Shot of White Ibis.

[jjwaran]

Hi

I am new to photography and this is my 1st post in this forum. This is a photo of White Ibis shot at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary (India).As a newbie, I am seeking expert comments and suggestions. Thanks

Camera:NIKON D5100
shutter speed:1/4000
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 300 mm
ISO Speed 400
Metering Mode: Matrix

[crockny]

That is a very good bird shot for a newbie -- nice wing! The lighting conditions look difficult. If you have photoshop or equivalent I'd try to lighten the head a little, it kind of gets lost. Also there is a stem in front of its beak. As you shoot more you'll start to notice these things while shooting and try to avoid them -- nothing ruins a great shot like a branch or leaf covering part of the bird's face. Did you crop this? It looks a little tight on the top edge.

[sk66]

To add to the discussion.
You need to pay attention to where the light is coming from, harsh shadows can hurt an image.

I'm guessing this is a consumer level zoom and was wide open at f/5.6. I think being at f/8-f/11 would have been better resulting in a sharper image and better DOF (the wing tips are out of focus and no lens is ever sharpest wide open). You had plenty of shutter speed/light to allow the smaller aperture setting.

And always leave some room to crop in post.

[johnnyd123]

I too am a "newbie" and I think your photo of the White Ibis is fantastic. There is always room to improve, but you are off to a great start !

[KurtM]

I like to see an animal's face clearly, with good focus on the eye(s) especially. It's the primary nature of all animals, humans included, to zero in on the eyes so I consider it important. The wings are very nicely captured.


Oh, and you got a stork there, not an ibis. A wood stork, looks like.

[jjwaran]

Thanks for the suggestions people. Oh man I didn’t know that there are so many points of observation in a single shot. I think, I have joined the right forum.

Yes Crockny, I did crop the image through ms-paint. Don’t have photoshop yet. I feel I have got a lot to learn before I get into processing. This Image was shot from a boat and I was at the mercy of the boatman to get the angle and positioning correct.

To be frank Steve, I got carried away by the action and all that mattered was to capture the action. Initial excitement I guess.