birds of pray

While in France this summer i went to a place called Chateau des Milandes, once the home of Josephine Baker a famous jazz singer and show girl in the 40's. There was a birds of pray show in the grounds and here are a few shots from it.

Cheers Skinny.

Those are some great shots! Especially 2 and 4, I like that "I'm coming to get you" look and poise of both the birds

Not easy to shoot I'm sure. All of them have wing tips or tails or feet chopped which is what bothers me.
The third one is the only one that looks like its praying.

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Originally Posted by Frog

Not easy to shoot I'm sure. All of them have wing tips or tails or feet chopped which is what bothers me.
The third one is the only one that looks like its praying.

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It was hard and i found it difficult to maintain focus, they just moved so quick. Any i did get in full frame are a bit soft, it was a bit of a guessing game. Cheers for the input next time i shoot something similar it is something i will be trying to do.

great shots, i like 2 and 3 the best if you left out the last shot and didnt mention that you were at a show i would have thought you shot these in the wild. these are the sort of shots im wanting to get. what gear did you use? i agree with frog but i bet thee were hard to capture

2 would be very good if it were sharper. I can imagine it was very tough to anticipate and lock on . . .
My favorite though of is the last, #4. What a cool moment. The intense concentration of the handler, the onlookers in the bg and the blurry feathered friend streaking threw the frame.
I just think the overall exposure should be increased as it is dark, but an excellent shot.
By far, the best.

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Originally Posted by nirvana84

great shots, i like 2 and 3 the best if you left out the last shot and didnt mention that you were at a show i would have thought you shot these in the wild. these are the sort of shots im wanting to get. what gear did you use? i agree with frog but i bet thee were hard to capture

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D300 with shutter priority set using a 70 to 300 nikor lens. Some shots i tried manual focus picking a point watching the bird before he comes in to the shot over my shoulder and just shooting off 6 shots a second as he came in to view. The other method i tried was focus mode set to c and just panning and following the birds shooting on continuous fire mode. It worked out ok i am sure if i had a better lens it would work a lot better.Good luck and i hope some of this has been helpful.

Skinny

I really like shot 2, I think the softness works on it.

And, do you mean birds of prey? Yes 3 is the only one that looks praying, but the others do look like they are preying.

For me, #2 is the most interesting.

The blur of the background caused by the camera pan is nice, but I would have liked to see the owl sharper.

Tough to be more constructive without the vitals (ISO, SS, and f/stop).

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Originally Posted by Loupey

For me, #2 is the most interesting.

The blur of the background caused by the camera pan is nice, but I would have liked to see the owl sharper.

Tough to be more constructive without the vitals (ISO, SS, and f/stop).

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Hey here is the meta data from the shots
1: f 5.6 , 1/500ss iso 400
2: f 13 , 1/640ss iso 400
3 f 11 , 1/500ss iso 400
4 f 9 , 1/320ss iso 1000

Cheers skinny.

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Originally Posted by skinnymachink

Hey here is the meta data from the shots
1: f 5.6 , 1/500ss iso 400
2: f 13 , 1/640ss iso 400
3 f 11 , 1/500ss iso 400
4 f 9 , 1/320ss iso 1000

Cheers skinny.

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You needed faster shutter speeds. Except the first one, you should have opened up the apertures more or bumped up the ISO.

The first shot has the wing clipped and the bird blurred. The second one also the bird could be sharper and you need more room on the right. The third one would be better if there were more room all around. The forth one, I agree with Gary, is the most interesting one, only that it's no longer a bird photo.

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Originally Posted by skinnymachink

i am sure if i had a better lens it would work a lot better.

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70-300 is fine. Here's an example:

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...03738#poststop

Not the best example but to show your lens is fine for the job.

The other thing about having a more open aperture is you get more clarity and color :) so don't be afraid to open up those eyes !

Not bad shots here. It's tough shooting a moving target :) My favorite is #1 though 2 and 4 are also notable.

I wish I could do shots like this - requires a lot of patience!

G

Thanks to everyone for all of you comments and advise on these shots it is very much appreciated.

Skinny.