Am I really kidding my self?

gazedd

gazedd

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Name
Gary Eddleston
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I'm trying to shoot wildlife @ a local Nature reserve with a max focal lenght of 250mm. Its becoming disheartening that I am not getting Any shots whats so ever.

I've been out around 3 times and I've barely got an image to show for it.

Kit:
400D + Canon 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS

Any Idea's on what I can try? :shrug:
I need to Ideally get closer to the subjects OR find a place in the north west that doesn't require a stupidly long lens.


I really am asking for the for to much aren't it? :(
 
Are you not able to capture the birds in the frame? or is it all blurry?

Maybe try a monopod to see if that helps? if blurry is the problem :thumbs:

My 400D is no good at top end on the 300mm, could it be the camera?
 
Very interesting, I have been on the website of my local nature reserve this evening as I'm planning a trip there once I purchase the 55-250 IS next month!! I'll be watching this thread carefully... :D
 
Gary, Can you post your pics? It could be a number of things that are more to do with technique rather than the lens and camera. There are some people on here that get some good results with this lens. I also had one for a time and enjoyed it immensely.
 
You don't mean Moore do you? I don't think anyone has ever got a 'decent' shot there of anything :p It's not a place to photograph at really! Try Pennington Flash in Wigan/Leigh...there is a feeding station hide there that should produce better results :)

I use my 70-200 and get near enough full frame shots of woodland birds at Etherow Park in Stockport, if that's not too far...it's usually pretty quiet in the week too.

Plenty more lists of sites, some with maps etc too, so you can judge where might be good:

Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Lancs Wildlife Trust

It is quite possible to get good shots with 250mm...it is just doing the research like all good wildlife photographers should! Below was shot at Etherow Park, I was out in the open next to the hedge...with 200mm :)

IMG_2179.jpg
 
I think its a bit of everything, Ive visited on dull days, so Cannot get the shutter speed up high enough to freeze the action.
Then on sunny days, Its just been that Birds are fo far away. I'm cropping in but I'm getting a OOF bird.

The only picture I bothered to upload is:
3320627386_2fee554999.jpg


Forget the wings, This was a bird feeding off what looked like paste on a tree (forgive me, I'm not a birding person so haven't a clue what it is)



Wack61: I used to work for the trust so know all about it - I'm waiting for a week or so before I try the local places again :)
Infact, The Mailing house is just around the corner from where you live (IIRC your location within warrington)
 
purpleclouds said:
You don't mean Moore do you? I don't think anyone has ever got a 'decent' shot there of anything :p It's not a place to photograph at really! Try Pennington Flash in Wigan/Leigh...there is a feeding station hide there that should produce better results :)

I use my 70-200 and get near enough full frame shots of woodland birds at Etherow Park in Stockport, if that's not too far...it's usually pretty quiet in the week too.

Plenty more lists of sites, some with maps etc too, so you can judge where might be good:

Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Lancs Wildlife Trust

It is quite possible to get good shots with 250mm...it is just doing the research like all good wildlife photographers should!
Click to expand...


Sadly It is Phil.
I will certainly check those sites out!
 
Both with 70-200 at Etherow Park

If you go in the cafe at the park you will see a display of images that I took at the park.


Bluetit_16.jpg


Robin_portrait.jpg
 
Royston Vasey said:
Both with 70-200 at Etherow Park

If you go in the cafe at the park you will see a display of images that I took at the park.
Click to expand...

I think I was chatting to you in the hide once....although you had a 5D and one of the big Sigmas? If that wasn't you....it was someone else taking credit for your work :eek:
 
I had a 5D many years ago and the Sigma 100-300 F4 but I don't think I ever used it in the hide. The problem with Etherow Park is too many people with there dogs after 9 am, so the wildlife just disappears.

Swan_5.jpg


70-200 at Etherow.
 
Royston Vasey said:
I had a 5D many years ago and the Sigma 100-300 F4 but I don't think I ever used it in the hide. The problem with Etherow Park is too many people with there dogs after 9 am, so the wildlife just disappears.
Click to expand...

Looks like you have a wannabe follower then :lol:

The hide during the week is dead, I've sat in there all day alone on occasion...and Ernocroft Wood is quite quiet too, but the rest does get really busy! Even more so at weekends!
 
