criticism and tips needed!!

[Hank]

I would appreciate any tips on how to better improve the ability to take shots like this and make them good, rather than going to edit.
I have decided to quit playing with photoshop and really learn how to take a proper picture.
Sam has finally proven to me just how important lighting is to the success.

Okay here's the scenario I was faced witth.
Birds are out in abundance, right now and after all the cold weather, a lot of the trees in cenral Florida are still getting their leaves. The birds are skittish, so they are a tough poser at best.
I was just sitiing and waiting, rather than moving, so as a result my good suny position was lost to shade, under the trees where I stood and having to shoot thru trre limbs and twigs, outta the shade into the sun.
I photoshopped this and like idiot I didnot saave the original but you get the idea of what I mean. The bird is almost in focus but lacks a lil pop to it.
Any hints, anyone. Let the pot shots begin, . 8)

[skinnywater]

Hank, my only suggestion in this instance would be to use a manual focus instead of the auto focus. I have noticed the same problem in my pics, the camera would either focus on the closest object, or on a branch. The other idea would be to shoot at a higher f-stop to increase the focal depth, allowing the bird and the tree to be in focus.

Good luck.

[Tree-Bone]

Try to find a tree where they are feeding and wait there. Move around that tree to keep light on it. Often birds will return to the same branch to sit. If activity is slow, move to new location. The more ground you cover the better chance.

Also take the advice and manually focus. If you are using a long telephoto lens you will have very little debth of field. ( There was a discussion of this a short time ago. Look for a post from Heywood )

Are the trees in your yard? put up a feeder in a place where you can sit and shoot. This feeder lets me shoot out the kitchen window. But I missed the focus on this shot, just not sharp.

[img][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc15 ... l_7294.jpg[/img][/img]

[Dustin]

Looking at the exif data, I see you were at F/13, 1/100th, and 200mm. You really want shallow depth of field when shooting birds like that. Open up your lens a couple stops and you'll also get the shutter speed up to a suitable range for hand holding at that focal length. A larger aperture will also smooth out the harsh bokeh from the light filtering through the tree limbs in the background. Of course, the shallower DOF necessitates getting an accurate focus point (so you may need to go manual focus). Also, if there's any way, try to get closer. It's probably going to be very tough at 200mm, but you want to fill the frame with small birds as much as possible with the least amount of cropping.

[Hank]

Man this isgreat stuff.
8)

THANKS FOR THE TIPS FELLAS.