Need evaluation on 2 photos... *DELETED*

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Post deleted by MARINERMAGNUM

[Tom Wilson]

Mariner,

This is a huge topic, and takes some extensive learning, but I'll say this. Given the very poor lighting you had, you did a good job of panning on these two birds. Brighter light will always make a difference, but proper panning technique is needed to learn flight photography, so you might be ahead of the game already. Cropping, for the most part, when you start dealing with image quality and sharpening, can be a no no, however, if the photo is right to begin with, therein lies the battle. You are correct, the photo must be right from the start. PP does not fix bad photos--it makes good photos better. I agree with getting closer, but I don't agree that it's the simple part. Getting closer to the subject is what makes nature photography tough to begin with. That's why the big boys have 600mm F4 lenses with 2x teleconverters on digital bodies. 1800mm's brings em' in pretty close. I think you did well with these two photos, and I wouldn't be too critical on myself, if I were you, I think you're off to a good start, and you should wait on a sunny day before you make too many decisions.

God Bless,

[Steve Foss]

I agree with everything Tom said.

And another note. When you're too far away from the subject, and the subject is a small portion of the overall frame, there aren't as many pixels expressing the subject, in this case ducks. The fewer pixels, the less detail and the more harsh the subject looks when cropped and enlarged. So the more of the bird you get in the frame, always assuming it's a portrait of the bird and not a looser, environmental portrait, the better off you are.

MM, I think you have a very good start and, as Tom said, give yourself a few sunny days and a few hundred more frames. You'll have quite a few images to toss out right at the start, but the more you do it the more keepers you'll get.

Steady panning of flying birds, like wingshooting, is a combination of technique, coordination and practice.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

i appreciate the replies!

the more i thought about it last night,i realized i couldn't really expect much of an end result with the pics. i started with. i had to crop too much to get what you see.

viewing the original pics,both ducks are just too far away. when i bring up the un-cropped image,the equivalent is like a bee in the middle of a 17" monitor. this must be what Steve meant by not enough pixels to render a sharp image.

too anxious i guess! it's very frustrating having all these lenses to try and learn with,AND NO SUN!!

i will keep trying to do better. i appreciate the responses and value your opinions. thanks.

[buzzsaw]

MM, not much more I can add that Tom or Steve didn't already say except a decent tripod will do a person wonders as well. This "hobby" is addicting and it keeps growing and growing... enjoy it.

[Dbl]

I agree with everyone else, good start but I would not worry so much about the bad light. A good example is Steve's post of the dog sled and musher's. Doesn't get much worse than that, except maybe rain.

You will learn much faster shooting in all lighting conditions. You will probably get some of your best shots when lighting is ideal, but don't discount the weather as an excuse to not take a picture. Find a different take on the shot when the weather is challenging, buzz has some great photos of his wood ducks that were shot in flat light when the duck was stretching his wings. Find a new angle and keep shooting and learn how things change in different lighting and how you need to compensate. You will have a much better understanding of what you and your camera are capable off. Good luck and keep showing us photos.

[PierBridge]

I love FM...thanks guy's......