2018 Project 52, 1st quarter by Sandy (skitterbug)

[skitterbug]

Hi Sandy. With regards the over exposed head of the bird, I wonder if you have the 'blinkies' of your camera turned on. With this turned on you can immediately tell if a part of your image is bring washed out. This way you can make adjustments while capturing the image instead of in pp.

Hi Joe - I don't recall any blinking going on.... I'll check it out..... hummm, back again and no, it was not activated. It is now!

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Wavelength]

Lovely bird shots

[Cantab]

Sandy, I don't use the 7Dmkii but know that it has an almost infinite array of focusing options.

One option might be simply to have only centre point focusing (a single point). That way you get to choose what the camera will focus on rather than letting the camera choose whatever spot it wants. If you do the choosing, you can then be certain that the point of sharpest focus will be the eyes (unless of course you're trying to photograph a rapidly moving bird--but in that case all bets may be off).

But it will be interesting to hear what comments Geoff may have on my suggestion. He has much more experience than I do with the 7Dii.

[Geoff F]

Spot focusing can work but there is often more problems with it than without; particularly if you recompose the shot or have to try following a moving subject while keeping that single spot in the desired place.

I usually use the central group of points. I think it is 16 points, but whatever you do with this sort of scene which includes some subject movement there will be many rejects.

Today I tried some bird shots but my subjects mostly kept their distance and the only ones to come closer were at a poor light angle. Not sure if I have any keepers until I look closer and try some editing work.

[rudi]

Abt the birds: I think you got already some good advice here Sandy.
Let me add my 2 cents worth:
I think good technique is very important, try to brace yourself, camera firm to your eye, keeping your arms tight to your body, to get a stable grip on camera/lens, to minimize (or rule out) motion blur...(in macro I go even further and try to 'regulate' my breathing, like in shooting (with a rifle this time). I also use back-button-focusing, which helpt me a lot keeping the focus where I want.
HTH.

[skitterbug]

Thank you Nandakumar! I'm glad you like them!

[skitterbug]

Sandy, I don't use the 7Dmkii but know that it has an almost infinite array of focusing options.

One option might be simply to have only centre point focusing (a single point). That way you get to choose what the camera will focus on rather than letting the camera choose whatever spot it wants. If you do the choosing, you can then be certain that the point of sharpest focus will be the eyes (unless of course you're trying to photograph a rapidly moving bird--but in that case all bets may be off).

But it will be interesting to hear what comments Geoff may have on my suggestion. He has much more experience than I do with the 7Dii.

I have narrowed it down to the single point choice and if I don't move quick enough, I miss the "eye" point of the moving bird.

You nailed it when you said that the 7d Mark II has almost infinite focusing options! The trick will be learning which are best for my uses and then remembering the choices that I should use.

Thanks for replying! I enjoying reading your point of view.

[skitterbug]

Abt the birds: I think you got already some good advice here Sandy.
Let me add my 2 cents worth:
I think good technique is very important, try to brace yourself, camera firm to your eye, keeping your arms tight to your body, to get a stable grip on camera/lens, to minimize (or rule out) motion blur...(in macro I go even further and try to 'regulate' my breathing, like in shooting (with a rifle this time). I also use back-button-focusing, which helpt me a lot keeping the focus where I want.
HTH.

Yep, I remember my competition days shooting rifles. Breathing is very important in keeping steady.
You mentioned the back-button-focusing feature. I've read about this option but I haven't figured out how to use it, what button to assign this too and being able to get used to reaching for it all come to mind. So I haven't worked it into a routine yet. A work in progress and all hints about how to do it will be helpful.

Thanks for your thoughts! I appreciate them!

[skitterbug]

Spot focusing can work but there is often more problems with it than without; particularly if you recompose the shot or have to try following a moving subject while keeping that single spot in the desired place.

Using spot focus on the Rebel gave me plenty of practice following my targets but if there is an easier way, I'm all for using it.

I usually use the central group of points. I think it is 16 points, but whatever you do with this sort of scene which includes some subject movement there will be many rejects.

How do you keep the main focus on the center of your subject, without it jumping to the closer point of focus? If the bird is mixed in with others or in the foliage, the focus points will want to hit on the nearest point?

