it's a bird

[Buzzlightyear]

the only decent shot i was able to get. im still learning so please dont be too harsh but please tell me what i could have done better




apeture f/8
shutter speed 1/800s
iso 100

 

[Designer]

It looks pretty dark. What do the other photos look like? Why 1/800s?

 

[robbins.photo]

Well it is a little dark and underexposed - so really raising your ISO in this situation would have been a good idea. You might also want to do some reading on composition, in particular google search the "rule of thirds" and do some quick reading there. Just out of curiosity what camera/lens combo are you using?

 

[Buzzlightyear]

its a nikon d3200 with a af-s nikor 55-200mm. i really dont know what i should put my settings at yet can anyone recomend some online reading so i can better understand iso apature and shutter speed

 

[sm4him]

It looks pretty dark. What do the other photos look like? Why 1/800s?

And why ISO 100?
It's quite underexposed, plus it looks like maybe the sun was out in front of the bird, so you got the front of it in a harsh light, and the rest in complete shadow.

Birds are not nearly as easy to shoot as people THINK they are going to be. Generally, trying to get good bird photos serves to make you appreciate people who can get good bird photos more!

Ideally, try to shoot with the light behind you, so you are basically between the light source and the bird. Focus on the eye. And watch your composition; try not to have your subject smack in the middle of the frame like it is here. Additionally, this would be a more effective image if the bird were facing you instead of facing away. No, you can't really "control" that per se--you can't just tell the bird to turn around (well, you CAN, but trust me, there's really no point, lol). But you CAN learn when to actuate the shutter and when to wait for a better shot.

There's a lot more to it than that, but those are some starter tips based on the issues with your image.
In general, for a perched bird, I'd shoot at about 1/500, and start with an ISO of 400 and go up if necessary.
For birds in flight, generally you need an absolute minimum of 1/1000 sec., so your ISO is often going to have to go higher (sometimes much higher) as well. You might also get away with a wider aperture, depending on your lens.
What are you shooting with, camera and lens?

EDIT: Never mind about which camera and lens, robbins and the OP posted while I was composing my masterpiece.

 

[JacaRanda]

Try shooting in aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode and let your camera help you to get the exposure in the ballpark of being right.

Looks like your focus was on.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[sm4him]

its a nikon d3200 with a af-s nikor 55-200mm. i really dont know what i should put my settings at yet can anyone recomend some online reading so i can better understand iso apature and shutter speed

Okay, there's going to be a limit to what you can do with birds with the 55-200mm lens. Not a great, fast lens, but you can still improve on what you've got.

Start on perched birds, like you've done here. Try leaving your aperture where you had it, about f/8. Change your shutter speed to about 1/500 (maybe even try a little slower), and then adjust your ISO up as needed to get a well-exposed meter reading (your in-camera light meter should be right in the middle). Focus right on the eye of the bird.
With the 200mm maximum focal length, you'll probably need to crop a good bit, because the other thing that I left out of the first post is that you need to have the bird fill more of the frame.

Keep trying and keep posting!

 

[robbins.photo]

its a nikon d3200 with a af-s nikor 55-200mm. i really dont know what i should put my settings at yet can anyone recomend some online reading so i can better understand iso apature and shutter speed

Well I shoot a D5200 myself, which is pretty similar. For wildlife/bird photos I'd recommend you start with using shutter priority. In the D3200 menu systems you can set the camera so it will automatically choose the ISO for you. After you get a better handle on exposure, etc you can always change this setting and choose it yourself but for now that's probably the best place to start. Truth is I leave mine on Auto ISO - I have my function button setup so it will let me set the ISO, so if I want to change it for a particular shot I can press and hold the function button and then use the command wheel to set my ISO to where I want it, then I'm ready to shoot. I will sometimes change the ISO in shutter priority mode so I can control the Aperture with very little fuss.

Ok, so at any rate, when you use shutter priority your command wheel controls your shutter speed - 1/800 is actually not a bad choice under the circumstances, it will let you catch the action with minimum blur should the bird take flight. The camera will choose the aperture based on the max aperture of the lens and it will also automatically adjust the ISO to get the proper exposure.

For autofocus settings I prefer AF-C with single point autofocus, sometimes I will use 9 point but I actually prefer single point. I generally leave the single point in the center and then shoot wide, I can always crop the photo later to get the desired composition.

 

[Buzzlightyear]

thanks for the replies is all been helpful

 

[snowbear]

This might be a good start:
Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera: Bryan Peterson: 0884798534707: Amazon.com: Books

 

[snerd]

.............. Birds are not nearly as easy to shoot as people THINK they are going to be........

Tell me about it!!!!


:lmao: :mrgreen: