Gallery: AvianPosted September 6, 2012107 views7 comments
Taken at low tide in SW Florida. I liked the warm brown tones of the bird as well as background.
Comments and suggestions always appreciated.
Nikon D7000
Sigma 50-500 VR
500 mm
F6.3
1/800
ISO 100
Comments
7 comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on September 6, 2012 at 1:30 PM
Nice bird and clean BG (not that that is always best!)
A little soft - most zooms are soft at both extremes of their range - try pulling back just a bit and you'll see better sharpness.
With only 1/800 and ISO 100, you have some motion blur of that back leg -
When out with birds and looking for flight shots or any kind of action, I use a shutter priority set for as fast a shutter speed as will still give me an F4 or higher.
Your beach here looks fairly bright, so I bet you could have gone to at least 1/2000 and ISO 600-800.
I'd give anything to be so close to Sanibel!
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Karon Welter on September 6, 2012 at 5:58 PM
Sandy, thanks so much for your help. I felt that I should've had a faster shutter speed. I need to watch it more, especially on those days when the sun comes and goes. Also, I will try to remember to stay nearer mid-range on my zoom........I tend to forget the technicals when shooting!
Yes, SW Florida does have some great areas for photography! Thanks again.
Registered on November 10, 2008, 67 Posts, 543 Comments
Comment posted by Keith Bauer on September 6, 2012 at 6:24 PM
Sandy provided some good feedback. My biggest concern is time of day. Pretty clear from the shadows that this was taken when the sun was nearly straight above. Not the most flattering light.
Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 6, 2012 at 9:58 PM
Sandy has given a detailed critique. I agree with it. I shoot with an 80-400, and try to back off to about 350 for sharper images (not always successful at that; hard to get close to some birds). Also, I have had better luck with shorebirds at high tide.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 7, 2012 at 9:24 AM
Hi Karon...I like most things about this except I do wish it was a tad sharper and wish the light was less harsh causing the heavy shadow at the feet.
I don't own that lens, but know people that do and I have seen several sharp shots at 500mm. SO I do agree with the fact you needed more SS....looking at the motion blur in the legs helps to figure that one out. When I shoot any bird in action, I normally strive for 1/2000 or higher SS (if I want stop action). You can get away with less based on the species and how fast they move, but I think it is a good point of reference.
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Bunch on September 7, 2012 at 6:09 PM
I like the action pose. It looks a little flat and dark to me. The midday light has already been mentioned.
Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments
Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on September 8, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Problems mentioned, but as I viewed the larger version, I can see that you had focus dead on the head and eye...it's pretty sharp there. Sharon
Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments
Comments
7 commentsA little soft - most zooms are soft at both extremes of their range - try pulling back just a bit and you'll see better sharpness.
With only 1/800 and ISO 100, you have some motion blur of that back leg -
When out with birds and looking for flight shots or any kind of action, I use a shutter priority set for as fast a shutter speed as will still give me an F4 or higher.
Your beach here looks fairly bright, so I bet you could have gone to at least 1/2000 and ISO 600-800.
I'd give anything to be so close to Sanibel!
Sandy
Yes, SW Florida does have some great areas for photography! Thanks again.
I don't own that lens, but know people that do and I have seen several sharp shots at 500mm. SO I do agree with the fact you needed more SS....looking at the motion blur in the legs helps to figure that one out. When I shoot any bird in action, I normally strive for 1/2000 or higher SS (if I want stop action). You can get away with less based on the species and how fast they move, but I think it is a good point of reference.