Mountain Bluebird

I hope the species is correct I'm sure if I'm wrong it will be corrected. I try where ever possible to keep the subject in its environment and this is where I run into problems with the angle of approach and cast shadows.

Any tips and advice critique comments all most welcome.

Canon 1D3 canon 800mm ISO200 f/5.6 1/100sec from vehicle New Mexico.

Thanks for looking.

With regard to the problem with shadows, that's an easy one to solve, shoot when the lights soft, which IMHO is much nicer for bird portraits anyway. The golden hours of sunlight are of course a bit special, but unfortunately that doesn't last long and it soon turns into horrible, contrasty light before you know it.
Another advantage of soft light is the direction of light isn't important like it is with direct sunlight, which will allow a far greater range of shooting angles.
The background colour works particularly well in this instance and makes for quite an attractive setting though, which of course is one advantage of brighter light.
The main criticism is that the bird is facing away from the camera, which is a shame. Of course it's easy to pick up on this in hindsight but not so easy to get just right at the time.
I'd keep the focus point firmly on the birds eye with the camera set to AI Servo and wait for the moment when the pose and angle look just right, then shoot.
Getting sharp images with an 800mm lens on a camera body with a 1.3 crop factor of an active subject is quite a tall order when your shutter speed is only 1/100 sec. This is way too slow for consistently sharp images of most birds. Put your ISO up untill a decent shutter speed can be achieved. The Mk III is very good by all acounts with higher ISO's, so don't be afraid to use them.

Good advise from Justin, a turn of the head would have made this a good image, When i had a MK3 i used it mainly at ISO 400 and above, You should be looking at a minimum of 1/500 for the kit you are using to get consistantly sharp images

Dave

Justin has covered the main points, practice makes perfect, or so I keep on trying anyway. an old saying used to be that the speed should reflect the lens size, and dont forget the magnification factor. I use a 500 on a mk3 and I always assume I need at least a 250 to get sharp shots when its on a stable tripod, so aim for much higher speeds with a 800.

Paul

Nice capture Barry,


No more advice to add though

Thanks Justin I think I almost get kind of word logged if you know what I mean I read so much on what to do it becomes a grey mist and confusion sets in. I've been keeping the ISO down in order to try and get sharp detailed images.

Also messed up on the ID this is a Mountain Blue bird the oringinal is an Eastern Bluebird.

Thanks for the encouragement guy's.

Hi, nice capture and good comments by Justin.

Nice work Barry,
and again much to learn here, thanks guys
Bertl

I've been keeping the ISO down in order to try and get sharp detailed images.

When the light levels are less than ideal it's better to do it the other way round. Keep your ISO level set high enough to guarantee any subject movement or camera shake is avoided. Then, when you've got a few shots in the 'bag' and assuming you have a willing subject, then start lowering the ISO for the optimum quality.
You can correct an image if it has a little visible noise but one that's out of focus because of using too slow a shutter speed is only fit for the Recycle bin.

Lovely shot, Barry and some good advice from Justin.

I agree with the advise Justin has given you. Nice image and a slight headturn would have helped the image!
Rene de Heer

Justin

Thanks again for taking the time and sharing your knowledge its exactly what makes this forum great.