Flock of Crows

[kirbinster]

Took this yesterday afternoon, these guys were squaking up a storm in the backyard. Birds are tough to take pictures of, anyone have any hints to get better shots of birds?

[ELAY]

Answer to your question: really big lens.

Just a quick thought -- you may want to consider getting a free flickr account for photos you want to put here. The pic embedded in the thread really doesn't do the original justice. The posted version looks very soft and sort of muddy, whereas the hosted version is much sharper and better toned.

EL

[inkista]

There's this article in the blog, this discussion thread, and this assignment thread, all of which talk about bird photography.

But yeah, a 400mm lens is a huge help. And bird photos are hard. Don't give up. The fun of digital is that you can practice all you want.

[Nicole]

Awwww, but it should be a murder of crows.... I just like how sinister it sounds

And those are some good tips you've been given on photographing birds... one last one, is patience. You've got to have a lot of patience to get the right shot. And it's a lot easier to see the birds if they're against something that contrasts them. I didn't even notice the bird in flight in the lower right until I took a very close look.

With this picture, it might look nice if you cropped it to a portrait orientation and then focused on the two birds in the center/left area. They've got good poses and they stand out the most against the tree and sky. Keep practicing! And don't give up (and of course, show us your progress)

[jiminyClickit]

kirbinster,

You have good light, action, variety in poses. It is sort of bunched in the lower right corner, though. The framing before taking a photo saves a lot of almost good shots. This could be helped some with a crop, losing top/left bird/tree, the least interesting area. The inflight guy doesn't have much room to soar into, so a crop might lessen that problem some by making his flightzone larger.

While it may create more noise pollution, you could tie some treats in the area you find interesting as background, and wait. What do crows eat?

[phlyersphan]

Love the poses and the guy in flight. Like jiminyClickit said - maybe give the in-flight guy a little more room to fly? It feels like he's about to fly into a wall. Nice catch though - it's like they all posed for you