Bird studio

goooner

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I've been playing around a bit with ocf around our bird bath on the balcony. I'm not sure about these shots, they look quite fake, but I like them for some reason. The flash does not seem to bother the birds as soon as they get used to it. C&C always welcome.

1. Blue tit
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2. Not that impressed lol
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3.
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4. Nuthatch
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I like them too! Nothing "fake" about them--staged, perhaps, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, if you have a place where you can set something like that up and you're doing nothing to harm the birds.
No, OCF doesn't bother them for the most part, so you aren't doing anything to cause any undue stress or strain on them.
 
Technically they are nice but I think what is bothering you about them is that they are more or less a bird dead center frame with a black background. That makes them a little sterile. But the birds do look nice.
 
Nice shots. the OCF shouldn't bother them. I have been using it with a Better Beamer for a couple of years and have not noticed any unnatural response. I would agree with BillM. You have each bird centered in the image, whereas if they had been a bit to the left, giving them a bit more room on the right, then you might have a better composition. Rule of thirds comes into play in situations like this.

WesternGuy
 
This is really cool. They don't look fake to me, but rather a little surreal because they are wild animals but the black background does give the impression that these were shot in a studio. The two factors clash a little and it creates a very interesting effect.
The only suggestion I would make is that the flash could be a little more diffused, the light seems just a tiny bit harsh. But other than that I'm loving it^^
 
Technically they are nice but I think what is bothering you about them is that they are more or less a bird dead center frame with a black background. That makes them a little sterile. But the birds do look nice.

Nice shots. the OCF shouldn't bother them. I have been using it with a Better Beamer for a couple of years and have not noticed any unnatural response. I would agree with BillM. You have each bird centered in the image, whereas if they had been a bit to the left, giving them a bit more room on the right, then you might have a better composition. Rule of thirds comes into play in situations like this.

WesternGuy

Thanks, yes I have some stuff on the right that distracts (birdhouse etc.) I will see if I can move it out of frame.
 
This is really cool. They don't look fake to me, but rather a little surreal because they are wild animals but the black background does give the impression that these were shot in a studio. The two factors clash a little and it creates a very interesting effect.
The only suggestion I would make is that the flash could be a little more diffused, the light seems just a tiny bit harsh. But other than that I'm loving it^^

Yes that is true. I only have a very small diffuser (20cm?) on the flash. I will try and move it further away and see if that helps. In this thread I have a picture of my set-up...
OCF at waterbath pic heavy Photography Forum
 
I'd like to see them shot the same, but with the back ambient brought back in.
 
I'd like to see them shot the same, but with the back ambient brought back in.
I agree, this was an experiment with the studio look. I'm having trouble with the flash setting to get the 'fill flash' look. I think my flash is too weak. Ideally I would need a 2nd flash for the background, as it is in a very shaded area. In this thread you can see my set-up
OCF at waterbath pic heavy Photography Forum
 
This is really cool. They don't look fake to me, but rather a little surreal because they are wild animals but the black background does give the impression that these were shot in a studio. The two factors clash a little and it creates a very interesting effect.
The only suggestion I would make is that the flash could be a little more diffused, the light seems just a tiny bit harsh. But other than that I'm loving it^^

Yes that is true. I only have a very small diffuser (20cm?) on the flash. I will try and move it further away and see if that helps. In this thread I have a picture of my set-up...
OCF at waterbath pic heavy Photography Forum


This might just be a case where a shoot through white umbrella does the job best. I have a somewhat similar 'bird studio' and found that the wide dispersion of the shoot through gave me the 'fill' look I wanted. Doesn't have to be a large diameter, but the flash should be as far back (or the umbrella as far forward) as you can get it on the stand.
 
This might just be a case where a shoot through white umbrella does the job best. I have a somewhat similar 'bird studio' and found that the wide dispersion of the shoot through gave me the 'fill' look I wanted. Doesn't have to be a large diameter, but the flash should be as far back (or the umbrella as far forward) as you can get it on the stand.
Thanks for the tip. I don't have any light stands, or umbrellas though. My speed light was mounted on a tripod, with the mini diffuser on it (20cm). Maybe I can bounce the flash off something, will have to think about this. Or get a 2nd flash for the tree....
 
Yeah, I think you really need to disperse the light as much as possible for this to work out better. An umbrella would be a good idea. Or maybe two flashes (one left, one right) with diffusors and as far away back as possible. You just need to find a balance between a lower power setting and the distance between flashes and birds.

The black background isn't much of an issue for me, the harsh light could just be improved. But it would be neat if you could see some faint colors in the background^^
 

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