Red Kite with Pentax 55-300

Tried my best to capture one of these today under best of conditions but it just was't to be. The angle of the sun and the distance of the birds weren't just on my side.

Well, next time.

This is the best I could get, but feel under the right conditions and with practice I might just do better

Still got a lot to learn .

Ideas, suggestions advice and recommendations all welcome

Thanks

Amin

I know I'm a bit of a bore about this but if you visit www.photosig.com you'll not only see some stunning bird photographs they'll also tell you how to do it.
As for your shot I expect they'd say you need more light in the body but I usually ignore their bird shots so I'm no expert.
Mike

Nice shot Amin. Where did you see this as I've always wanted to see one of these birds myself and what body did you use?

The method I use for aircraft photography is to have the camera set to Centre Weighted metering and continuous AF and continuous shooting mode. Also increase the EV up to +1 or +2. By doing this next time you may make the subject lighter against the sky.

Rob

I have no experience of using telephoto lens so can not suggest but I like the image
Best wishes

Rob, I will follow that tip next time i go shooting these birds. Definitely increasing the EV would have helped, but seems that the other aspects also might give it a better shot. I am totally new to shooting birds in flight but its definitely something that fascinates me immensely and would love to pursue and improve.

Plenty of these ones just off junction 4 of M40. About 20 odd miles from where I am. It might not be too far from Harlow either, you might have to take M25 and join on the M40.

I have been around there twice, first time I forgot my 55-300 (ouch, driving all the way there and finding that I only had the macro 100 mm with me) but had a feel around the area, and today decided to go again, and explored the sorroundings again. The more I go there I seem to get more familiarised with the area. I got to catch a day that a farmer is driving his tractor around the fields, they say that's the best time to catch good views of them as they flock around and just chase the tractor all around very low on the ground. These birds fly so high that they literally disappear from the view, I was absolutely fascinated watching them for a good couple of hours.

If you are interested why don't we arrange a day and go shooting them together? Its got to be a day that the weather is expected to be sunny. I am game if you are, days are starting to get brighter and sunnier. I would definitely learn a few good tricks from someone like you, and I would contribute a bit with the knowledge of the terrain .

I used my K20D to shoot those images. And they were all handheld. Next time I will use the tripod, I think it might help also

Wonderfull shot Amin
I love the way his wing catch the sun on the edge.

In photoshop you can make his body what lighter by playing with the curves, you can set that tool even as layer so you can toggle it off and on and play with it as much as you like. Keep it subtle though since like I said "I love the way his wings catch the sun".

Good shot Amin, framing spot on however not quite sharp enough. Good effort though. Rare bird this, done very well to photograph one. I thought these were only left in the wild in mid Wales. Where did you spot it?
This is the only red kite I have managed to capture.

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm193/R500_2008/TURKEY-2008-JPEGS.jpg[/IMG]

great shot.


i'm guessing this by the bit of the M40 where it leaves the Chilterns(?) on the way to Oxford from London. they like to soar of the thermals from the scarp slope there.


Laurence

Nice shot
Red Kites are one of the projects I have set myself for the summer. A good spot with a large number of them is, as you say Amin, just off J4 of the M40. If you turn left onto the A355 towards Slough you go down a big dip with a couple of bends in some woods and there are usually quite a few at treetop level (I have counted as many as 6 at one time) but usually in spring and summer. I'll have to find a place to park and have a wander about for a good spot. Also, in the opposite direction between Beaconsfield and Amersham seems good for Kites too.
Seen them a few times hanging around Tring Reservoirs but they have always appeared on the opposite side of one of the reservoirs to me!

You can't miss them when you go up the M40 before Oxford. We counted 17 along there a year or so ago on our way to Wales. Rob, it would take about an hour to get there for you, perhaps a little more, depending on the traffic. I've done Loughton to Oxford in an hour before, and you see the Kites from High Wycombe onwards.

Best place to go though is Gigrin Farm in Mid Wales.

Dan

Well I never, some have emigrated over the border. We should never have built that Severn Bridge.

Good to see the numbers increasing.
I have seem them all the way into Aylesbury, Tring and Hemel Hempstead now, as well as around the office in Reading.

Chilterns is where they are abundant in the South East. If you get familiarised well with the area you can really find lots of them. I have seen some of them even flying low near the backgardens around Aylesbury as I drove to the hills.

Ideally would love to get a shot of one of them from the above, and the Chilterns have some hill tops where the farms are below and getting lucky to be in a position where they are flying low and snapping them from that angle would give a brilliant image. As most of them you catch them from the side, eye level or they underside.

There are a couple of spots I have been told by the locals I can get there and see them flying around. Seems that my trips are going to be more frequent on the M40 for the next few weeks . They definitely are great looking birds and stunning colours

They're quite abundant around here (Berkshire), saw four of them together yesterday performing flight acrobatics. Great birds. They glide over the rooftops scaring all the garden birds off and our parrots have a fit

I've not found them easy to photograph. Like you've found here, they have a knack of flying at just the right level to thwart the light and getting good lighting is very difficult indeed. I think you've done very well. Patience and timing is everything

My best effort so far is this one when it banked, but I'm not happy with it and am still waiting for the best light to grab one of these blighters right:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chirpy_uk/3010847614/sizes/l/

I used to see them while on the A43 between Corby and Stamford