I Think My Songbirds Are Improving A Bit...

sm4him · Jan 19, 2013

I'm still not getting the big birds...took a few more of some hawks today, which were better than before, but I was still just nowhere near close enough.

In the meantime, the snow on Thursday night and some really seriously dense fog this morning brought the birds out in droves to the feeders, so I took advantage and spent some time with them. These are what I consider the best of the lot; more (including the mediocre stuff, so don't say I didn't warn you!) on my flickr page.

Comments, C&C, general banter is ALWAYS greatly appreciated and helps me feel like I'm not just talking to the wall.

1. Bluebird

Jan_18_2013 (97)editweb by sm4him, on Flickr

2. Eastern Towhee
This little guy has been really tough to get shots of, because he hides way inside the hedges. But the heavy fog this morning drove him out looking for food and he actually--briefly--hopped up on this outside limb.

Jan_19_2013 (12)editweb by sm4him, on Flickr

3. Northern Cardinal in the Snow:

Jan_18_2013 (119)editweb by sm4him, on Flickr

4. Northern Cardinal (couldn't pick a favorite cardinal, so I posted them both!

)

Jan_18_2013 (147)editweb by sm4him, on Flickr

Bitter Jeweler · Jan 19, 2013

Beautiful Cardinals. I :heart: #3 the mostest. How it's looking back at us, with a snack.

Nikmal · Jan 19, 2013

Dang, You have more then improved. I would hang some of these on my wall.. Heck I can even see them in a magazine like Audubon.

Sharp focus. Dead on composition. Not over processed and even a creamy bokeh

Thanks for showing us!!

ceeboy14 · Jan 19, 2013

Second is a bit over-sharpened, but still a nice image as all of them are. Very much improved.

mishele · Jan 19, 2013

Very nice, babe!! The Cardinals are just gorgeous.

BlackSheep · Jan 19, 2013

Nice shots, all of them!
I especially like the Towhee shot- well done on the exposure, and the frost edge on the branch is a nice bonus that gives you separation between the bird and the wood.

SCraig · Jan 19, 2013

Can't say whether they have improved or not since I must have missed the earlier ones, but they are certainly excellent shots. You picked some tough ones to because they all have a dark patch of feathers around dark eyes. Very well done.

sm4him · Jan 19, 2013

Thanks, all! The cardinals were the ones I considered the "best" of the lot as well.

Nikmal said:
Dang, You have more then improved. I would hang some of these on my wall.. Heck I can even see them in a magazine like Audubon.

Sharp focus. Dead on composition. Not over processed and even a creamy bokeh
Thanks for showing us!!

Well, thank you VERY much for the compliments, however I don't expect Audobon to come knocking on my door anytime soon.

ceeboy14 said:
Second is a bit over-sharpened, but still a nice image as all of them are. Very much improved.

Thanks, ceeboy. Can you tell me HOW the Towhee looks over-sharpened? I didn't sharpen it all that much, I don't think, but this is something I struggle with because of my vision problems. I often can't see any effect of the sharpening at all unless it is severely over-sharpening. Until just the past few weeks, I mostly didn't bother to sharpen at all because of that, but I've been trying to do it according to sort of a "guideline" I picked up in a book on processing. It's frustrating though, because *I* can't see ANY difference, so I don't know if what I'm doing is too little, too much or just right. But if I understand what other people see that tells them a photo is over-sharpened, I can figure out something *I* can see to help guide me.

shefjr · Jan 19, 2013

Those are beautiful and sharp Sharon! I like them all. Especially because unlike what I capture your are not on a feeder. I like how you have captured them in a more natural habitat. Great job! :thumbup:

snowbear · Jan 19, 2013

Number four is a calendar or greeting card shot. :cheer:

sm4him · Jan 19, 2013

shefjr said:
Those are beautiful and sharp Sharon! I like them all. Especially because unlike what I capture your are not on a feeder. I like how you have captured them in a more natural habitat. Great job! :thumbup:

I cheat. Well, it's not cheating, it's "aiding" your photography. I have a separate woodpile that I use exclusively for putting seed out onto. It's positioned so that the birds will land in a low tree branch that is near it, or in the hedges behind it, before hopping onto the wood itself. They get seed, I get photos--it's a good deal for everyone!

I do have some feeders as well, which I also position so that birds will also land on nearby natural flora first. But what I like about the woodpile is that even when they are ON the "feeder" it looks natural.

sm4him · Jan 19, 2013

SCraig said:
Can't say whether they have improved or not since I must have missed the earlier ones, but they are certainly excellent shots. You picked some tough ones to because they all have a dark patch of feathers around dark eyes. Very well done.

Well, just for kicks, I just went and looked through my old threads. The bird obsession started here, just about a year ago. I'm kinda embarrassed to even post that link--yikes! Maybe it's improved more than I thought. :lol:

SCraig · Jan 19, 2013

sm4him said:
Well, just for kicks, I just went and looked through my old threads. The bird obsession started here, just about a year ago. I'm kinda embarrassed to even post that link--yikes! Maybe it's improved more than I thought.

OK, so they have most assuredly improved

Bird photography does become an obsession. Shooting them is a challenge since we can't pick the time or place, we can't pose them, sometimes we can't even get a decent exposure. All we can do is get the best shot we can with what we are given.