Newby - lizard hawk photos

[kisu]

My first go at posting a few photos for critique - I am a complete amateur and have little experience..... I shot these over the weekend using a D300 and a 150-500mm Sigma lens. All settings manual (except I forgot to change ISO from auto to manual....), no editing done other than cropping the images down a bit.



F10, 1/200s, -0.3EV and ISO 720



F10, 1/500s, -0.3EV, ISO 3200



Settings as previous photo

Obviously the ISO auto setting was a mistake as was hand holding the camera and lens for the hundred plus photos I took of this bird (I was definitely getting a bit shaky...), however, I'd be grateful for any advice / criticism on these and any suggestions as to how I can get sharper images in the future (both technique and editing wise). I'm not so happy with the composition but the bird was obscured from most angles by branches. Thanks

[vmlopes]

I'm in now way a wild life photographer but first impressions, are good, the last two at ISO3200 are showing noise, I probably would have shot wide open to try to throw the distracting background OOF though.

Good on you for holding that beast of a lens all day....

[OldClicker]

Nice shots. It's great when we see wildlife from around the world. Though I think that these are excellent shots for hand-held at 500mm, get a tripod! Also, you might try a wider aperture to blur the background leaves more. Thanks for posting. - TF

[armando_m]

I like best the 1st and third photos, particullarly how the light is on the head of the hawk

Did you use F10 for any particular reason ?
a lower f-stop would allow you higher speed and/or lower iso,
and likely more crisp images

and as mentioned a tripod would be great for the 500mm lens

[Shebang]

Well, if you're achieving this quality as a rank amateur, then you will do well. You've already critiqued yourself, so nothing left to do but go shoot some more! I would like to see the uncropped version of your first one.

[w.slayman]

Very nice shots, did you say you just started? WOW

[kisu]

Well, if you're achieving this quality as a rank amateur, then you will do well. You've already critiqued yourself, so nothing left to do but go shoot some more! I would like to see the uncropped version of your first one.

Thanks Here is the uncropped version:

[kisu]

I'm a complete amateur in so far as I have been using point and shoot cameras for the last 10 or so years then on a complete impulse bought a Nikon D70 a few years back and used it much the same as my P+S cameras - on full auto all the time. My first shots with the D70 (+/- 1500) taken on a trip to India where I photographed anything and everything were a real disappointment - everything looked grey and the colours were all washed out. This sort of pushed me into realising that I needed to understand the camera a bit better and also the need for some processing of the photos on the PC. I am now in a position where I just about understand the basics but need to know how get the right balance between shutter speed, F stop, ISO etc and am starting to concentrate a bit more on composition rather than being happy with endless shots of the backs of birds heads.....

The simple answer as to why I used F10 is that I was in a rush to try and photograph the bird before it flew away... As it happened it sat on that branch for over an hour and I had a chance to play with the settings a bit. The following was shot at F6.3, 1/500s and yet again at ISO 3200:blush2: Completly undedited and uncropped



I didn't post it because I wasn't so happy with the light.

I have just bought a Gitzo 554ILS tripod and Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead from B+H but they are stuck in Kenyan customs as I write this:cryin:

[AgingEyes]

My pick would be the first one as I like the head angle better.

I think you have a mixed lighting situation here: part of the bird under direct sunlight and part of it in the shadow. Many would tell you out right it's not good for bird photos. I personally don't really have problem with it. In fact, I'm not sure why they say mixed lighting is not good at all

If post-processing is not against your ethics, for final presentation, I would suggest sharpening and dealing with areas that are brighter than the bird itself (some of the leaves in the background and especially the one near the top left hand corner). The reason being our eyes get attracted to bright spots easily. If you want your viewers to focus on the bird instead of the leaves, tone down the brightness of the leaves. Other than that, I may open up the shadow area at the bottom to show more of the tail.

All in all, good job ! Good looking bird ! Thanks for sharing !

[kisu]

My pick would be the first one as I like the head angle better.

I think you have a mixed lighting situation here: part of the bird under direct sunlight and part of it in the shadow. Many would tell you out right it's not good for bird photos. I personally don't really have problem with it. In fact, I'm not sure why they say mixed lighting is not good at all

If post-processing is not against your ethics, for final presentation, I would suggest sharpening and dealing with areas that are brighter than the bird itself (some of the leaves in the background and especially the one near the top left hand corner). The reason being our eyes get attracted to bright spots easily. If you want your viewers to focus on the bird instead of the leaves, tone down the brightness of the leaves. Other than that, I may open up the shadow area at the bottom to show more of the tail.

