In flight shots (I am a plonker)

willing to learn · #1 (**permalink**) 17-02-2008, 08:08 PM

Tried my hand at a few flight shots. The first thing that went wrong nothing was flying close but I tried to give it a go. The camera struggled to focus when it did it seemed slow. A lot of the images I got resembled a spinning Giro. Walking back I noticed the lens was set to focus from 1.8 mitres
and in the wrong (IS) posistion. What a plonker. Looking at the shots later the giro effect stemed from the wings. I will GET it right any tips for sharp in flight shots

Oh and got a few black shapes in the sky. Heres a few of the nearly right shots. Hand held and cropped.

This Buzzard was several hundred foot on the soar its heavily cropped

Bub-les · #2 (**permalink**) 17-02-2008, 08:24 PM

We all make setting up mistakes!
I'd be happy with that set of photos

I especially like the last black headed gull

Barbara

RobSutton · #3 (**permalink**) 17-02-2008, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bub-les

We all make setting up mistakes!
I'd be happy with that set of photos

I especially like the last black headed gull

Barbara

I'd agree - especially the black headed gull.

Ollie · #4 (**permalink**) 17-02-2008, 09:27 PM

I wouldn't be disappointed with these. About the only thing wrong with them is that they are a little bit far away but if they aren't closer they aren't. Not a lot that you can do about that.
Roger

zan · #5 (**permalink**) 18-02-2008, 11:51 AM

yeah, I've been there too! I generally (well, mostly!) check my camera settings before starting to shoot, but always forget about the lens...

these are really nice shots though, I'd be pretty pleased with them if I was you. Black-headed gulls are funny birds - they're the ones that always seem to hold their wings in the most photogenic shapes! Anyway, as always, the only advice would just be to practise as much as you can

The autofocus will only ever be so good, so if you can pan well it makes it much easier on the camera (especially against a busier background).

big bill · #6 (**permalink**) 18-02-2008, 01:38 PM

A nice set of pics I would be more than happy with them well done if you can get closer fair enough getr closer if not there is not much you can do about it just practice your panning technique and you have it again nice shots be happy

SteveHL · #7 (**permalink**) 18-02-2008, 04:06 PM

Hi
I've just been reading and catching up on another forum and one of the birds in flight specialists was saying he bins 99% of his flight shots for one reason or another(ie focus, framing etc). So I would take heart from your first efforts and slowly build.
Regards
SteveHL

GerryNick2 · #8 (**permalink**) 18-02-2008, 04:23 PM

Not a lot wrong with those shots, very nice images. A higher shutter speed would help to freeze some of the wing movement where light permits. Personaly I think a little motion blur makes the image look more natural. I assume you were shooting in AL-Servo mode, if not give it a try.

Gerry

pressld2 · #9 (**permalink**) 18-02-2008, 04:58 PM

Well considering the distance and the wrong camera settings you've got some pretty good results there. As others have said, the black-headed gull is a fine shot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GerryNick2

Personaly I think a little motion blur makes the image look more natural.
Gerry

I agree Gerry. I do like to try and get the head, particularly the eyes, sharp but some movement in the wings is highly desirable in my view.

I've seen lots of professionally published and major prize-winning photos in which the entire subject is blurred. Andy Rouse has been experimenting with this recently and in Chris Weston's book Wildlife Through a Nikon Lens there is a whole chapter entitled The Aesthetic Effects of Blur. I do think it can be overdone (there's a least one of Chris Weston's that I would have deleted without a second's hesitation) but other times it works really well. There's a lovely picture of Military Macaws taken by Claudio Contreras Koob which was a runner up in the 2002 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and you can see it here.

Dave P.

willing to learn · #10 (**permalink**) 18-02-2008, 05:16 PM

Thanks for the kind words, and advice. I was mad with myself for having the lens not set to the conditions I was trying to photograph.One avairy left to clean and then i can get out for an hour or two most days until things get busy. I will try again to see if the camera focuses any quicker when set to the right distance.