Here are a couple of recent shots of Eagles in flight... Still huge room for improvement on my part as I continue trying to figure out the best settings (shutter speed, iso, aperture etc.) for capturing moving subjects like this. One consolation is that there are many willing subjects to practice on!
Q any advice on how to get an f 5.3 18-300mm zoom lens to perform like an f 2 300mm prime lens would be much appreciated!
beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNicely Done!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots!
ReplyDeleteIf the birds within range, covered 70-80% in the frame, and good lighting. I think your lens will produced a same or better result than 300mm lens.
ReplyDeleteThese are some basic steps to follow when I photograph the birds.
Shoot on A mode at f/3.5 then adjust your ISO up to achieved the shutter speed not less than 1/2000 sec. Be aware of your camera noise level on the high ISO. Also, beginning birds in flight shooters often use the lowest aperture they have available to get a high shutter speed. While a high shutter speed is certainly important, skimping on aperture is not the answer. Many birds have a large wingspan, and a low aperture will often put the wing tips out of focus. If you need more light to increase your shutter speed, use a higher ISO.
Shoot on continuous focus by switching the focus mode in the front of your camera. select the proper focus point (I usually select center single focus point). Don't forget to change back to S for normal shooting.
Turn on the VR if you shooting in handheld.
Shoot away from the sun. Usually back-lit birds will not be as nice-looking as front-lit birds. Simply planning to stand in the correct spot will significantly improve the quality of your images. Sometime the correct spot came up empty handed by the end of the day. Photograph birds don't expected high yield on every trips.
"Play by the bird rules or don't play at all".
Shoot on high burst mode. "6 frames per sec."
Pay attention to the background. While a background of a pure blue sky can work in some situations, many birds in flight images will be much stronger if a more interesting background is captured. Wait for the birds to swoop down low where trees or water can provide a compelling background.
Good Luck!
Shoot on "C" continuous focus by switching the focus mode in the front of your camera. Don't forget to change back to S for normal shooting. Select the proper focus point (I usually select center single focus point).
DeleteThank you Q, this is the best information I've seen on capturing birds in flight and believe me I've looked!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking I need to find a good noise reduction plug-in and let the camera up into a little higher iso range to get these shutter speeds especially this time of year in the Winter light.
Paul, look into the NIK software at their "Define" plug in for photoshop. You can get just the Define which is their noise reduction program and it works great. I don't think it's too expensive by itself either.
DeleteThanks, I'll check it out.
DeleteI think these are great shots! The top one is "inspiring", the background is perfect. I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteAnd when it comes to you photographing eagles, I will borrow from the words of Q, I hate you, I hate you!!!!! LOL
Haha, come on up, Eagles are waiting for you!
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