BIRD IN FLIGHT ONLY -- share your BIF photos here

[Orangutan]

I had the chance to capture the photo of a lifetime (OK, I have low expectations) and blew it. I needed at least a 3x faster shutter speed to make this work. To be fair, things happened pretty darn fast. This would have been a really cool photo.

Nice try, though. Was that a Cooper's hawk on a starling?

A Cooper's on a robin fledgling. 700mm at 1/400 sec is not a recipe for success.

Ah, but you're supposed to be panning!

Jack

I think he was -- look at the full-size version. I think the problem was that the subject came to an abrupt stop.

Just teasing!! ;D

Jack

No, I posted this for several reasons. First was to open the door for others to post things that almost worked. I'm tired of looking at perfect photos. I learn most from failure. I was out shooting a photo of a helicopter when this all happened around me. I had the camera set up to shoot against a bright sky with the IS set for stills. This photo needed a bump in ISO, a bigger aperture, and the IS set for panning. I had ZERO time to change anything. The cool thing is that this sort of thing happens in my backyard once a week (if only I was retired). I am not a good, let alone a great, photographer. I still have to think a lot before releasing the shutter. I'm really good at determining what I should have done. I try to do things that I have no reason to try or expect success. It all makes me a little bit better.

Thanks for posting it. BTW, doesn't the latest Photoshop have some tool to reduce motion blur? This might be a good candidate for that.

 

[JMZawodny]

Once everything came to a relative halt ... (I may still have a slight front focus bias).

 

[JMZawodny]

I had the chance to capture the photo of a lifetime (OK, I have low expectations) and blew it. I needed at least a 3x faster shutter speed to make this work. To be fair, things happened pretty darn fast. This would have been a really cool photo.

Nice try, though. Was that a Cooper's hawk on a starling?

A Cooper's on a robin fledgling. 700mm at 1/400 sec is not a recipe for success.

Ah, but you're supposed to be panning!

Jack

I think he was -- look at the full-size version. I think the problem was that the subject came to an abrupt stop.

Just teasing!! ;D

Jack

No, I posted this for several reasons. First was to open the door for others to post things that almost worked. I'm tired of looking at perfect photos. I learn most from failure. I was out shooting a photo of a helicopter when this all happened around me. I had the camera set up to shoot against a bright sky with the IS set for stills. This photo needed a bump in ISO, a bigger aperture, and the IS set for panning. I had ZERO time to change anything. The cool thing is that this sort of thing happens in my backyard once a week (if only I was retired). I am not a good, let alone a great, photographer. I still have to think a lot before releasing the shutter. I'm really good at determining what I should have done. I try to do things that I have no reason to try or expect success. It all makes me a little bit better.

Thanks for posting it. BTW, doesn't the latest Photoshop have some tool to reduce motion blur? This might be a good candidate for that.

It may. I also have access to some deconvolution software that might clean these photos up.

 

[bjd]

I had the chance to capture the photo of a lifetime (OK, I have low expectations) and blew it. I needed at least a 3x faster shutter speed to make this work. To be fair, things happened pretty darn fast. This would have been a really cool photo.

Nice try, though. Was that a Cooper's hawk on a starling?

A Cooper's on a robin fledgling. 700mm at 1/400 sec is not a recipe for success.

Ah, but you're supposed to be panning!

Jack

I think he was -- look at the full-size version. I think the problem was that the subject came to an abrupt stop.

Just teasing!! ;D

Jack

No, I posted this for several reasons. First was to open the door for others to post things that almost worked. I'm tired of looking at perfect photos. I learn most from failure. I was out shooting a photo of a helicopter when this all happened around me. I had the camera set up to shoot against a bright sky with the IS set for stills. This photo needed a bump in ISO, a bigger aperture, and the IS set for panning. I had ZERO time to change anything. The cool thing is that this sort of thing happens in my backyard once a week (if only I was retired). I am not a good, let alone a great, photographer. I still have to think a lot before releasing the shutter. I'm really good at determining what I should have done. I try to do things that I have no reason to try or expect success. It all makes me a little bit better.

Well I would have thousands that nearly worked that I could post here, I've had the 7D MKII since December and I think the shutter count life-expectancy is now nearly been reached.
But I think all that I want is to be able to continually improve and get some good shots that I can show, and (as was pointed out) know what I did wrong when the shot is not as good as I expected.
The pictures here show me that my equipment is not the limiting factor (unfortunately).

I wish I was at the stage where I would have been able to get perfect shots without thinking in such a situation, but I am not

Cheers Brian

 

[Jack Douglas]

Brian, I can't get the bird in the viewfinder so you can be an encouragement to me. One of my problems is trying for tighter and not being able to handle 300 2.8 II X 2 III due to shaking. Bare 300 would be more realistic but then cropping ...... Actually my 70-200 is probably what I should drop back to.