All in all, good job ! Good looking bird ! Thanks for sharing !

Many thanks for the advice and certainly considerations that i would have thought of on my own. Although it has highlighted just how much more I have to learn

[Shebang]

Hi, kisu

I would have cropped enough from the top to barely take out that brightest leaf -- I don't have the skills to do a PP fix. As AgingEyes said, that draws attention away from your subject. I also would crop off some of the right side to set your bird off center (the 2/3rds rule - a compositional principle).

Two reasons to crop from the right -- it's dark and detail-less (though I do love the sky bokeh!), and your bird is looking more left than right, so that would leave him some "space" to look into -- another compositional principle.

I read yesterday that a shutter speed should be comparable to a focal length. I note your shutter speed was 1/200 with a FL of 500, F/10 aperture and ISO of 720. You could bump up your shutter speed which would reduce the effect of camera shake which is magnified at long FL resulting in more clarity. You are already at a higher ISO which also could contribute to reduced clarity, so opening up your aperture would allow more light and would also further blur out your background.

I am a rank amateur myself, so I trust our resident photogs with more experience and expertise will please correct me if I am in error. INO, please critique my critique

BTW, don't forget the forum rules - pick at least one photo in this critique forum and offer your opinions. As a newby, you will probably feel very uncomfortable doing so, but it's the best way to learn -- and be fair! You could go critique my "Dirty Dirt Bike." It's an ugly subject, but look for technical rights and wrongs -- like white balance, exposure, clarity, composition, etc.

Happy clicking!

[kisu]

Hi, kisu

I would have cropped enough from the top to barely take out that brightest leaf -- I don't have the skills to do a PP fix. As AgingEyes said, that draws attention away from your subject. I also would crop off some of the right side to set your bird off center (the 2/3rds rule - a compositional principle).

Two reasons to crop from the right -- it's dark and detail-less (though I do love the sky bokeh!), and your bird is looking more left than right, so that would leave him some "space" to look into -- another compositional principle.

I read yesterday that a shutter speed should be comparable to a focal length. I note your shutter speed was 1/200 with a FL of 500, F/10 aperture and ISO of 720. You could bump up your shutter speed which would reduce the effect of camera shake which is magnified at long FL resulting in more clarity. You are already at a higher ISO which also could contribute to reduced clarity, so opening up your aperture would allow more light and would also further blur out your background.

I am a rank amateur myself, so I trust our resident photogs with more experience and expertise will please correct me if I am in error. INO, please critique my critique

BTW, don't forget the forum rules - pick at least one photo in this critique forum and offer your opinions. As a newby, you will probably feel very uncomfortable doing so, but it's the best way to learn -- and be fair! You could go critique my "Dirty Dirt Bike." It's an ugly subject, but look for technical rights and wrongs -- like white balance, exposure, clarity, composition, etc.

Happy clicking!

Many thanks for the comments - all of which make a lot of sense. I guess i should have read the forum rules first:blush2:

[byjamesderuvoDHQ]

My favorite is the first one, but I do agree that getting the background more out of focus would help. But all in all, nice shot.

[kisu]

Taking some of the editing comments on board (at least those that I have a vague understanding of how to do) i have made a few changes to a different, but I think a slightly better, photograph. I have cropped out as much of the bright foliage as I can (maybe too much?), applied a bit of noise reduction and sharpening, brightened the area under the tail and reduced the contrast / brightness of some of the remaining foliage.



I think it is getting there but I think it may be cropped too tight and I can't work out how to apply a selective blur to the background (using Nikon Capture NX2)

Any further comments much appreciated

[Shebang]

It's not too tight for me, but I like "close." Personally, I like it! If it were mine, I would be happy.

Stick around here and read the critiques and offer your own 2 cents and you will be amazed at how much you learn -- and how much there is to learn!

Welcome -- and post another soon!

And, oh, BTW, great catchlight in the eye...

[kisu]

Many thanks for the comments and suggestions - really got me thinking a bit more about composition, light (and everything else....)