Photo method

[kshotton45]

Yesterday I planned to photograph a pair of Tits who were nesting in one of my new nest boxes, but the rain put paid to that idea. So it was back to the kitchen!
Here’s a couple of the shots.




This is how it was done …………
I’ve made an oversize frame for my window feeder out of Perspex. This gives me a clear field of view so I can ‘miss’ the suction cups in the frame.
I screwed a length of branch to the feeding tray and put a sprig of honeysuckle on to add effect.


In the last photo you can see the tray and part of a suction cup along the bottom of the photo.



The intense white spots on the photos are the reflections of the flash from wet surfaces. Can the photographers out there advise me; is it a Circular Polarizing filter that reduces this effect?

Keith.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by kshotton45

The intense white spots on the photos are the reflections of the flash from wet surfaces. Can the photographers out there advise me; is it a Circular Polarizing filter that reduces this effect?

Keith.

i find the best thing is to get a rubber lens lood and put the lens right against the glass this cuts out all reflectionand makes the glass much less visible - theres not a lot you can do about water on the glass tho

this wil also dramtically reduce you camera to subject distance however so you may need to use a close focussing lens such as a macro and dial in much less flash

another option is to use a difuser on the flash or to bounce it off a white surface in order to get more difuse light

[kshotton45]

Perhaps someone can help me !
I posted the previous item in 'British birds' section and the only post on the section is mine. But, on the previous page 'Threads in this Forum' page, in the right hand column, is notification that a poster - 'eeyore' has replied. But to get access to his kind reply, I have to use the 'Search the Forum' feature - which works.
I posted to 'Wildlife Forum' >'British wildlife' > 'British birds'.
It will be interesting to see where this post ends up !! Am I doing something wrong.
I find this a difficult site to negotiate !! Am I on my own in this respect ?

Keith.

[Ann2]

Don't worry, it's not just you. Many of us have been suffering problems on here since yesterday. I'm having to hit "refresh" on every thread to bring up the latest replies. It isn't normally troublesome like this.

Ann

[zharca]

How do garden birds react to flash? Could I , for instance, fire a fairly hefty softbox within caouple of metres of a feeder without disturbing them?

[kshotton45]

I use the built in flash from about 26 inches (650mm). When fired 'head on' it seemed to startle the birds, it also reflected back into the camera, so I angle the camera off perpendicular by about 20 degrees. The result is that the flash seems to ‘glance’ off the window and improve the photo, and it doesn't scare the birds.

If this post ends up in the right place, I'll put some more photos on !!

Keith

[kshotton45]

I had a decent day yesterday and am about to post some photos - where they end up is hit and miss at the moment the way the site is playing up !!
If the photos and this text stay together and end up in the right forum in the right thread !! then there will be photos of A Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch , Robin and a Squirrel.
Whilst experimenting with the camera settings, I was in the process of changing lenses, when the character in the last two photos arrived on the window sill. She took little notice of me, and I had time to refit a lens and take loads of photos. After a while, I got bored with the little rascal as she was ‘hoovering’ up all the nuts. So I started to shoo her away. She wouldn’t go !!
In the final photo I took a shot to include my hand gesticulations – of which she still took no notice!!
I finally sent out the dog !!
N.B. The dog has never caught one yet and I doubt if it ever will !!

Keith