Wildlife Photography Tips?

[mikeschmeee]

Hello,

How is everyone doing? I hope all is well.
I have a few questions that I would like answered and although I generally know the how to solve the issue I'd still like some advice from fellow photographers who have more experience then I in this area.

Although I love the automotive world, I love to shoot wildlife as well. Especially birds. Large birds! I understand the basics of shooting them but I learned quickly that no one really likes to see boring birds. Meaning sitting on a branch or ground just staring at you, although sometimes that's all you can get with really rare birds but catching them in the act doing something interesting is key. I may be wrong on this though...

Anyways. I visit a bird sanctuary every chance I get so there are plenty of interesting birds to photography that are always there. I feel that I am progressing quickly but I'm still learning. Yesterday I spent a good few hours in one spot where I saw two Coopers Hawks and some Bald Eagles trying to catch some lunch. While my lens does not get the distance I'd like I was still able to get as close as possible with my equipment and got some decent shots but there is one problem. Catching them in flight is a little tricky. The shots are fairly crisp but I have to bump my ISO so high in order to have a faster shutter speed thus creating noise which I hate extremely!!

I have some decent in flight photos of the birds but I'm not willing to post them on my flickr page as they are not up to par due to the noise and slight slight slight blur.

So... Any tips?

Should I invest in noise reduction software or plug in? Lower ISO and shutter speed? but then I can't get the photos the way I want. What to do?
Please advise.

Thanks
Cheers
Mike

My equipment...

Nikon D90
Nikkor 18-200mm VR
Nikkor 300mm AF-S f4 (I use this one for birding and hate that it doesn't have VR)
Manfrotto tripod with 141 head (Don't know the model number of the tripod. It was given to me by a co-worker that he no longer needs or uses)
PhotoShop CS2 for Mac OS X

 

[tirediron]

Yep, and you're not going to like it: More gear. Aside from medical work, birding is about the most specialized aspect of photography. You need LONG lenses; the 500 and 600mm f4 are the glass of choice, you need teleconverters, you need gimbal heads and you need a solid base on which to mount it. You could try slapping a 1.4TC on the back of your 300, but it's going to start getting a bit slow.

In the absence of better gear, and because most of us can't afford to drop 10K on a single lens, I would say work on your patience. Find an area that the birds like to feed or fly around and get there before the birds do and sit there and wait. Be quiet, be still and move slowly. Consider a blind or camouflage as well.

 

[mikeschmeee]

^
Thanks for the quick reply! That's what I've learned the very first day years ago when trying to photograph birds. Patience! Like you said, many of us, including myself, cannot afford large lenses but I am working towards it. Instead I always find a spot and wait. there are many bird blinds around the sanctuary so that's not a problem, its more of the noise, light, aperture, speed that I'm concerned about. For now it's the noise as I finally got some good in flight photos but when I zoom in all I see is grain.
I can't afford on spending X amount of dollars as of right now due to my resignation from work and back to school to pursue something that pays more. I'm also trying to get my name out there and sell some photos or my service to anyone for any price in order to save for better equipment as this stuff is expensive but I love doing it.

Is there any good FREE noise reduction software available that's not a trail version and only allows a certain size for noise reduction?

PS...

Hello fellow British Columbian!

 

[sobolik]

Like you said boring. Great, another ho hum head shot, boring. So try for patterns, color splashes, context.

 

[Overread]

I'm not away of any top range noise reduction software for free - there are several commercial options including Noise Ninja; Neat Image; Topaz Denoise. Generally these software options offer no major advantage over the other with regard to noise reduction save in specific situations (where there is generally no distinct pattern). Thus one is much the same as the others once one learns to use the software well.

You might want to spend time researching better noise control using the software you currently have access to.

 

[tirediron]

Hello fellow British Columbian!

Hello from the Island!

 

[Ron Evers]

Birders gear = $$$$$

500mm or better is a must in my opinion. I can only dream.

