New Zealand Kea

[frisby]

Hi there,

I'm looking for some feedback on this:



In particular I'm interested in hearing feedback on colour, exposure and focus. It wasn't taken using a tripod and I had to relay on VR so if anyone has any feedback on that I'd also be interested.

Here's the EXIF:

Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture f/11.0
Focal Length 105 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV

Cheers,

Fraser

[JFSanders]

Good color, Focus is in front of the eye or he blinked during the exposure. Hand holding even with VR at 1/15 is TOUGH. The exposure is fine as well. I like the balance as well with the dead space being complimentary to the subject. Try holding the camera with your elbows on your knees if you don't have a tripod to work from. Jim

[frisby]

Awesome - thank you.

I have a further question. I've been using autofocus pretty much by default recently but one of the problems I've found is that it's too slow to keep up with some of the birds I've been taking photos of. Should I experiment more with manual or go for a wider depth of field (if you get my drift)?

[JFSanders]

The D-90 is a good body for auto focus but to get AF to work reliably in the field is tough. What lens are you using? AF can have a hard time of it if VR is enabled. First try it without VR before you go to manual. And make sure you are using AF-C or AF-A and your lens is set to A or M/A. This is one of the big jumps you get when you go to the Pro models.

You should develop your manual skills if only to gain a better understanding of lead and swing which will help when you are shooting moving subjects. Go wide with fast moving objects if you are having a hard time keeping them in frame. But the trade off is you lose detail and sharpness when you crop in to get a full frame.
Jim

[frisby]

I'm using a 70 -300m AF-S 1:4.5-5.6 G Nikon ED.

lead and swing? Any tips ;-)

You might appreciate this as it explains some of the problems I've faced recently with NZ birdlife: Small and Twitchy

[NgaiHill]

Nice shot, I like the composition and angle of the kea really shows their curious personality. Good job getting a shot of this guy while he's relatively still, they are hard to shoot, speaking from personal experience.
As for colour - I like it although it feels like there could be a little more green - could be just the light on the subject though.

[JFSanders]

For lead and swing you have to practice. I also cross train by shooting clay pigeons. It will help you to understand and enhance your hand eye coordination. If you have bumble bees around you can get the same amount of frustration that golfers get and it doesn't cost you 80 bucks. Jim

[frisby]

Thanks guys,

I'll find some NZ Bumble bees - I think they're slower than yours ;-)

And thanks NgaiHill for the repost. It could be the flash or it could be my ham fisted processing on the light/colour. Will maybe give it another tweak.

Cheers,

Fraser