Gallery: AvianPosted July 3, 2012331 views10 comments
Eastern sierras
D300
500mm
1/1000 sec, f/5.6
Mode: Av
Metering: Spot
Exp comp: +2/3
ISO: 800
AF mode: MANUAL
White balance: AUTO
Comments
10 comments
Comment posted by S Govindarajan on July 3, 2012 at 2:18 PM
Cool capture, Sandy. For me, the perch is as interesting as the bluebird itself. Great background and the bug puts it over the top.
Why did you go for manual focus?
Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Balke on July 3, 2012 at 3:23 PM
I love the "one-foot-up" on the pine cone pose you captured here, Sandy. Nice big bug too! Govind asks a good question: why manual focus? Whenever I try manual focus with birds I'm so slow to make up my mind about the focus point that the bird is long gone. Also, with continuously variable lenses in my eyeglasses I'm usually wrong on the focus point anyway!
Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments
Comment posted by Verdon on July 3, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Great shot, nice pose and perch, great overall quality!!!
Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on July 3, 2012 at 6:22 PM
Boy is he an electric blue (in comparison to the bluebirds around here). Love the background, perch and action.
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 3, 2012 at 6:53 PM
Steve and Govind, the key to getting good bird images is knowing the bird's behavior and patterns.
After observing a number of bluebirds in this area, I saw where the most accessible nest (BB Box) was, and that the parents used this particular branch for a staging area before they flew into the nestbox a short distance away.
I usually use AF because I'm lazy, and because I can't adjust the camera fast enough. In this case, however, it was very simple to pre-focus in Manual on the area that the birds were likely to alight and just sit there quietly, in my lawn chair sipping a cold drink, (really) with a wireless remote shutter release in my hand. Much better results than trying to use AF to re-focus every single time they came in. I was also far enough away that they didn't mind me there at all.
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by S Govindarajan on July 3, 2012 at 9:22 PM
Thanks, Sandy. Looks like you know your subjects literally to the inch, to be able to manual focus in advance and get this sharpness with F5.6.
Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Balke on July 3, 2012 at 11:03 PM
Thank you, Sandy. Sounds exhausting!
Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on July 4, 2012 at 4:39 AM
Sweet catch of this beauty Sandy!!! Nice details and bug, but I think the perch helps put this one over the top for me. Your doing some work on these guys this season.
Ken Archer
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Roger Leekam on July 4, 2012 at 6:28 AM
Excellent composition. The square format works well.
Registered on May 28, 2009, 83 Posts, 646 Comments
Comment posted by KC Choo on July 4, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Extra nice one! I like the leg up.
Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments
Comments
10 commentsWhy did you go for manual focus?
After observing a number of bluebirds in this area, I saw where the most accessible nest (BB Box) was, and that the parents used this particular branch for a staging area before they flew into the nestbox a short distance away.
I usually use AF because I'm lazy, and because I can't adjust the camera fast enough. In this case, however, it was very simple to pre-focus in Manual on the area that the birds were likely to alight and just sit there quietly, in my lawn chair sipping a cold drink, (really) with a wireless remote shutter release in my hand. Much better results than trying to use AF to re-focus every single time they came in. I was also far enough away that they didn't mind me there at all.
Sandy
Ken Archer