 

[mikeschmeee]

After messing around with CS2 trying to reduce the noise from the high ISO setting I was able to come out with this...

 

[Blitz55]

I am just getting into this. I am taking a class from a guy I know who is a Raptor Biologist here in the Northwest. (Washington).

Id like to get to the point where I could snap some great shots of these birds but I have some work ahead of me.

Anyway that last pic you posted is fantastic. I hope I can get a decent shot like that at some point.

EDIT:
I just looked through your Flicker Account. Loved the bird shots you had in there.

 

[mikeschmeee]

^
Thank you! I really appreciate the compliments.
Bird photography is amazing. I get such a huge thrill from it and I don't know why. Major equipment really helps getting those in flight shots crisp but its really expensive just for the lens plus a sturdy tripod to keep it steady.
I just post up at an area and wait for the moment. That Northern Harrier I posted was flying around this open marsh/pond so I stayed in my one spot for just under 3 hours until the bird decided to fly off.
I was told by many that its all about patience but sometimes you get fed up and want a huge lens but you go to the camera store and see that 9,000 dollar price tag.

 

[Blitz55]

9 grand. haha

Thats a lot of cash.
Ill see how I do, I may have to stick to nice nature scenery shots until I can afford an alright zoom lens.

I use to do photography more a long time back when it was Film, nothing special, but I enjoyed it. Sort of fell out of it, I actually do more digital illustration using photoshop but got a camera over the holidays and want to give it a go again.

So I may be around here asking for help and I will post up any images I take.

 

[ukshaz]

Know just what you mean ..... I love taking birdie shots too and I don't know why especially either but if Ivey a good one, it is a thrill ...but it seems that when I show them to people, thy just don't feel the same way lol.

And yes I have eyed up the big glass .... With the big price tags .... If only Lol

Oh and that's a great shot by the way ..... Lovely

 

[Blitz55]

Maybe they just don't have the appreciation for what you did to get that shot like you do ukshaz.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Are you panning with the bird or merely trying to snap off a shot? Use the focus tracking ( not sure what Nikon calls theirs ). And pan with the bird. Most large birds do not flap their wings constantly but instead soar a lot. Wait for the soaring if your shutter is too slow to freeze wing movement without ramping the ISO through the roof. I think that shot you posted looks decent especially for a beginner. However, small internet shots hide a lot of problems in regards to sharpness and noise.

You could get a Sigma 150-500mm with "OS" Sigmas version of "VC" for $900-$1000. Not a super fast lens though. If you are mainly shooting outdoors, you can also try a Kenko pro300 1.4x teleconverter for around $200. It will turn your 300mm into a 420mm f/5.6 ( this wont help your ISO issue though and will make having no IS even more of a thorn in your side ) You can also try a "better beamer" to use on a flash.

Also, while in-flight shots are good, there is nothing wrong with birds perched. Many times this is when you catch them eating if they are not raptors. Everything with birds is patience for waiting and also watching and predicting.


Whoops, just realized I could click and enlarge.

 

[Phranquey]

^

I was told by many that its all about patience but sometimes you get fed up and want a huge lens but you go to the camera store and see that 9,000 dollar price tag.

Don't kid yourself. Even with a "Big gun", it's still all about patience.... get used to that.

And, you do have an option to get into big glass at a much cheaper price than $9000. It's still not "cheap", but for about $2500 you can get a really nice 500mm f/4P. The "P" lens is chipped to communicate & work with your camera in all metering and exposure modes, but it's manual focus. That can be frustrating at times, but with a bit of practice & a steady mount, it's very workable ( what do you think wildlife photogs did 30 years ago)..... and it's a hell of a lot better than dropping 3-4 times that price right now, at least for me.

Some may recommend a "Bigma", and I don't mind some aftermarket lenses, but I know that if I take care of this, I will get about 90% back when I decide to sell it.

Some additional (older) info here:
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/telephotos/500mm.htm


A few shots of mine: