The garden is so colurfull today
- Thread starter MaryPink
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- Donna
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You are a lucky lady to have your garden frequented by Bullfinches and Siskins. All of your shots are a bit soft indicating lens quality or lots of crop/PP to get something presentable. However a good try so keep at it. Put a twig or something close to the bird table or feeder and try to catch the birds on that and you will soon improve the quality of your shots.
Mary, I have just looked at the EXIF data on your shots, were you shooting through glass/window etc. as that would explain the softness.
Mary, I have just looked at the EXIF data on your shots, were you shooting through glass/window etc. as that would explain the softness.
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- john
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Hi,i use photofilter[free], click image size,750 on longest side,then save
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- Donna
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Hi Mary, sorry if I sounded harsh. Yes, crop the images, we all have to. I can't advise on what to use though others on the forum are more expert than I on software. Try to get your shots outside. It's more difficult I know but it will do your equipment more justice than shooting through a window however clean the glass is. And please don't give up and welcome to the forum
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- Rich
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Hi Mary and welcome to TP, some good advice offered by Donna. Birds on the feeder are ok if they are done right, but mostly getting them on a branch or perch as in your Bullfinch shot, shows the bird off a bit more due to less of a cluttered background. Practising on birds on the feeder will always help you understand your camera and settings though so dont dismiss it completely 
If you do not have a tripod then it might be worth investing in a decent one, no need to spend hundreds but any support you can use which is comfortable and helps you relax when taking the shot is better than nothing, other options are bean bags. With the better weather around the corner you should have plenty of fun and pleasure in the months to come
For your information the Bullfinch on the branch was shot at 1/80th at 300mm try to keep your shutter speed up as fast as or faster than the focal length used. If you had increased the ISO to around 400 this would have increased your shutter speed and reduced the chance of blurr. Just a google of how to take bird shots will yield some basic info for you
If you do not have a tripod then it might be worth investing in a decent one, no need to spend hundreds but any support you can use which is comfortable and helps you relax when taking the shot is better than nothing, other options are bean bags. With the better weather around the corner you should have plenty of fun and pleasure in the months to come For your information the Bullfinch on the branch was shot at 1/80th at 300mm try to keep your shutter speed up as fast as or faster than the focal length used. If you had increased the ISO to around 400 this would have increased your shutter speed and reduced the chance of blurr. Just a google of how to take bird shots will yield some basic info for you
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- Dominic
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You lucky thing Mary! What an array of colour!! You've just been given some great advice to improve on this, and main thing is to enjoy what you're doing, which you seem to be doing.
Practice makes perfect and as you say you're new to it, so this is a nice start.
Welcome to the forum!
Dom
Practice makes perfect and as you say you're new to it, so this is a nice start.
Welcome to the forum!
Dom
The first siskin shot is actually quite good considering it's through glass. Checking the EXIF I can see that it's shot at 1/200 second. Because you're presumably using image stabilisation, that shutter speed is good enough to stop camera shake at your 300mm focal length, but it won't stop subject blur. So the best time to snap is when the birds pause. They will do that as they stop and listen for danger. With some birds like bluetits, that pause is very brief indeed so you have take lots of shots to get some good ones.
Many birds will fly to your feeder even if you're outside in full view of them. Stand about 15 feet away and keep still and quiet. Once they start to come down to the feeder, edge closer until you reach a distance that both you and the birds are comfortable with. The first time you hit the shutter they may fly off but just stay put and they'll come back - they get used to it surprisingly quickly. Bluetits and robins are the least timid and will lead the others.
The tip about having a perch set up that they can land on before going to the feeder is a good one.
Many birds will fly to your feeder even if you're outside in full view of them. Stand about 15 feet away and keep still and quiet. Once they start to come down to the feeder, edge closer until you reach a distance that both you and the birds are comfortable with. The first time you hit the shutter they may fly off but just stay put and they'll come back - they get used to it surprisingly quickly. Bluetits and robins are the least timid and will lead the others.
The tip about having a perch set up that they can land on before going to the feeder is a good one.
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- Alan
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You are lucky to have such visitors - with all the advice that you have received here you should soon be producing really good results with such raw material.