Jack

 

[JMZawodny]

Brian, I can't get the bird in the viewfinder so you can be an encouragement to me. One of my problems is trying for tighter and not being able to handle 300 2.8 II X 2 III due to shaking. Bare 300 would be more realistic but then cropping ...... Actually my 70-200 is probably what I should drop back to.

Jack

You can appreciate how pleased I was to simply get the hawk and prey in the frame using the 500mm & 1.4x. That was far and away the fastest thing (angular rate, not absolute speed) I've had to try and track. Just need to keep practicing ...

 

[bjd]

Brian, I can't get the bird in the viewfinder so you can be an encouragement to me. One of my problems is trying for tighter and not being able to handle 300 2.8 II X 2 III due to shaking. Bare 300 would be more realistic but then cropping ...... Actually my 70-200 is probably what I should drop back to.

Jack

Hi Jack, I am tending to drop back from 400mm to 200m when trying to get Herons flying nearby now, as I just cannot follow them either if I'm too tight. I also have bad shakes due to a nerve ailment, so it does not help.
but I also have many series of shots where I keep the moving Bird under the active Focus points, but many of them are still unsharp. So I am experimenting there too.
As JMZawodny pointed out, we need to keep practicing.

Good luck and keep posting though.

Remember if anyone criticises you its only because they want to buy your equipment at a low price....... :-[

Cheers Brian

 

[bjd]

Oh what a moment to capture! Very nice.

We human mothers/fathers can take a lesson from the woodpecker.

Jack

Used to ride by Bike from Northallerton to Boosebeck. Fell off a lot when I was young.
I dont think it did me any harm!

Cheers Brian

What? you mean we should be out banging our heads against trees more ?


Thanks Jack

I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I should try it - I've heard the expression "to knock some sense into your head" ;D

Jack

Where I come from, Yorkshire, we've been trying that for years now.
I think its working

So now I know why I have problems, my grandparents came from Yorks. Boosebeck.

Jack

 

[Jack Douglas]

Equipment at a low price - well thanks for that - now I know!

When I can't lift the camera I'll quit practicing but not before. I also have a bit of shake that is a physical ailment and am always trying to brace myself or pulling the strap tight against my shoulder etc. I'm convincing myself that when (hopefully) I get the 1DX II I'll practice BIF a lot more. ;D Thanks for the encouragement.

I did find a few months with the 1D4 was way more productive than with the 6D though. However, ISO 800 was not nearly as pleasing as 600 and I needed higher ISO to get half decent shutter speed. Of course eagles are a lot easier than many birds. 300 X2

Jack

 

[JMZawodny]

Equipment at a low price - well thanks for that - now I know!

When I can't lift the camera I'll quit practicing but not before. I also have a bit of shake that is a physical ailment and am always trying to brace myself or pulling the strap tight against my shoulder etc. I'm convincing myself that when (hopefully) I get the 1DX II I'll practice BIF a lot more. ;D Thanks for the encouragement.

I did find a few months with the 1D4 was way more productive than with the 6D though. However, ISO 800 was not nearly as pleasing as 600 and I needed higher ISO to get half decent shutter speed. Of course eagles are a lot easier than many birds. 300 X2

Jack

Two sweet photos. Very nice.

 

[Click]

Very nice shots, Jack. I especially like the second one. Well done.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Thanks guys. One thing for certain I really could have used the 1DX II in Haida Gwaii with the eagles etc. Still, without the 1D4 I wouldn't have gotten many BIF. Expectations of gear just keep on rising.

Jack

 

[dcm]

Osprey

 

[martinslade]

Swallow... fast little things..!

 

[Vern]

1DX, 600 II + 1.4 III, ISO 1000, 1/640, f8.

 

[Ardan]

5Diii + 100-400 ii

Black-legged kittiwake with seaweed by
Kris Van den Abeele, on Flickr

 

[Jack Douglas]

Nice BIF everyone. Viewing this thread is a killer - just got a call that a 1DX II is at the store for me and I've bumped myself down the list to delay since there are just too many unfinished jobs here on the acreage. So no BIF with a fast camera for me.

Jack

 

[Vern]

Sandwich Tern Series.
1DX I, 100-400 II @400 mm, ISO 1600, f8, 1/2000.

Was lucky to have a day w/o salt spray so I could stand in the surf to shoot these. Played around w auto focus setting and settled on 5 and the IS set to mode 3. I'm not sure the IS is really helpful at this shutter speed - would appreciate comments on this.

 

[Click]

I really like the second picture. Well done, Vern.

 

[Vern]

two more