Today I tried some bird shots but my subjects mostly kept their distance and the only ones to come closer were at a poor light angle. Not sure if I have any keepers until I look closer and try some editing work.

Yep, the rubbish bin is full of rejects. I'm getting better about how to make it easier to view them, select keepers and hit the reject option in LR. At the end of my viewing, I can delete all the rejects at the same time. It is a a treat for me when I can learn something to make life easier and photography more fun! I wish I had taken both golf and photography up with I was young! <chuckle>

Thank you Geoff for your thoughtful replies!

[Geoff F]

I took 80 shots yesterday then narrowed it down to 50 for uploading to my computer and ended up with one keeper, which still wasn't particularly good. Where I was able to get an acceptable composition and sharp focus the light was at the wrong angle.

As you said, a single autofocus spot is difficult to keep on a moving bird and multiple focus points risks focusing on the wrong part of the subject; although using just the central group tends to focus mostly where you want it and being a slightly bigger focus area it is easier to keep locked on to the subject.

The only other option is manual focus, which is easier on a stationary target and when shooting with a tripod. None of these options are an idea answer.

[skitterbug]

Hi Geoff - Using manual focus only works for me when my target is stationary. I'm all "thumbs" if I try and manually focus on something on the move!

Using auto focus became more complicated with this newer (to me) camera because now I have lots more options to mess up! I think it will improve as I practice using my equipment and viewing my photo work. The old adage "practice makes perfect" is part of my daily thought process. Doing this P52 project also keeps me moving since it provides incentive to create acceptable photos weekly. I appreciate being able to come to CiC for help and opinions regarding my efforts.

And to add a chuckle, my computer breathes a sigh of relief when I remember to clear out my rubbish bin of all my junk photos! I still am tossing lots more than I keep!

Thank you for your reply!

[skitterbug]

Week 12 - I'm still practicing using the auto focus points on the Mark II and 100-400 lens. I decided to use spot metering and expanded the focus area to 9 since the focus area jumped around more than I liked yet. I did find it difficult getting the focus directly on the spot I wanted so next time I'll cut the focus points back to 6. (Hope I am explaining this correctly). I did have some success I believe.
Also since I still haven't made a decision about a tripod, I was resting my camera on a small pillow on the ledge of an open window for stability.

#1 - f/5.6 - 1/800 - ISO1600 - The Blue Jay was bobbing up and down while singing, trying to catch the attention of a mate!



#2 - f/5.6 - 1/800 - ISO640 - Apparently feeding is enticement in any language!



#3 - f/5.6 - 1/800 - ISO400 - Took a moment to rest and think!



#4 - f/5.6 - 1/400 - ISO1600 - This is a very pretty bird.

[Cantab]

Sandy, I enjoyed your most recent set of photos. As far as I can tell on my iPad, the birds are sharp: in focus and no motion blur. Your window tripod works well apart from not being movable!

The lighting condition in the first three is difficult because of the sharp contrast between the sunlight and shade. But probably the only way to have avoided that was not to have taken the shots at all. Did you try to edit the photos to darken the light areas, etc.?

Edit: Sandy, I'm not clear whether you were using spot (exposure) metering or using spot focussing. (This question may simply reveal my lack of knowledge of your cameras auto focus options.)

[Shadowman]

Not familiar with the Canon focusing system either but if the focus point was jumping around most likely a 3D or closest focus point system, so the camera will focus at any object closest to the you; if it happens to be a nearby branch then that will be where the camera focuses, you can review images uploaded if your software is capable of showing focus point. Nice series, the abstract backgrounds can make for difficult focusing situations as well.

[skitterbug]

Hi Bruce and John - Let's see if I can explain what I did...... I chose spot metering thinking that since the blue jay was sunlit and in a dark background, it may help. Correct choice? or no?

I usually use auto focus since I'm not fast enough to adjust manual focus for things that move. There are 65 auto focus points on this camera system. I could use a single auto focus point but that would mean I'd need complete accuracy. I've done this while capturing pics of the grandson on the soccer field, but he is a larger target than a blue jay. And too that was using the Rebel T3i that I am more familiar with.

