Turf War

[AgingEyes]

If any of you have any tips on shooting little bird, such as the swallows, in flight, please share. I find it very difficult to get the AF to lock on to them, not to mention the birds are small and fast!

Time for a D3?

Here's a lucky shot of mine. I think some swallow - the one that is not that blue - wanted to take over that bird box. What I did was, I waited and pressed the shutter whenever I felt right and hoped for the best.

The background is quite busy so I blurred it a bit.

[Loupey]

If any of you have any tips on shooting little bird, such as the swallows, in flight, please share. I find it very difficult to get the AF to lock on to them, not to mention the birds are small and fast! ...

Sure - turn the AF off

You can do it!

Don't be afraid

[mn shutterbug]

Sounds like a heck of a challenge - small birds that fly erratically. I may have to give that a shot.

[AgingEyes]

Sounds like a heck of a challenge - small birds that fly erratically. I may have to give that a shot.

It is a heck of a challenge. I think the heavier and the bigger the lens, the more difficult it will be. Even if the AF system of your camera is able to lock on the bird, you still have to be able to move the camera fast to follow the bird.

But then, if you focus manually...aka Loupey...

[Loupey]

Despite DeckCadet's impressive demonstration of the D3's AF abilities over in the sports forum (btw I still think he didn't understand the request I was making ), I can't imagine any camera, no matter how good, being able to AF a subject that isn't even in the frame more than 20% of the time.

You can shoot tree swallows on warm late afternoons when they are actively feeding and drinking over open water. You can often find a dozen or more of them patrolling a section of water and you will soon notice a pattern to their flight. Use that observation to judge when and where a swallow will likely turn so that you can follow it.

Barn swallows are even harder as their flight patterns are not so tight. They will often fly among the tree swallows and trying to pick them out from the fray can be highly frustrating.

You must be limber to do this. Keep your feet planted and twist from the hips up. I often find myself pointed fully 180-degrees backwards after following a bird as long as possible.

The other tip: shoot with both eyes open. My non-shooting eye (left eye) will pickup up birds coming into the frame from the left so I know what is coming and how to follow it. That is why so many of my in-flight shots show the subject facing right. I am completely blind to critters coming in from the right though.

That's all. You know everything I know.

[VinnyC01]

Oh that is just a nice capture. Love the "SHOUT!"

[readingr]

Nice capture - I echo Loupey - turn AF off.

Roger

[AgingEyes]

Despite DeckCadet's impressive demonstration of the D3's AF abilities over in the sports forum (btw I still think he didn't understand the request I was making ), I can't imagine any camera, no matter how good, being able to AF a subject that isn't even in the frame more than 20% of the time.

I think Eric D shoots with a D300, which has the same AF system as the D300. May be he could try your experiment.

You can shoot tree swallows on warm late afternoons when they are actively feeding and drinking over open water. You can often find a dozen or more of them patrolling a section of water and you will soon notice a pattern to their flight. Use that observation to judge when and where a swallow will likely turn so that you can follow it.

Barn swallows are even harder as their flight patterns are not so tight. They will often fly among the tree swallows and trying to pick them out from the fray can be highly frustrating.

You must be limber to do this. Keep your feet planted and twist from the hips up. I often find myself pointed fully 180-degrees backwards after following a bird as long as possible.

The other tip: shoot with both eyes open. My non-shooting eye (left eye) will pickup up birds coming into the frame from the left so I know what is coming and how to follow it. That is why so many of my in-flight shots show the subject facing right. I am completely blind to critters coming in from the right though.

That's all. You know everything I know.

Thanks for sharing, Loupey!