Ok so Driving directions to Stockport SK6 5JD (Etherow) is 38.6 mi – about 48 mins from me according to Google maps.

You guys think its worth a try over there?
 
Get there on a nice day, and get in the hide...with some bird seed out and you will be beating them away with their own perch :D

If you go before Thursday...I'll meet ya there too :) Away for work again for a couple of weeks thereafter :(
 
Weekends is a nightmare, the hide is good in the week if you don't get any twitchers popping in. I set up twigs in the ground and put seeds out for the birds, and then the twitchers turn up an fill the bird table with food. So the birds then go to the table and I cant get my natural type shots on the twigs.

Here is a link to my images of Etherow page, all money I raise from print sales go to the friends of Etherow charity.

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/2378385/collection?album_id=94092290&
 
Well I'm working till 4pm this week which is a shame. I guess its not worth it for the sunset lol
 
Risley Moss is good Gaz, they have a feeding station there with a hide only yards away !

Moore is pretty poor really as far as birding goes.

If your up for it, we can have a trip up on Sunday or something ! ?
 
Nah, the sunset isn't great there, pylons and a factory in the way! :( Shame as the main lake gets nice colours on it sometimes! The weather is only good tomorrow too :(
 
Borats Baby said:
Risley Moss is good Gaz, they have a feeding station there with a hide only yards away !

Moore is pretty poor really as far as birding goes.

If your up for it, we can have a trip up on Sunday or something ! ?
Click to expand...
Aye, I'll see what the plans are for next weekend :)
 
purpleclouds said:
Nah, the sunset isn't great there, pylons and a factory in the way! :( Shame as the main lake gets nice colours on it sometimes! The weather is only good tomorrow too :(
Click to expand...


Well when you come back from work, Let me know and we can arrange something if thats ok?
 
Techno-Geek said:
Are you not able to capture the birds in the frame? or is it all blurry?

Maybe try a monopod to see if that helps? if blurry is the problem :thumbs:

My 400D is no good at top end on the 300mm, could it be the camera?
Click to expand...

That wont be the fault of the 400D, that will be the lens.
 
I've got some pretty good wildlife shots with my 400D and 55-250. I'm also surprised you only got 1/400 sec from a 1600 ISO exposure??? I never have to shoot that high ISO, and get much faster shutter speeds with the same camera/lens combination...

A few I have taken with the 400D and 250is;

IMG_1221.jpg


IMG_6429.jpg


IMG_6414.jpg



I have more but cant seem to find them on my Photobucket! Granted, the only one moving was the swan but I find the combination pretty good for wildlife, especially given the relative cost of the 55-250. With your bird shot though, if you wanted the wings to freeze you would be looking at super fast L glass!
 
I have been thinking today, Maybe I'm asking to much, I expect to see things on each trip out. "Spectacular events", but they simply just dont happen all the time and I guess thats where the "Do your reserch" comment comes into play.
 
gazedd said:
I'm trying to shoot wildlife @ a local Nature reserve with a max focal lenght of 250mm. Its becoming disheartening that I am not getting Any shots whats so ever.

I've been out around 3 times and I've barely got an image to show for it.

Kit:
400D + Canon 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS

Any Idea's on what I can try? :shrug:
I need to Ideally get closer to the subjects OR find a place in the north west that doesn't require a stupidly long lens.


I really am asking for the for to much aren't it? :(
Click to expand...
I don't think you are asking too much for a 250mm lens Gaz, not at all.

To get decent shots of birds, such that they fill a large proportion of the frame, you really need a good technique, a busy birding location, bird food, and a degree of good luck.

Personally, I tend to use a hide, or for you to have a laugh at the extremes I go through to get closer to the birds, after placing food around that I know the local birds will enjoy, I cover myself in a 6' x 6' camo net and sit quietly for ages waiting for them to come down. They will come down if you wait quietly enough.

I have set up two feeding stations; one in remote woodland that myself and a mate visit regularly to stock up on food, and another more recently in a private field adjacent to the river only 100yds from where I live (I've been given permission to use the field for this), and I hope to spend some time in my pop up hide in that field over the coming weeks.

