A few bird pics...

Well, I went out to try and give my new Sigma 50-500mm a go at some in flight bird shots, but half way to the place I realised I'd left it on the dining room table!!

So, I used the Sigma 70-300mm again, and managed the following which seem to have turned out ok.










I did remember to take it the night before though when I was out Owl hunting, but didn't see any. Managed to snap a Heron though.




Probably not the best the 50-500mm can do, but hopefully I'll be able to capture better in the future!

My fav. is # 3. Good texture and sharpness.

Try add some contrast to #1 and 2. They seem to lack some punch.

Were the terns attacking you? They can be quite vicious.

I love the heron, but might be inclined to crop it fairly drastically. A vertical picture, with the heron at the top, for instance.

H

Hello, thanks for the comments, I do appreciate getting feedback!

Do these look any better? I've tweaked the Contrast and also the Saturation too? It was a very flat grey day, which hasn't helped.

Hello, again, thanks for the comments. Did you mean like this? Or even closer?




The terns were actually quite docile. I think they were more interested in a couple of people eating some fish and chips nearby! It helped me get close to them anyway, the birds that is, not the people eating the chips!

Actually they're black-headed gulls, not the sometimes very defensive terns that dive-bomb you if you're anywhere near their nest.

Dan

Ah, thanks for that clarification! I wasn't sure what they were to be honest. That explains their lack of attacking then!!

Just testing, Dan.

Funnily enough, I was dive-bombed repeatedly by a gull last week. I'll post a picture whrn I get back to the island, and let you tell me what sort of gull (or tern) it was.

G

PS: As for the crop, I think that is better, but personally I would crop the left side even more. The heron's pose is sufficent on it's own to carry the picture. No background is required (in my view)

Hi Tooks,

Haven't tried too many bird photos myself (though not for a shortage of gulls here!), but I like your black-headed gulls - good focus, good lighting for that environment.

As for composition, I would suggest experimenting with positioning the birds somewhere left or right of centre (probably flying into the open space in the photo) to give the photo a sense of movement.

Cheers,

Yes I prefer the last 2 ones reg. contrast. made them better imo.

I like number 3 the best .... very sharp and lovely colours.

Thanks for all the comments, it's all very helpful and encourages me that I'm moving slowly in the right direction!

Might have been sent by Dan

Shhhhh! It was my Aikido black-belt Steven Seagull...

Dan

Oh dear oh dear oh dear ........