris, “keep trying” is some of the best advice I could get.
I follow you guys not only to see your great images but also to learn what you do to get those shots. I even ck to see if you include the time of day taken.
THANKS
Keep trying is the key. Failures and goofs are the best teachers, at least for me. And I do keep trying as well. I’ll drop this here because I know what’s wrong with it and how to fix it so didn’t put it up for critique, but it was a grab shot out of the window that I took because I love floofy doves and you don’t get a view of that tail from this angle often. Shot through a window because they spook so easily, but we have as many as 20 at a time in the yard so I have lots of opportunity. I don’t shoot when it’s too sunny though, soft light complements them so well. Hope you don’t mind.
A long lens is super important as you say. These guys are small and filling the frame as much as possible helps a great deal. And a good 100-400 makes for a decent close up lens for insects, too. I use mine for that all the time.
Thanks Kris. I don’t mind a bit. What a nice shot of this dove. I like the BG because it shows the weather at the time and makes for great composition. It tells a story. I also really like the colors of the bird.
If I had taken it, I’m sure I would have cropped it too much.
Like you say, “Keep trying is the key”.
So, tell me if you don’t mind, what is wrong with this image?
THANKS
It’s busy and a little soft due to atmosphere and the window. Background is a bit too prominent as well. Not a contest winner by any stretch, but it’s a good environmental photo to show the perfection of feathers and the conditions these birds are used to.
You’ve got a GREAT camera and the 70-200 is a wonderful lens – either the EF version with an adapter or the new RF version. For longer reach I have, and love, the 100-500. I use it a lot with the TCs . There is very little loss of sharpness with either and the lens is relatively lightweight. A lot of people are liking the 800 but I haven’t used one.
Another thought on shooting in sunlight – the problem is the dynamic range between the dark shadows and bright highlights. Our eyes compensate but the sensor doesn’t. Even advanced processing (such as HDR) just isn’t the same as soft light. But if you are stuck with sunlight, if the sun is directly behind you, you will minimize shaded areas on the subject and BG.
Another thought on the original image – 1/80 sec. is thin ice, both for handholding and for subject movement. I would use the lens wide open and maybe go for 1/250 and however low the ISO can go in the light. It’s a huge balancing act to find the best balance of ISO, SS and aperture. The newest NR software makes the ISO less of a factor than it used to be. But any need to increase exposure in processing, such as to open up shadows, will reveal lots of noise. Topaz Denoise in “Severe Noise” mode can work wonders for noisy shadows, and the “Low Light” mode is great for less problematic images.
