More from the Carolina Coast

[NorthernFocus]

So far I'm fulfilling my goal of shooting every day while we're here. Nabbing new species every day is keeping it interesting so far. Here are a few more shots from the past two days.

All shot with Nikon D500/200-500mm, handheld. Let me know if WB/saturation look way off and I'll continue to try to hone in on mental calibration of this monitor.

1) We've had a good bit of rain/fog since we've been here. Yesterday afternoon it finally cleared a bit for our evening walk (around low tide). Here's a shot of the beach.



2) Semipalmated plover. I thought it was a killdeer until I looked it up. Very similar. According to Cornell these guys will hang out in flocks of other species.



3) I guess Cornell knows what they're talking about.



4) Dunlin. I've shot these in Alaska during spring migration when they are in breeding plumage and look much different. In spring the breast is solid black and dorsal feathers turn reddish brown rather than grey.



5) Flock of them.



6) Why they were flying. We left her ball at home this time so she chased my birds instead



7) American White Pelican. According to Cornell they are rare this far north preferring to winter along the gulf coast.



8) Skimmer. There is a large flock of these sitting on a sandbar every evening. I have to figure out when/where they are feeding to try some shots of them skimming.



9) Great Egret. I sat on this guy for half an hour but bird, location, and lighting never quite came together. I think that's a shrimp it just nabbed.



10) And a Great Blue Heron provided the shot of the day. While I was sitting the the egret this guy obligingly flew into the nice morning light with a contrasting BG. Unfortunately the wings are a bit blurred. My ss was a bit low as I wasn't anticipating a flight shot.

[bje07]

Great series, pastel colors are very nice.
Very sharp shots, except for the last one (DoF too short?)

[Wavelength]

Have you ever shot a bad image?

[Rita]

Another beautiful series. your bird shots are always a joy to view.

[Craigie]

A great series of images Dan. Dogs are not my favourite subject to photograph, but #6 is exceptional.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for commenting, folks. Glad you enjoyed the photos.

Have you ever shot a bad image?

Yes, every time I pick up the camera. No one but me gets to see those

...Very sharp shots, except for the last one (DoF too short?)

Jean, as I stated in the OP my ss on that shot was too low(1/400s). In my judgement that is the cause of the blurring on the wings. However, since CiC is intended to be a learning forum, I will explain my reasoning.

Exif for that photo is 1/400s, f5.6, ISO800, DX format shot at 350mm(525mm FFE)

According to available reference material GBH are between 3-4.5ft(1-1.5m) nose to tail with a wingspan of 5-6.5ft(1.5-2m). This was a large one so I estimate 4ft(1.25m) nose to tail. The image as displayed is slightly cropped. On the original the nose to tail of the bird occupies approx. 40 percent of the horizontal frame so horizontal FOV is about 10ft(3m). With a DOF calculator, 10ft FOV with 350mm on a Nikon DX format camera indicates a target distance of approximately 100ft(31m).

At 100ft range, 350mm DX format, and f5.6, DOF is about 8ft(2.5m) which should have been wide enough for the subject's nominal 6ft wingspan(assuming the focus point is on the bird's body). In the photo the body is tack sharp and both wings are burred at least half way from tip to body. So at best the sharp portions of the bird span a depth of no more than 3-4ft which is far less than the calculated DOF of 8ft.

The above information combined with the low ss suggests that motion blur was the problem.

Through experience I've long since learned that ss of 1/1000 s is needed on most large birds to avoid motion blur in the wings. And having been through these calculations plus field verification many times in the past I've learned that an aperture of 5.6 provides adequate DOF for nearly any bird at any focal length as long as the bird occupies less than half of the horizontal FOV. This has been the basis of my field settings for the past three or four years.

So why was my shutter so slow on the shot in question? As stated in the OP I was working a static subject that didn't require high ss when the GBH flew by.

Hopefully this is helpful to someone and all this typing wasn't for no reason

[NorthernFocus]

...Dogs are not my favourite subject to photograph...

Ah but they provide the wildlife photographer with great opportunities for practice. Much as gulls do for practicing BIF

[John 2]

hat's a great set of images Dan. I particularly like the gentleness of the first one. That red roof did you real favour in anchoring the whole comp.

