Lucky shot or not

[Nikkie]

I was out the other late arvo trying for my first shot of birds in flight I was using burst mode on my camera when I put my memory card into my computer I was opening them up having a look at them all. This is what I seen I eyes almost popped out of my head I thought to myself no way! Anyway Ive been playing with it a bit Ive tried 3 programs paint shop photo pro X3 that I own and downloaded trial versions of Adobe photoshop CS 5.1 and photo impact X3 I am just not good enough with my PP to get this one better normal after trying ever thing I can It goes into the bin but this shot is a beauty I think and the chance of getting it again is very slim I know I have don't edit with out asking for this purpose please ignore that if you want to have a go at it you have my permission to do so please if you could tell me how it was done. So I can learn to do it myself next time. In the mean time I will keep playing with it myself the first one is about the best I can get myself the 2nd one is the original they might not have the exif data attached and Paint shop photo pro seems to scrub it even if you tick save exif data :confused013 but I can give you 100% guarantee this is my photos I mean come who else can take photos this bad :p :lol:

P.S if you look at it close the colour around his wings is wrong and so it the colour in the trees




my try



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/Gerty1/Aussie%20Photography%20forum/More%20for%20Aussie%20Photography/Image1-1.jpg



the original not touched




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/Gerty1/Aussie%20Photography%20forum/More%20for%20Aussie%20Photography/DSC_0107.jpg

[colinbm]

Now thats a Magpie :th3:
Col

[Nikkie]

thanks Col I just love it I just hope I can learn how to get it up to scratch I am just not good enough with PP to do it thanks for looking I would love to print it and frame it as my one of my first shots of flying birds even if it was by mistake but Ill keep working on it I don't give up easily if I get it right ill post it

[Nikkie]

Ok I did well good enough for me and my taste I just could not put these in the bin at all I just wont give up


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/Gerty1/Aussie%20Photography%20forum/More%20for%20Aussie%20Photography/pietree.jpg



I also found this one so it got pp as well




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/Gerty1/Aussie%20Photography%20forum/More%20for%20Aussie%20Photography/pietree2.jpg

[rellik666]

Well here we have all the challanges of bird photography summed up. Getting the shutter speed and DofF right to get the detail, whilst being able to get a snapshot of flight!

You are stuggling with the detail, because it isn't there. Sorry but the best way to improve this shot is to go back and try again.

[Tannin]

Just a start nikkie. Don't bust a gut with PP on these, as you will be taking better ones straight out of the camera before much longer. Trust me on this.

[lay-z]

Not knowing the exif data, here's some questions that would be helpful to provide some assistance:

The untouched version looks extremely underexposed - which mode were you shooting in and how were you metering your shots?
The image does look a tad shoft - how were you achieving focus and what shutter speeds were these shots taken at?

That's just a start, so advice can be given to improve your bird shots. Although as obvious as it is, but it's important to remember the more you get it right in camera, the less you have to do in PP :)

[Nikkie]

ive still got a long way to go but like I said the camera took these not me I was not or did not think I was shooting for the bird so close to the tree well not deliberately it was all a big mistake I can tell you I had it set in Manual ISO 400 f8 and around 1/1200 or something around that shutter speed in Birds for cc I have photos of my first birds in flight photos they were all silhouettes that is not ever body's cup of tea but the silhouettes were just a mistake these must have been either closer or in the other direction or something I can't remember even shooting them I feel lucky to have taken them as I do with most of my photos print what I can mark on folder the mths and the year and hoping one day I can go back and say sheez did I really do that look what I did that is why I busted my self doing the PP as these are part of my first bird in flight shoots and mean a lot to me mostly for that reason. I don't know how many times\ in my life I did not record something to find when somebody say's how long ago was that all I can say is :confused013 I don't want that with my photography as well Its good to see you again Tony and thanks a bill for dropping in and giving your advice as its good of all of you to do so I do appreciate that I hope you can understand where I am coming from I was disappointed and next time If it comes off the camera wonderful it does in the mean time I still have these to say learn by your mistakes :th3::th3::th3::th3::th3::th3:

[robcran]

Were you shooting in RAW or JPEG? RAW will give you a lot more post-processing options for when you do get those shots that are amazing but are not on the money exposure wise.

[OwenS]

Mate what can I say. It's a good attempt but its severely underexposed. IMO its a dead image. I agree with Tannin, you will be getting far superior images in no time with zero editing. Photographs are free on a dslr and there are like a bazillion magpies flying around the place. Go out for an hour and pay careful attention to you exposure. Use a higher ISO for faster shutter speeds and try out manual exposure so you can avoid the silhouette look you captured here.

[Speedway]

Get out of manual mode and into AP mode as there is too many vairables when shooting action like BIF. I set the camera to AP, F8, AI servo, single point, burst mode, WB to suit and ISO to keep the shutter speed up. You have enough to do just trying to keep the focus point on the bird. And most of all keep practicing, it will all fall into place sooner than you think.
Keith.

[OwenS]

Get out of manual mode and into AP mode as there is too many vairables when shooting action like BIF.

How so? In terms of exposure the only variable is light intensity on the subject. Therefore the only variable would be drastically changing light conditions such as fast moving clouds blocking the sun.

[98kellrs]

How so? In terms of exposure the only variable is light intensity on the subject. Therefore the only variable would be drastically changing light conditions such as fast moving clouds blocking the sun.

That would be true for a still subject, but surely the second variable would surely be the bird's movement? Rather than work it all out herself it would have been simpler to switch to Av, bump the ISO to get the fast shutter speed and let the camera work out the exposure.

If you haven't seen it already Nikkie have a read through this before you next go out shooting birds:
http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=Indexes:Genre_Specific_Index

(P.s Yey for my 111th post hahaha :D )

[Mark L]

I think Sandy has learnt a lot since she started this thread. http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?91335-Bird-in-flight