I have also set up the hide on a riverbank and simply waited there for the birds to arrive. If you have patience, can keep relatively quiet and have a keen eye you will be able to get decent shots.

Hope this little bit of advice helps.
 
Well, I certainly will have to find some places like this and start to lay feed down. I have feed anyway which I bought from the back garden.

My Issue's would be to find good land local enough to be able to pop to it.

If your ever planning a trip out (and are from the northern part of wales) let me know and I'd be glad to pop along to see your set ups.
 
Well, I certainly will have to find some places like this and start to lay feed down. I have feed anyway which I bought from the back garden.

My Issue's would be to find good land local enough to be able to pop to it.

If your ever planning a trip out (and are from the northern part of wales) let me know and I'd be glad to pop along to see your set ups.
 
Agree with Phil, Moore is a bloody awful place for photography.
Try some new places mate and most importantly remember patience is the key to wildlife photography...Be prepared for spending long periods of time waiting for those few seconds when a shot is in sight.
 
Ok so when we say long periods of time, Are we taking an hour or two? Or more like half a day?
 
gazedd said:
Ok so when we say long periods of time, Are we taking an hour or two? Or more like half a day?
Click to expand...

:) That depends on what species you're after and the location you are at.
For the more common garden birds, a feeder and a bit of cover should be good enough to get some decents shots in no time.
If you're after a Golden Eagle in the Highlands of Scotland, then I suppose you could be talking days, weeks or even months.
Knowlege of a species and good fieldcraft will help a lot.

I've been watching a family of Kingfishers for over a year and although I've had some decent shots, I've yet to get one I'm truly happy with and I must of spent hundreds of hours trying!
If you enjoy what you're doing and you have the drive to get the shot you desire, then time isn't so important.
 
Well time isn't important to me, My issues are that I unfortuntely have an Office job which is a monday to friday thing.
So Its a weekender kinda thing at the minute.
I guess I'll eventually find my feet with this. New locations will be found this week and hopefully tried at the weekend.
 
Gazedd, I have trouble finding anything local that is in enough rage for decent shots. I have found that the best places to visit for birds are country parks and what not. If you look along the most public areas you might find feeding stations set up. Pop some extra feed on, gather some twigs/sticks and prop them up around the feeders for perches. Then sit and wait. It could take literally seconds, but it could also take an hour or so. But you will get some action if the station has been there a while.

I went to Sandringham, Norfolk last weekend, and someone had done exactly the above. We parked up within 5 or 6ft of the feeders, and waited. There was so much action I didn't know where to start! :lol: By the time I worked out where to aim the food that had been left had almost gone, and I had forgotten to take some with me :( But I'll be going back soon, as it was a nice little area with plenty of birds.

To help with light should you decide to set something up yourself, try and keep the feeders south facing. That way you will have direct sunlight for most of the day. Also try to keep the supplies topped up to keep the birds interested. The other thing you could try is taking small fold up chair or stool with you. Making sure you're wearing clothes that will blend in the environment ... Walk a fair way into some woods pop your seat up and give it a good hour to take in your surroundings. You'll be amazed at what you'll see :) Once you learn the knack of spotting wildlife that could go unseen by those who are none the wiser, you'll see it everywhere you look.

HTH Jo xxx

**PS. If you were the kind soul to set up the props at Sandringham last weekend, and you popped away for a short while... then returned to see a silver car parked sideways on blocking your view... I'm really sorry, but I can't get out of the car at the moment so this was my only option of getting those 200mm shots :$ Hope you can forgive me, I know you looked a little peed off at me.**
 
some nice pointers there Jo, Thank you,

You have hit on another topic, Clothing...

Greens and browns I presume are the best colours to have, Were-as I go out in black and blue. Probally another reason why I dont get to close this them.
 
Don't worry too much about colours, all dark and 'unsuspecting' colours are fine, blues, blacks, greens, browns etc...

It isn't so much about blending in, as it is about just keeping still! Sometimes I can be stood outside the hide between it and the feeder and the birds will be visiting 4ft feet away, but as soon as I move they all b****r off :lol:

Obviously bright colours will get attention drawn on to you, but muted colours you will be fine...blue is actually my most common wardrobe colour!
 
Yeah that could be an added problem. Try getting a camouflage jacket from an army surplus store perhaps?
 
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