Show your Bird Portraits

[jprusa]

Joules, keep them coming.

One thing I've found in about 5 years owning a DSLR is that a motionless person, particularly sitting, for me often a lawn chair, is not threatening to many birds and animals. Often I'll pack along a good book and plan to just sit and read with the camera handy. Many of my best shots have come in these circumstances. When I tramp through the bush it seems I'm more likely to not see anything because they are far ahead moving away from me.

I try to observe from afar and if I see subjects then I quietly move into the area and set up to read (not in winter though).

Once while sitting right beside a very small creek that cut though a slough a baby muskrat came out of the water no more than 8 feet from me and proceeded to eat bulrush leaves for a number of minutes. Luckily, the 300 lens has pretty close focus. I couldn't stop pinching myself for days. Not a bird but I'm posting it anyway.

Jack

That is a beautiful image! Cute guy. Are they rare or do you see them often and it was only so special, because you also got to shoot it?

Also thank you very much for your advice! I will certainly give it a try when I'm out to photograph animals the next time.

I think I've also experienced that behaviour of birds quite a while ago. I was at a small lake around dawn, exploring a moor near my home. On the near bank I saw a bunch of geese, and since I had my EF-S 10-18mm on at that point, I sat down in the dirt and looked for my EF 85mm 1.8 (My longest lens at the time). It was burried all the way down in the bag, so it took a while for me to find it and put it on the camera. By the time I was finished, I discovered the geese had come very close and had spread around me in different more or less attractive poses. One of them was even uncomfortably close, so much so that I became quite aware of the pointy parts of its beak. It almost filled the frame ;D

Also, sorry for posting so many similar shots, but that was basically the last presentable bird images I had, so I'll try to up the quality and diversity if I can foir what may come in the future.

Edit: If I don't want my images to become so huge and take up that my space I have to upload them somewhere else and embedd them, right? Instead of using the CR attachment feature?

I really like that 2nd shot!

 

[Jack Douglas]

ISv , M with auto ISO is a form of auto and I'm not against it. If your camera has metering linked to a spot AF point then that is pretty useful. There will be the odd time that my fully manual setting will be off but it won't be fooled by bright objects like the sky.

Actually, since I'm not that experienced and not a pro I shouldn't be making such assertions.

Sitting and waiting often works but there are many situations where wandering places you in the presence of unsuspecting subject. Sometimes, for example, birds are so engaged in interactions that they basically ignore humans entirely. That happens when it's mating season and males are competing and so forth. Still my % is better sitting still.

Joules, muskrats are common, usually there is one or two in every little slough but the odds of me getting a baby sitting right in front of me like that are pretty low. The picture exaggerates the size - he could be held in my two cupped hands. I think I've discovered that these guys don't have very good eyesight, although they can detect motion well.

Jack

 

[Don Haines]

Joules, nice shots!

 

[Don Haines]

ISv , M with auto ISO is a form of auto and I'm not against it. If your camera has metering linked to a spot AF point then that is pretty useful. There will be the odd time that my fully manual setting will be off but it won't be fooled by bright objects like the sky.

Actually, since I'm not that experienced and not a pro I shouldn't be making such assertions.

Sitting and waiting often works but there are many situations where wandering places you in the presence of unsuspecting subject. Sometimes, for example, birds are so engaged in interactions that they basically ignore humans entirely. That happens when it's mating season and males are competing and so forth. Still my % is better sitting still.

Joules, muskrats are common, usually there is one or two in every little slough but the odds of me getting a baby sitting right in front of me like that are pretty low. The picture exaggerates the size - he could be held in my two cupped hands. I think I've discovered that these guys don't have very good eyesight, although they can detect motion well.

Jack

Most of my best wildlife shots have been from the canoe. I can control it one handed without lifting the paddle out or splashing, and often get upwind and drift motionless past my target, making sure that I never head straight at them....

I have had loons fishing around the canoe, drifted past herons, and osprey pluck fish out of the river beside me. And yes, muskrats have poor eyesight, I have sat still and had them swim past me without seeing me

 

[Nat_WA]

Joules, keep them coming.

One thing I've found in about 5 years owning a DSLR is that a motionless person, particularly sitting, for me often a lawn chair, is not threatening to many birds and animals. Often I'll pack along a good book and plan to just sit and read with the camera handy. Many of my best shots have come in these circumstances. When I tramp through the bush it seems I'm more likely to not see anything because they are far ahead moving away from me.

I try to observe from afar and if I see subjects then I quietly move into the area and set up to read (not in winter though).

Once while sitting right beside a very small creek that cut though a slough a baby muskrat came out of the water no more than 8 feet from me and proceeded to eat bulrush leaves for a number of minutes. Luckily, the 300 lens has pretty close focus. I couldn't stop pinching myself for days. Not a bird but I'm posting it anyway.

