Well I managed the bokeh.....

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

but I'm not so sure I've got a handle of birds in the bush!

This is a piwakawaka (or NZ fantail), they are very fast and flighty, the one good thing is they flit about very close catching and insects that are stirred up as you move about. I would have taken 50 plus photos of this one bird and only managed 2 or 3 that were in focus(and I'm not so sure this one is sharp enough) I like that I managed to catch him in a beam of sunlight. Any comments would be appreciated.

I'm still not sure I know what I'm doing(in fact I really don't) but I change the settings every few shots and hope for the best. When I download I can see what the settings are but can't visualize why I did them. This fantail lives in my garden so I can keep practicing, I suppose that's the answer.



Exif data
Camera Sony DSLR-A350
Exposure 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 135 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[RichardTaylor]

Just a couple of comments.
(1) You have focussed on the branch (notice how sharp the feet are) and missed the birds eye making it a little soft. If the eye and head are sharp you can sometimes get away with the rest being a little soft.

(2) I think it would look better with a bit of a crop on the left hand side to remove the distracting bright spots.

(3) Try using noise reduction the just the background (especially noticeable when viewed large)

Catching little birds is difficult and this is a good catch.
It's good you have this guy to practice on.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Thanks Richard, I do appreciate you commenting.

Hmmm, how the heck do you focus on the eye or even the head when he's darting about so much, do you try to anticipate where he will be next or is it hit and miss and hope for the right spot. I tried both continuous focus and spot.

I have another question, if you're focusing on the eye(or the head or whatever) then won't that put the subject right in the centre of the picture. So how do you go about working the thirds rule especailly if you are in close?

I cropped as you suggested and of course you are right! Thanks for that.



With regards to the noise reduction, I'm not familiar with this(although I know what it means) Are you suggesting pp the background. I have Photoshop Elements9 but are in the very early stages learning about it. I've been focusing mostly on the taking of photos not the processing.

Thanks once again.

[RichardTaylor]

Re focussing.
It's very difficult/.
I usually use centre focus point only and focus tracking on. Even then I get lots of misses and very few keepers. It does help if you are using a lens that focusses quickly.
---------
For subjects like this I try to leave some space around the and pick up the thirds when cropping in PPing.

(1) Here's an example from a couple of weeks ago. (larger pic via the Flickr page)
Notice the birds head is roughly on a thirds intersection and its body is along a thirds line.




(2) Sometimes if the subject is centred it may not really matter matter that much.
In this example the small bush the wild bird is on helps a lot with the comp even though the comp is not perfect




-------------
Re selective noise reduction. I don't have PSE 9 however it looks similar to Photoshop.
Create a new layer from the background.
Apply the noise reduction to that layer.
Display the layer mask and paint black on the mask where you want to remove the noise reduction etc. If you make a mistake just paint the mask white.

Here's a tute (not mine showing how masks work)
Tips and tricks for Photoshop Elements: How to use Layer Masks for precise selections in PSE 9?

Hope this helps.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Great! Thanks once more Richard for your good advice. I'm not sure that my Sony a350 has focus tracking, I haven't found any info on it yet although I see that the a550 does have it.

Re cropping, I have attended a couple of introductory photography courses in the past and the tutor was of the "old school" type, She did not like cropping and pushed us to take photos as is, "much better quality when printed if you don't crop" she always said. "Get the picture you want in the first place", or words to that effect. It's been with a sense of relief and freedom to learn that I can crop if needed and that it's not a crime and is done by most photographers. I think I'm still learning to step back abit to take a photo, I don't need to be right on top of my subject.

Thanks for the tutorial on noise reduction I shall look at that when I have a moment spare.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

PS- nice shots of the birds. What is the second one, a mynah of sorts?

[RichardTaylor]

Thanks.

It's a Noisy Miner - Very aggressive birds that take over urban areas and chase (in packs) other birds off. Lots of them around here (Sydney, Australia)

Re cropping.
If I can get it right in camera I will, however where you have no control over your subject, and sometimes shooting position, you can't always do it.

[crockny]

I also am frustrated by people (someone on this site) telling me to "shoot better" so I don't have to crop -- obviously that person doesn't shoot birds! I use continuous shooting with AI Servo - not familiar with your camera, I have a Canon 7D which I got because it has a fast burst speed among other things. You did a good job -- keep it up!

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Thanks crockny, your compliment is much appreciated! I think I'll have to read up a bit more on my camera's focus tracking capabilities although from the small bits I have seen I'm not so sure it's that great. I've had good sucess with slower moving birds but these fast little ones are causing me bother. Practice, practice, practice!

[wings of a bluebird]

What lens are you using? My husband has the a350 and finds the kit lenses are incredibly slow in focusing. I notice when I'm shooting with him (I have a canon) the difference in pictures can be monumental because that sony lens is so slow to focus.