Working on a new swallow IF shot

coastalconn

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I have an idea for a different SIF shot. I came close today, but missed the 2 chances I had. I came up with this one which is pretty cool except for the clipped wing. Talk about very little DOF to work with. I have combined my AF with a touch of Danny's MF. I focus on the swallow as it is gathering mud for it's nest, I then manually focus slightly closer to me. There are 2 problems, swallows don't always take off in the direction you expect and you need wicked fast eye/hand coordination because they are out of the frame in a split second.. Comments welcome ...

Barn Swallow Flight 6_6 by krisinct- Thanks for 1 Million + views!, on Flickr
 
It's a really cool shot at angle I've never seen.


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Yep I love that angle as well, sharp exactly where it needs to be, on the head and the eye. DOF, what the heck is that !! ;) :) What I'm after is going to take thousands of shots to get just one, LOL. Have you ever checked out Stephen Dalton Kris, his books are really interesting.

All the best and a fantastic shot with excellent timing.

Danny.
 
You are complaining??? I tried BIF yesterday and all of it went to the bin :confused: and I didn't want to see it again so I emptied my bin!!! Man o man! I love that pose...da face! ...da look ... da mud on the beak! WoW!

It is me who need a lot of work on my BIFs...one day when I grow up, I want to be a good birdographer like you!:lol:
 
You've have always amazed me with your bird shots. And then this week I've been trying to catch a BIF, and my amazement for your photos has evolved into awestruck bewilderment. I can barely catch a bird sitting on a tree!! All that to say, you won't hear me complain about a clipped wing. That is simply an amazing capture! Thanks for sharing!

So...will you share your technique here? Pretty please?
 
You are complaining??? I tried BIF yesterday and all of it went to the bin :confused: and I didn't want to see it again so I emptied my bin!!! Man o man! I love that pose...da face! ...da look ... da mud on the beak! WoW!

It is me who need a lot of work on my BIFs...one day when I grow up, I want to be a good birdographer like you!:lol:
Many don't really understand what it takes to consistently produce great BIF images that some members here produce on a regular basis.. :)
 
Awesome capture!! Colors are amazing :)
 
You are complaining??? I tried BIF yesterday and all of it went to the bin :confused: and I didn't want to see it again so I emptied my bin!!! Man o man! I love that pose...da face! ...da look ... da mud on the beak! WoW!

It is me who need a lot of work on my BIFs...one day when I grow up, I want to be a good birdographer like you!:lol:
Many don't really understand what it takes to consistently produce great BIF images that some members here produce on a regular basis.. :)

No they definitely DO NOT. This is an incredible photo. I tried Danny's MF technique as well because they fly so fast that AF is still hunting as they zip through the frame. My only way to get them (in a far, far, far inferior way as this) was when they were coming in to land on their nest box. They sort of go "flaps down" and cruise in, plus you know where they're going!
 
You've have always amazed me with your bird shots. And then this week I've been trying to catch a BIF, and my amazement for your photos has evolved into awestruck bewilderment. I can barely catch a bird sitting on a tree!! All that to say, you won't hear me complain about a clipped wing. That is simply an amazing capture! Thanks for sharing!

So...will you share your technique here? Pretty please?
Well for the shot I am trying to get, first you need to find the birds. :) My swallows live under a bridge at a state park. Then you need to figure out where to position yourself in the morning sun because they seem to be most active in the morning. My swallows don't live in a nesting box which makes things quite a bit trickier. They have nests under the bridge and randomly come darting out.. I observed them for a few days and tried to figure out their flight pattern. It was random, lol. So for the shot I am trying to get, they land on the muddy bank of the little stream under the bridge. So what I have been doing is using AF to focus on the bird (sometimes they are only 12-15 feet away), then I manually nudge my focus ring a touch closer towards me. Obviously I have fast shutter speed. Now comes the wicked hard part, that I am still trying to master. Timing when they take flight. There is maybe 1/4 sec or less from standing there, to flying, and out of the frame.
 
They also don't really do that hunch down wing tuck "Hey I'm agonna fly here" thing that most birds do. They just go from standing there looking cool to bam! flying.
 
You are complaining??? I tried BIF yesterday and all of it went to the bin :confused: and I didn't want to see it again so I emptied my bin!!! Man o man! I love that pose...da face! ...da look ... da mud on the beak! WoW!

It is me who need a lot of work on my BIFs...one day when I grow up, I want to be a good birdographer like you!:lol:
Many don't really understand what it takes to consistently produce great BIF images that some members here produce on a regular basis.. :)
Although I shoot another kind of birds, I fully understand how hard it is when one is starting off. You gotta to start somewhere like I did the other day. I was a miserable failure, even though before this I compare your birdie shots to my birdie shots because they are both moving and have their own characteristics of movements. No, after the other day, it dawned on me --- I WAS WRONG!!! --- your birdie shots are very much different than mine. Airshows are hard to photograph at first too, but I persevered and it was great. Formations are easier to photograph as they very much like birds gliding more slowly though they are faster in flight. Still different characteristics. I need more practice like I did with airplanes a decade or so ago. If I persevere, one day I will be rewarded with a nicer one and another and another. It is hard work but it will be well worth it...but my shots should comform to my ideal and it will take sometime. I need patience....like you. I truly admire your shots and patience, as well as other birdie photographers here at TPF.
 
Just for fun, I quick history

June 12, 2011, One of my first BIF, thought this was super cool at the time...
Tern on a cloudy day in B&W by krisinct- Thanks for 1 Million + views!, on Flickr
One year later, June 18, 2012 At the time I thought this was super cool, lol
Great Egret with a fluke by krisinct- Thanks for 1 Million + views!, on Flickr
Then by August I finally started getting it... figured out a bit more when I started my "Osprey Quest" http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nature-wildlife/297015-osprey-quest-day-7-winner.html

So what I am saying is it takes practice, practice and more practice, I'm sure many remember when I started posting here, looking back, many of my images sucked and a few people were nice enought to tell me that :) I have grown so much in the past three years... :)
 
:) ;) But I thought all you had to do was buy a camera and lens and it all happened automatically :). I remember the 1st day I realised a 500mm could be hand held. All of a sudden a light went on with the settings used, LOL.

All the best Kris and good examples.

Danny.
 
:) ;) But I thought all you had to do was buy a camera and lens and it all happened automatically :).
Danny.
Wait, don't you remember? You need that flash mounted on that new truck of yours :p
I loved reading the story Kris, and looking at your old pictures makes me wonder where I'll be a couple of years from now. :)
 

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