Don't forget the little guys!

Rohirrim · October 28, 2005

I think we all have a tendancy to shoot the big or the exotic birds and forget that sometimes the little birds can often make for great images.

I took these pictures of some common House Sparrows the other day and thought they came out pretty well. I'd like to hear what you think about them.

The first one is a repeat from my Sandhill Crane post, nobody said anything about it, but I liked it so I guess you'll have to suffer through viewing it again. :evil

EXIF

EXIF

Thank you for looking,

Harryb · October 28, 2005

Hey Steve,

Super shots, marvelous detail in them. I love shooting the little guys its just that they are so much tougher to shoot.

Osprey Whisperer · October 28, 2005

Nice set of shots, Steve. Them little birdies are too small for me to see/spot. I don't even bother anymore. I've been having a hard enough time spotting those snowy white egrets and GBHs. :uhoh Birds should be the size of elephants.

They should also be medium gray for easy exposures.

Well done

MM

bfjr · October 28, 2005

Gotta

with Harry. Never forget them just tough to get as well as you've done here

Ric Grupe · October 28, 2005

You're makin' me sick!!! :puke

These are just too good.

Makes me feel inadequate...to say the least. I'm guessing these were shot with the 100-400L IS?

Perfect!

Rohirrim · October 28, 2005

Harryb wrote:

Hey Steve,

Super shots, marvelous detail in them. I love shooting the little guys its just that they are so much tougher to shoot.

Thank you for your comments Harry. They can be a challenge to shoot, I guess thats one of the reasons I like shooting them. Its very rewarding when you get some good ones.

Rohirrim · October 28, 2005

Bird Man Photographer wrote:

Nice set of shots, Steve. Them little birdies are too small for me to see/spot. I don't even bother anymore. I've been having a hard enough time spotting those snowy white egrets and GBHs. :uhoh Birds should be the size of elephants. They should also be medium gray for easy exposures.

Well done

MM

Thanks Mike

Rohirrim · October 28, 2005

bfjr wrote:

Gotta with Harry. Never forget them just tough to get as well as you've done here

Thanks to you too Ben!

Rohirrim · October 28, 2005

Ric Grupe wrote:

You're makin' me sick!!! :puke

These are just too good. Makes me feel inadequate...to say the least. I'm guessing these were shot with the 100-400L IS?

Perfect!

Glad you liked them Ric. At least I think you liked them

,

.

Yep, I shot those with the 100-400L. I have been extremely happy with this lens. Its versatility and sharpness make it a perfect lens for me. I know this lens has received some so-so reviews but it works for me!

Ric Grupe · October 28, 2005

Rohirrim wrote:

Glad you liked them Ric. At least I think you liked them , .

Yep, I shot those with the 100-400L. I have been extremely happy with this lens. Its versatility and sharpness make it a perfect lens for me. I know this lens has received some so-so reviews but it works for me!

Obviously!

I held one of these when I was visiting with another photographer on a recent trip. The thing that struck me was how huge it is. Also the push-pull would have to take some getting used to for me. Really though, there is no viable alternative as far as I'm concerned. I know a prime will do a better job at a given focal length....but I'm afraid I would never find my subject unless it was posing!

gus · October 28, 2005

The are sharp R...very nice

gluwater · October 29, 2005

Those really are extra sharp Steve. I have also heard the so-so remarks about that lens but you have proven otherwise with these. I did notice that you had it at 400mm for all the shots. Do you find that you use the zoom much or is it usually at 400mm? I like the first photo the best because i think it shows the most detail in the feathers. Have any advice for captureing these fast little guys?

Sam · October 29, 2005

I think #1 is superb, and at 400 mm too!

Sam

Rohirrim · October 29, 2005

gluwater wrote:

Those really are extra sharp Steve. I have also heard the so-so remarks about that lens but you have proven otherwise with these. I did notice that you had it at 400mm for all the shots. Do you find that you use the zoom much or is it usually at 400mm?

My guess would be I have it at 400mm about 70-80% of the time. I do use and like the zoom a lot. I've often wondered if I'd be better off with a 400 mm prime. I can remember a lot of shots that I would have missed if I was using a prime and didn't have the zoom as the bird flew over me. I also use this lens at horse shows a lot and a prime lens would not work very well for those.

gluwater wrote:

I like the first photo the best because i think it shows the most detail in the feathers. Have any advice for captureing these fast little guys?

To get these shots I've been watching these birds for a while and noticed that they seemed to like that one tree a lot. So I waited until the lighting would be good and went out and sat by that tree hiding behind a second tree. I kept the camera up and ready to try and make as few movements as possible. It took a while, but the birds came back to the tree and I was able to get them. I almost always shoot in Av mode with a wide aperature to keep the shutter speed as fast as possible and to get a low DOF. I also shoot with as low an ISO as possible. Exposure also plays a big role in sharpness, if the birds are in shadows or too brightly lit it's very difficult to get sharp shots.

Hope that helps.

jwear · October 29, 2005

I shoot a lot of the little ones just never post much ,very good work

tmlphoto · October 29, 2005

Very nice work. These are very sharp and the backgrounds are very nice.

iceman17 · October 30, 2005

Realy nice work on these Sreve,I enjoy shooting the little ones as well.Ive set up some new feeders in my yard in the hope of catching more.That 100-400L works well for you but hey the photographer has a lot to do with it as we all know .Take care ...ice

Rohirrim · October 30, 2005

jwear wrote:

I shoot a lot of the little ones just never post much ,very good work

Thanks Jeff. I think we'd all be glad to see your wee ones, if you'd like to show them to us.

Rohirrim · October 30, 2005

tmlphoto wrote:

Very nice work. These are very sharp and the backgrounds are very nice.

Thank you Thomas, I appreciate your comments.

Rohirrim · October 30, 2005

iceman17 wrote:

Realy nice work on these Sreve,I enjoy shooting the little ones as well.Ive set up some new feeders in my yard in the hope of catching more.That 100-400L works well for you but hey the photographer has a lot to do with it as we all know .Take care ...ice

Thanks for your comments Ice. I hope to see the shots of the birds drawn to your feeders in the future.

Don't forget the little guys!

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