BIRD IN FLIGHT ONLY -- share your BIF photos here

ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
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Apr 30, 2017
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And some missed opportunities - and I will illustrate that with the most painful one :cry:): wrong ISO (and speed of course), wrong EV correction... Looks like every thing wrong except the great opportunity... These two birds are probably taking look at the site of their future nest - it's just the beginning of the breading season...
Don't be surprised from more photos of Tropic birds next weekend;) (despite my face is itching and will start peeling from tomorrow - the sunscreen is not helping enough, especially if you forget to apply it every one hour)!

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And few from today (Sunday already, I wish it was Saturday again;)). First photo is to illustrate the challenges with the light: when the bird is on sky background you need to make ~+1 -1.7EV correction (I mean for reasonable photos and it doesn't include the situations when the lens is to close the sun point). When it drops to a background from the ocean or the cliffs you MUST make at least ~-1EV correction. And there are transitional areas - where the ocean water is reflecting very strongly the sunlight (the "path" of the sunlight). Every birder knows how fast you have to make your corrections in case of BIF - I'm still learning and honestly I'm not sure one day I will have it (or if it's really possible:unsure:).
[...]

Hi ISv, despite your "missed opportunities" I get the distinct impression that your BiF skills are already improving 'by leaps and bounds' (if that's the correct expression...)! Practice makes perfect; when your gear allows practice to become fun, you learn quickly ;) .
Your Sunday series is very nice indeed (y)
To share some of my (limited) experience - I do not rely on automatic exposure for BiF anymore, I have my camera set to manual - selected to have the bird well exposed in the dominant direction of my shots. With that setting exposure usually stays correct to within two thirds of a stop independent of the exact image direction (e.g. reflections in water, dark cliffs in the background etcetera). The small error in exposure can easily be corrected in post processing. Condition obviously is that the lighting conditions stay the same (no dark clouds passing the sun ;)). Just my 2 cents, YMMV...
W.
 
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AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
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Aug 16, 2012
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Here is an attempt of mine at a Tropical Bird on our Galapagos trip, taken with a 5DSR and 100-400mm II. I find the fov of 400mm on FF much easier to handle than 500mm on APS-C for BIF. The 5DSR/100-400mm II combo is quite good for a BIF if its moving predictably enough to pan. By the way, I set the exposure manually for BIF.

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Just a few from my 1dc, the first is pretty much straight out of camera, so I was happy with 18 mpix, but it was the first time the Heron was flying kind of towards us. Then some seagull action. I’m not happy with the colours/processing too much, but it’s a moment.
Regardsto all the BIF photographers out there. Bit like fishing waiting for something to happen, and it all happens at once.
 

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Beautiful series, ISv. I especially like the first picture.
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
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Apr 30, 2017
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I went today to scout an area where the Red-footed Booby are rather common (in particular hours of the day). Didn't have big expectations because of the forecast but the weather was surprisingly fine (except the strong wind coming from the ocean and pretty big surf). New place for me and I made mistakes with choosing the point and predicting the paths of the birds - my closest to the birds point was ~50 meters I think. With such an angry ocean you get a lot of water droplets and mist between the lens and the object (next time - better I hope!). Otherwise - a lot of birds - it was a "Birds photographer Orgy":D! First two pics - just to illustrate the ocean conditions (I was afraid to get closer to the ocean - even on places where I choose to stand there were droplets landing on my gear). When you see that red "bird" (could be other color if from different agency) circling the ocean - it means something bad happened!
After that Brown Booby: male (with blue base of the bill) and female (yellow base), accompanied by Red-footed Booby.
All others are the Red-footed (somewhere in the files I have to have even the brown morph of that species).


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AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
CR Pro
Aug 16, 2012
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I went today to scout an area where the Red-footed Booby are rather common (in particular hours of the day). Didn't have big expectations because of the forecast but the weather was surprisingly fine (except the strong wind coming from the ocean and pretty big surf). New place for me and I made mistakes with choosing the point and predicting the paths of the birds - my closest to the birds point was ~50 meters I think. With such an angry ocean you get a lot of water droplets and mist between the lens and the object (next time - better I hope!). Otherwise - a lot of birds - it was a "Birds photographer Orgy":D! First two pics - just to illustrate the ocean conditions (I was afraid to get closer to the ocean - even on places where I choose to stand there were droplets landing on my gear). When you see that red "bird" (could be other color if from different agency) circling the ocean - it means something bad happened!
After that Brown Booby: male (with blue base of the bill) and female (yellow base), accompanied by Red-footed Booby.
All others are the Red-footed (somewhere in the files I have to have even the brown morph of that species).


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You are so lucky seeing those birds on your doorstep (well, almost). Well done!
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
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Apr 30, 2017
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:D: we can see here Mallard 1-2 birds per year, migrants - all others are hybrids Mallard x Hawaiian duck (and they are plenty).
Swan?! Go to the Zoo (and even they have only the Black swan, single specimen):(!
Concerning my "doorsteps": C'mon Alan - it's on the other site of the island! You have to drive there 45 endless minutes (endless because you can't weight to be on the place already:LOL:).
Nice shots BTW!
 
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AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
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Aug 16, 2012
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:D: we can see here Mallard 1-2 birds per year, migrants - all others are hybrids Mallard x Hawaiian duck (and they are plenty).
Swan?! Go to the Zoo (and even they have only the Black swan, single specimen):(!
Concerning my "doorsteps": C'mon Alan - it's on the other site of the island! You have to drive there 45 endless minutes (endless because you can't weight to be on the place already:LOL:).
Nice shots BTW!
It took me an hour's drive to see those birds! My favourite local spot for the kingfisher is also 45 minutes away. I feel very pious since buying a Prius and getting 70mpg.
 
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ISv

"The equipment that matters, is you"
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Apr 30, 2017
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I always try to get more of the bird (like in the first photo) but sometimes you can get more of the picture from distant photos and less bird. Still digging into my files from the last weekend...
These birds are not small (the size of the waves can crush a human, forget birds!) and it's really amazing how the one on the second photo can navigate the waves (see it's left wing - it's almost in the water!) and in the same time looking at me - a lot of multitasking!
Don't be surprised from the orientation of the birds in my photos: they nest on tiny offshore islets left of me and in the early morning are going right of me to feed in the ocean. Late afternoon it would be opposite!

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