Need desperate feedback

[NorthernGav]

hi DPS world,

im totally and utterly new to this im just after some guys to rip my photos apart and tell me where it could be better it would be a great learning curve and really appreciate your time and effort if you choose to look through my set.

like i say im totally new to this and really hope im not breaking any rules. in return if any of my pictures are ok and ppl would like to use one thats fine with me

thanks in advance . . . heres my link

[oldwolf]

Try this. It might help.
Critique Forum Rules

[NorthernGav]

cheers wolf i get it now one pic per day and if its a set does that mean a set of the same picture with different settings and equipment i.e lenses and stuff?

[NorthernGav]

Originally Posted by NorthernGav

hi DPS world,

im totally and utterly new to this im just after some guys to rip my photos apart and tell me where it could be better it would be a great learning curve and really appreciate your time and effort if you choose to look through my set.

like i say im totally new to this and really hope im not breaking any rules. in return if any of my pictures are ok and ppl would like to use one thats fine with me

thanks in advance . . . heres my link

ok . . . . .here we go then now i understand heres the link to my one photo that i would like ripped apart click here please

Sony a100 , sigma 100-300mm lens , f/5 , 1/250, iso-100
is it best to concentrate on shutter speed or app when shooting wildlife or just set auto and adjust in photoshop later? i would use manual but i cant adjust the settings fast enough to match my target?

[NorthernGav]

my hyper link aint working try this...

[NorthernGav]

as soon as i posted this i could see my set up could of been better i should of had the subject more central as its sitting pretty low and theres a lot of (burnt out ) sky in pic

[RichardTaylor]

Tracking flying birds is difficult.

Technically the had of the bird is reasonably sharp, although it could be a bit sharper.
The blurred wings don't worry me. (sometimes these are artistic decisions)

Re the composition, specifically the bird position, that can be fixed, up to a point in PPing. Beside the blown sly the background is a bit messy.

I would never ever shoot auto, as you have no control over your camera and also may not be able to shoot RAW.

If the lighting is ok I normally shoot shutter priority with the shutter @ 1/400 at the very least. If you want to freeze all the bird try 1/800.
I will use an ISO that will give an aperture of around F8-F11 (to give me a bit of leeway with DOF). I have no problems at shooting at high ISO (1600+)
If the lighting is poor I will will be shooting wide open (aperture priority), high ISO and take what ever shutter speed I can get.

If haven't been in a position to do panning shots of birds, If I was I would be starting at around 1/250 and shooting at apertures of around F11 (again to give me a bit of leeway with DOF). The background will be blurred with panning anyway. I would take the shutter speed up or down depending on the results.

Hope this helps.

[wulf]

Originally Posted by NorthernGav

as soon as i posted this i could see my set up could of been better i should of had the subject more central as its sitting pretty low and theres a lot of (burnt out ) sky in pic

The problem with flying birds is that they don't freeze mid-flight while you figure things out. I don't know how many photos you took during the session but don't be afraid to take lots (and then throw all but the very best away when you get back to base). Also, review them when you get breaks as there may be on-the-fly adjustments that would improve things. Here, the sky is clearly blown out, so there was definitely scope for a faster shutter speed and / or narrower aperture. If the bird was flying relatively low to the ground, another trick would be to get a bit higher so you have less sky in the background.

I notice that the EXIF data on Flickr gives the focal length as 100mm. Was the bird really close or have you cropped down from the original shot?

Wulf

[NorthernGav]

hi wulf. . . we werent too far away from the subject, but cant remember if i also cropped the picture normally i shoot raw and jpeg but going back through my raw drive i must not have been shooting raw that day so cant find original file. but we would have only been 1 to 2 hundred yards away its quite a small semi circle seating arrangement in front of a lake so the area wasn't that big. should i have used a less powerfull lens?

[NorthernGav]

i really appreciate the advice guys it will help so so much .... i'm sort of self teaching as i don't think there's a photography class around where i live , there's a group a few mile away but its more like people showing each other their work and stuff rather than being tutored. . . .. just need your tips to sink in to the grey stuff for next time . .