Do i upgrade or am i a bad workman blaming my tools? (1 Viewer)

[mrmarklin]

Hi Tog,

No question you would do better with better equipment (like Canon L lenses), but in fairness to what you have, you need to learn to use the tools you've got.

I only looked at your first two images, but there are clearly focus problems. Only use the focus dot in the center of the lens. You are focussed on other items in the pics, and you must not be doing that. Use a tripod whenever possible, that will greatly enhance your ability to control conditions.

 

[mrmarklin]

This is one i took the other day and had a little go at processing it. I would say its a massive improvement even if there is still some way to go.

The image is a little soft, and there is no catchlight in the bird's eye. Sometimes you have to make your own conditions, like using a flash.

 

[mrmarklin]

Musoman,

Those are some good shots given the very tough lighting conditions you faced!!!!

I agree that the lens seems just fine, although I'm not a Sigma owner.

 

[davethebird]

This is one i took the other day and had a little go at processing it. I would say its a massive improvement even if there is still some way to go.

Hi Tog,

As other people have pointed out your plane of focus is not on the bird. The bird itself is, therefore, slightly out of focus but all is not lost.

I lightened your picture a bit then sharpened the bird using the High Pass Filter method in Photoshop Elements see link

This looks better to me.

Are you using servo auto focus or one shot? For a subject like this I would use one shot on the birds head, keep the shutter half depressed and then compose the picture as I want it.

Dave

 

[Tog]

i did have it on servo auto focus for that shot and the light on the day was awful but from previous shots it is a marked improvement and as long as i continue to improve i will be happy.

I thought servo auto focus was the way to go because i was trying to catch birds that were jumping aruond however in hindsight i was waiting for the to stop moving to take the picture anyway so should really have been on one shot.

 

[Tog]

People on this thread have been very helpful with tips and advice on how i can improve and i wondered if anyone would give me advice or some tips on how to better process these shots to improve them.

 

[Musoman]

They seem pretty good to me - what probems do you see ?

 

[Tog]

The eyes on the great tit's dont show up so well but i guess thats because its black eyes on black heads. I was pretty happy with these images i just didnt know if anyone could give constructive critiscm.

 

[Musoman]

You'll see that the only shots where the eyes havent shown too well, is with an awkward angle. You aren't really going to see ' catchlight ' in a birds eyes with the angle those 2 were taken at, whether or not they're black eyes surrounded by black feathers

You've got ' catchlight ' in the others where the angle of shot permitted. I try to catch birds with black feathers round their eyes in a side on shot, like you have. Its not always possible of course - thats birding for ya

The last birds white feathers have very slightly blown - its mild though

 

[Tog]

Thank you kindly

 

[BodyResults]

Learning to use your camera well should give you sharp and well exposed images. To create great images a person needs to add to that, pleasing composition.

The pictures above looks like you are get well exposed sharp images. For many people this takes a long time to get that hang of.

Composition is certainly the more challenging part for me.

One tip Art Morris has is about the head position and light. In general he tries to take images where the subject is fully front lit and the head position has a slight positive angle (maybe 10 degress or so) toward the camera.

So instead of the bird's head pointing at a 90 degree angle from the camera line the bird has a slight tilt toward it. His rational is that this gives more of a connection to the person looking at the image as if the bird is looking back.

I have tried it and I prefer the head angle in general. I will wait on shots and take ones when I think the head angle is right. Getting the best image many times being more selctive and what shots you do take.

Good luck.

 

[eastwood]

I own both. The Canon defitinitely have a slight edge over the Sigma., but IMHO not to the extend of trading for the other.
If I have only one in hand, and have a limited budget, I would definitely keep whatever I have, and save the money for a bigger upgrade.
The Sigma is capable of quick focusing, and used with some care, can produce some usable images.

 

[tarric]

Hi Tog I have recently taken up photography and have used this forum (www.talkphotography.co.uk) for advice and to help me improve they can be harsh but it will help with lots of good advice

 

[h14nha]

Hi Tog,
I'm glad to see your pictures are a huge improvement from Februarys shots you posted..... Don't be too hard on yourself, bird photography is one of the most difficult to master, you're definately getting there. A simple way to improve some of them is cropping them correctly. The male Chaffinch is the best example of an incorrect crop. Idealy the bird should be looking into space in the shot. He, isn't, he's looking at the edge of the frame.
Shot 1, it looks like you may have focused on its back, thus not giving you the sharpness at the eye you;re looking for.
Shot 2, you need to crop much tighter ( closer ) You have good detail there, the bird is just too small in the shot to see it. He is centre of the frame but looking left, eliminate all the space on the right side so he looks into space on the left.
Shot 3, as already said, good detail but positioned wrong.
Shot 4, seems a little soft but a better uncluttered background and with a slight crop on the left the bird would be correctly positioned in frame.
Shot 5, correct positioning, good detail, slightly dark on the birds chest which is losing you some detail, and some sharpening will improve detail even more.
What software are you using at present ?? Remember to put your focus point right on the birds eye, then when the eye/face is sharp you crop the pic to suit. Try not to introduce any clutter into the backdrop, not always easy I know, just do the best you can.....
To your credit, you've come a long way in 3 months, well done.
Ian

 

[Tog]

Thank you for the pointers h14na, i really feel they are a massive improvement on what i was producing before i started this thread and i am actually happy with some of my images now instead of always feeling i should be getting so much more.

I use Picasa for processing as i couldnt find any of my canon discs, and obviously photoshop is not the cheapest thing in the world

I have recropped photo 2 getting closer and providing sace to the left of the bird.

Photo 3 i actually chose to crop that way because as you can see in this recrop the right side of the image was filled with clutter from the leaves.
So what would be your advice with this image. Still go with cropping with space to the right because that is where the bird is looking or stick with the space to the left as it is less cluttered?

 

[eastwood]

You may be able to download the Canon processor from the canon site.

 

[h14nha]

I have had a quick go at your Chaffinch shot. I re cropped it again, I used Lightroom 3 to open the pic, in which I adjusted the levels and upped the exposure slightly. I then opened it in Elements 7 and used unsharp mask to sharpen it, and I then blurred the background.
The Great Tit has been cropped too severely for me to have a go at it, the bird is too far over in the frame and that puts too much emphasis on the background.
I have added a recent one of mine to give you an example of positioning the bird in the frame. I'm unsure of Picasa, I did use it years ago but can't remember the set up of it. You may be able to download DPP from the Canon website, have a look and see. Failing that, an older ( but perfectly usable ) version of Elements will set you back £40 or so.