Jack

That is a beautiful image! Cute guy. Are they rare or do you see them often and it was only so special, because you also got to shoot it?

Also thank you very much for your advice! I will certainly give it a try when I'm out to photograph animals the next time.

I think I've also experienced that behaviour of birds quite a while ago. I was at a small lake around dawn, exploring a moor near my home. On the near bank I saw a bunch of geese, and since I had my EF-S 10-18mm on at that point, I sat down in the dirt and looked for my EF 85mm 1.8 (My longest lens at the time). It was burried all the way down in the bag, so it took a while for me to find it and put it on the camera. By the time I was finished, I discovered the geese had come very close and had spread around me in different more or less attractive poses. One of them was even uncomfortably close, so much so that I became quite aware of the pointy parts of its beak. It almost filled the frame ;D

Also, sorry for posting so many similar shots, but that was basically the last presentable bird images I had, so I'll try to up the quality and diversity if I can foir what may come in the future.

Edit: If I don't want my images to become so huge and take up that my space I have to upload them somewhere else and embedd them, right? Instead of using the CR attachment feature?

Nice set of pictures Joules, I especially like the second one with the slightly misty background and reflections as context. Well done!

Wiebe.

P.S. Most 'posters' resize the posted images to ~2000pixels (long side) so they don't take up so much space, while preserving enough detail for meaningful viewing & feedback

 

[Jack Douglas]

Don, you couldn't be more correct. I don't have too much experience with canoes but anything that floats will do. Sometimes it's the birds that are drifting when one is still on the shore and that works great too.

Jack

 

[martinslade]

Goldcrest

 

[Click]

Nice. Well done, martinslade.

 

[Don Haines]

Don, you couldn't be more correct. I don't have too much experience with canoes but anything that floats will do. Sometimes it's the birds that are drifting when one is still on the shore and that works great too.

Jack

Sometimes they go right past and ignore you....

 

[ISv]

1. ...ISv , M with auto ISO is a form of auto and I'm not against it. If your camera has metering linked to a spot AF point then that is pretty useful. There will be the odd time that my fully manual setting will be off but it won't be fooled by bright objects like the sky. ....

2. Actually, since I'm not that experienced and not a pro I shouldn't be making such assertions.

3. Still my % is better sitting still.


Jack, a agree 100% with point 1, and yes, my camera has all focus points linked to the metering. My problem is that I not always have the time to switch from one type of metering to another (have to practice this). Another problem is when you shoot with focus tracking - the autofocus not always is able to track the same point of the object and is catching some of the next points. It's a problem when the object is very differently reflective on different points of the body.

Concerning the point 2 - Hey Jack, stop pretending, I would be very surprised if some one in this forum believes you ;D!

Point 3 - same here! I'm attaching Wandering Tattler that come very close to me (unusual at least here, on the island): I notice the bird feeding in shallow water and when approached it just flush. I walked ~20-30 yards further and it went back to the same spot. Few times like this until I realized it is strongly attracted to that spot. I just kneel in the shade of a tree near the spot and in 10-15 minutes the bird started coming closer and closer. Later I figure out that it was picking shrimp on that place...

 

[ISv]

Goldcrest

Martinslade - lovely shot!

 

[Click]

Very nice shot, ISv.

 

[martinslade]

Nice. Well done, martinslade.

Thanks Click

 

[martinslade]

Goldcrest

Martinslade - lovely shot!

Thanks

 

[Jack Douglas]

Great shots both of you.

ISv, dragon flies are a good example for returning to favorite spots. I think a creature may very well be where they are because they like it there, so why wouldn't they return.

I do try hard to learn what is best but, no I'm not going to claim any expertise. I only claim persistence. My camera is programmed to have single spot focus on the shutter with one of my little fingers pressing one shot or servo and my thumb sits on the Back button, which when pressed overrides the shutter and gives me multi-point. This is one choice that is good for birds that are stationary but quickly going to flight. On purchase the programming was daunting but now I'm fine with all the options.

Don is that what it's like there right now? - we had heavy winds and a dusting of snow that chased spring away last night. However, March in Alberta is often like that.

Jack

 

[ISv]

Don, these ducklings are chasing somebody ! Most probably you have been at place where they are fed?

 

[ISv]

Digging in old folders (it looks gloom forecast for the weekend here: rain and time to time thunderstorms) but I somehow don't like when SYBP (Show your bird portraits) is not forward...
All of these are from the same day as the Tattler (I think once I sad Wiebe that some days are just better than others. Usually we use to blame the weather, air conditions (pile more! ;D) but not that "thing" just behind of the camera :!
Great weekend to everyone!

 

[Click]

Very nice series, ISv

I wish you a great weekend too.

 

[Jack Douglas]

ISv, I really like that sinister BCNH, with the reflected colours.

Jack

 

[lion rock]

ISv,
Great shots!
The last one especially. Fantastic!
-r