[chauncey]

You just keep getting better and better.

[Donald]

A sheer joy to view, Dan. Thank you. I completely love your dog.

[Astramael]

Enjoying these image sets so much that I risk turning off the critical part of my brain! This will not do... lets see if there is anything constructive to say...

1. Looks a bit haphazard, and I would gamble that is because it was! I do like the way the beach and houses trade places in an S shape, gives the image some direction and some interest. This is my least favorite image in the series.

2. This image is good because that waterline gives it some structure and some leading lines. I know you cannot do much about this, but I struggle with the very bright backgrounds against the bright birds. I think it detracts from the overall image. Just the beach being the beach.

3. I envy your ability to capture birds in flight. Looks like the shutter was a little low here. I also again find that the background is detracting from the overall image because it ends up lacking in contrast. Once again, not much can be done about it!

4. A beautiful image. Same lack of contrast problems.

5. See 4. I like the direction of the birds. Flying diagonal to your view plane gives the whole thing some extra zing.

6. This image does NOT suffer from lack of contrast because the pup is nice and dark against the bright background. In fact this is likely my favorite photo of the series. Which may be because of my soft spot for dogs...

7. Nice shot, this is beginning to push away the contrast problems. The ocean has a blue hue and the pelican is more white. The black and yellow help as well. Probably not the best angle, and lacking a bit in shutter speed again perhaps? (blurry feet)

8. Skimmer is very cool. The image in lightbox is a bit small for me to see if it's a little blurry or if that's just my imagination. No contrast problems here and seeing the whole wingspan is neat.

9. I agree with you on the Great Egret, it's a good image, but not quite a great image.

10. The Blue Heron is a very impressive shot. As you identified, the lack of shutter speed shows itself. I would also say that perhaps too small of an aperture? Not sure how far away the background was but it's just a little too busy for me, perhaps it could stand to be blurred a bit further by a wider aperture. I understand that there is some balance required with aperture to catch rather wide wingspans/have some extra DoF for movement and focus changes. Versus getting the exposure right and the background properly blurry. And that you weren't prepared for the subject.


Overall the gallery is great with exclusively wonderful shots and I am nitpicking a little bit.

Unfortunately it leads me to a question. How do you like the D500? It's on my camera short-list because I am looking for a gear upgrade. I'm undecided between Olympus EM1.2, Fuji X-T2, Nikon D500, and Nikon D750 and was wondering if you could shed any light on your camera. Although perhaps in a different thread or PM as I don't want to subject-jack this thread.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Julian thanks for taking the time to provide detailed critique. You are correct that the first image was haphazard. But the biggest problem with it is that it was shot by me. I'm no landscape expert. For that matter all of these other than no.9 were haphazard. All but nos. 9 and 10 were simply shot on walkabout. That said, opportunities are rare to shoot shorebirds with anything other than sea and sand as BG.

No.9 is the only shot that was "planned" in that I watched the bird for some time until it was in a position with clean BG. Unfortunately it never offered an optimum pose while in that location. No.10 was shot with the lens wide open at f5.6. The BG trees were just too close for decent bokeh at that aperture.

...I completely love your dog.

Donald, her travel crate is in our bedroom. I can have her and a year's worth of dog treats on a plane headed your way before my bride wakes up in the morning.

[Shadowman]

Nice series, cool bird shots and the pup is a winner.

[NorthernFocus]

...Unfortunately it leads me to a question. How do you like the D500? It's on my camera short-list because I am looking for a gear upgrade. I'm undecided between Olympus EM1.2, Fuji X-T2, Nikon D500, and Nikon D750 and was wondering if you could shed any light on your camera. Although perhaps in a different thread or PM as I don't want to subject-jack this thread.

I'll send you a PM. And perhaps start a thread discussing my opinion of the D500.

[madcrow]

Your bird images fabulous but the dog takes the biscuit. #6 out of this world, the capture, detail and action, awesome.

[bnnrcn]

Great set Dan

[RandyRFJP]

Great set Dan, and many thanks for the setting "tips" to capture large birds in flight.