Since choosing a set of focus points is still quite new to me, I decided to try a center field of 9 points. So long as the bird wasn't sitting somewhere with a branch close, this seemed to work okay but if he moved, then the focus points wanted to shift to the nearest object as John said was probably happening. So I have to figure out how to deal with this issue. Less may be better?

John - I do have software that shows the focus point(s) that the camera chose for each photo and it has been useful.

Bruce - I did adjust the brightness a bit in my photos and stopped when I did since I wanted the photos to show realistically the situation the blue jay was sitting in.

My rejects were way too bright, way too dark or unfocused! Or in one shot, when I snapped the camera, he'd taken off a split second too soon, leaving me with a photo of a bird feeder..... I expect this sounds familiar to anyone reading this.

So I hope this adds a bit more to my attempted explanation? And I will keep working at this style of photo work and hope eventually I become better acquainted with the settings I should choose for various situations.

Thank you both for commenting! Interaction definitely helps me!

[rudi]

Hi Sandy,
you captured an interesting bird in a difficult situation, which is , to me, the 'distracting' background, YMMV.
It might be an option to setup some interesting branches near the bird feeder, the birds can land on before they jump on your feeder, with a distant background, to get a more 'pleasing' background. Observe them, birds will also often take the same track to your feeder fe.

I am not an expert in bird photography but this is how I have set up my 7DII for 'static' backyardbirds:
Most often I shoot in Av mode, Auto iso set to 800.
Evaluative metering mode.
I use one single AF point (mostly), or AF expansion with 4 or 8 assist points.
Back button focus and always in AFC mode- Ai servo.

No doubt the more experienced birders here will have more advanced settings, which would be interesting to know off course..

[Geoff F]

Those images are certainly a lot better, Sandy.

It is definitely a confusing job to alter the focus point option with that camera.

When shooting with a tripod I usually have a ball head lightly adjusted so I can easily move the equipment around in a similar manner to hand held shooting but the tripod takes the weight and prevents arm ache, which soon occurs with these larger lenses after you reach a certain age.

And because widely spaced legs get a bit cumbersome in cramped wildlife situations I tend to only open the legs using the minimum number of sections and gain most height using the centre column. But that can mean your whole rig becomes unstable so you have to keep hold of your camera at all times.

[skitterbug]

Hi Sandy,
you captured an interesting bird in a difficult situation, which is , to me, the 'distracting' background, YMMV.
It might be an option to setup some interesting branches near the bird feeder, the birds can land on before they jump on your feeder, with a distant background, to get a more 'pleasing' background. Observe them, birds will also often take the same track to your feeder fe.

I am not an expert in bird photography but this is how I have set up my 7DII for 'static' backyardbirds:
Most often I shoot in Av mode, Auto iso set to 800.
Evaluative metering mode.
I use one single AF point (mostly), or AF expansion with 4 or 8 assist points.
Back button focus and always in AFC mode- Ai servo.

No doubt the more experienced birders here will have more advanced settings, which would be interesting to know off course..

Hi Rudi - I doubt I'll do anything about moving those trees or even being able to alter the area that these blue jays come to. I am just fortunate that they came at all. We've been enticing them with whole peanuts, in shell and shelled.

I do appreciate that you shared your choice of settings. Since the jays haven't returned, I may have to practice my settings on sparrows. We always seem to have those around.

Thanks for replying!

[skitterbug]

Those images are certainly a lot better, Sandy.

It is definitely a confusing job to alter the focus point option with that camera.

When shooting with a tripod I usually have a ball head lightly adjusted so I can easily move the equipment around in a similar manner to hand held shooting but the tripod takes the weight and prevents arm ache, which soon occurs with these larger lenses after you reach a certain age.

And because widely spaced legs get a bit cumbersome in cramped wildlife situations I tend to only open the legs using the minimum number of sections and gain most height using the centre column. But that can mean your whole rig becomes unstable so you have to keep hold of your camera at all times.

Hi Geoff - I've seen a few tripods on B&H website that look decent. They also have a ball head that may suit my needs. I was hoping that I could still see these up close but I may just have to order and hope that what I get really does suit my needs.

I'll keep working on the focus system. I think eventually I'll find some settings that will become my favourites!

Glad you like the blue jays! And thanks for your insight!

[Wavelength]

WOW; great set of images of those beautiful birds!!!