"Looking Out/Through" Picture thread
- Thread starter Misled
- Start date
Here's my entry. A bird looking out of his house I shot yesterday, weather wasn't as good as it was supposed to be, but I did the best I could.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/140228579@N03/26905167620/in/dateposted-public/" title="Bird Looking Out of House"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7431/26905167620_dfec7718c2_k.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="Bird Looking Out of House"></a>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/140228579@N03/26905167620/in/dateposted-public/" title="Bird Looking Out of House"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7431/26905167620_dfec7718c2_k.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="Bird Looking Out of House"></a>
Thanks Jesse! Your work, as well as other shots on this forum, have been an inspiration for me to try to improve my skills. The quality of the colors in your photos are amazing.
As a learning point, what contributes most to your crisp color and sharpness? Lens quality, PP ability, or experience? A lot of folks on here post amazing images that just pop, but I have not been able to quite get there yet, and always appreciate any critiques or tips.
One of the biggest issues I am finding is the lack of fine detail in any shots of critters. For instance, I wish in that picture, which is a crop of a larger photo, I wish the bird had better details of the feathers and features. I am using a lower level EFS 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II. Would the step up to L Glass get me that much better quality, or is greater experience the real issue here?
This shot below was from the same lens at the longest focal length, and it is also cropped. It is probably the best detail on a wildlife shot that I got. Can I expect that much better than this?
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/140228579@N03/27164180356/in/dateposted-public/" title="Groud Hog DPP Edit 1 (IMG_2889)"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7785/27164180356_1bbe67b79c_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="Groud Hog DPP Edit 1 (IMG_2889)"></a>
What I am really trying to understand is where I should be focusing my learning efforts the most, experience, lenses, or PP?
Thanks again, as I said you and the other members on this forum take some amazing shots, and I am trying to learn as much as possible from everyone here.
rickztahone
New member
What you are referring to is "reach". You can only attain that from a longer lens. A longer lens will allow you to capture more of the bird in the original format (without cropping). Cropping greatly degrades the overall shot. Higher MP cameras help alleviate this to a certain extend but shouldn't be relied on to get nice crisp shots like you are asking.
You can still take some great shots with your current lens, it just requires better preparation (specifically with that bird in mind) and patience.
Ok, so let's get into this a bit. I'll agree with what Rick said about preparation and patience. Both of these things will help to an extent. Adding a longer lens will require other prep work though. With a longer lens than 300mm or so, IMHO, other means of support are needed. Even when using a support with the 250mm, it will greatly improve the quality of your pics. Think of it this way, an object is 5 feet in front of you. When you push the shutter release, the camera moves. No matter how still you think you are. That little bit of movement won't show up too much at 5 feet, but when you move the subject 20 feet away, the little bit of movement becomes amplified by the distance.
Next, the time of day you are shooting. Both of those pics look like you are shooting in full sun. This will greatly cut down on the contrast of colors in the pic. While I can see you worked on them some, sometimes the amount of sun washes out the colors. I don't know what you're shooting in, Ap, Shutter, Manual or auto, but you can work on that, and with some experience take care of it.
For now learn. Shoot regularly. Go out with a plan and learn to go through the metadata on a shot to see why something happened.
About lenses. Yes, they do make a difference. Take a look at this pic.
I went out Sunday to get the pic of the baby goose I posted up top. This little guy happened to be up in a tree about 20 yards away. Problem was, I only had the 90mm Tamron I took to shoot the goose. Shot it anyway. Now, just as you did, out in the sun, this is about a 75% crop. Not perfect, but not a bad shot either.
The most important thing. Enjoy shooting. Learn just as you did with reefing. Try to see what your camera sees.
Next, the time of day you are shooting. Both of those pics look like you are shooting in full sun. This will greatly cut down on the contrast of colors in the pic. While I can see you worked on them some, sometimes the amount of sun washes out the colors. I don't know what you're shooting in, Ap, Shutter, Manual or auto, but you can work on that, and with some experience take care of it.
For now learn. Shoot regularly. Go out with a plan and learn to go through the metadata on a shot to see why something happened.
About lenses. Yes, they do make a difference. Take a look at this pic.
I went out Sunday to get the pic of the baby goose I posted up top. This little guy happened to be up in a tree about 20 yards away. Problem was, I only had the 90mm Tamron I took to shoot the goose. Shot it anyway. Now, just as you did, out in the sun, this is about a 75% crop. Not perfect, but not a bad shot either.
The most important thing. Enjoy shooting. Learn just as you did with reefing. Try to see what your camera sees.
Thanks Rick. More reach would be nice but it is not in the cards at this point. I have a Canon T5i, 18 MP. I had assumed that a lot of the closer shots of wildlife were at least somewhat cropped to get closer.
As far as preparation goes, that bird shot was just a lucky one. I wasn't really looking for it, but just happened to notice and snap it real quick in a relative's backyard. This one was totally handheld from a good 20-30 yards away.
Thanks Jesse. Both shots were handheld, bird and woodchuck. The woodchuck was shot from my kitchen window about 30 yards away. Right now I do not have a full size tripod, but use the below setup whenever possible.
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/140228579@N03/26657357374/in/dateposted-public/" title="Camera Setup 5-26-2016"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7372/26657357374_7e37239367_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Camera Setup 5-26-2016"></a>
So I am guessing that you were pretty close to that goose?
Thanks again to both of you for the advice and tips. Patience and practice will pay off. I like these weekly exercises, as it gives me a chance to learn by shooting subjects I may not normally think to shoot.
IPT
Active member
When i first started I was amazed at the sharpness I saw in the "professional's" photos. "L" glass does make a huge difference. Once I made the leap i saw a tremendous difference in the sharpness on my images.
This of course assumes you already have the technique part taken care of. High enough shutter speeds, IS, or the use of Tripods. Cropping only degrades if you blow it up too much. A sharp image will tolerate enlargement a lot better then one that is even slightly "soft".
The 70-200IS F4 is an excellent lens and a great value for the price. it was my first "L" glass.
500mm "L" lens shot. Might have even been handheld, I don't recall.
500 mm "L" hand held froma boat
.
Keep in mind post processing makes a big difference too. Especially for Web posting. i still have a lot to learn in this area myself. I'm pretty sloppy about it. Still, starting with a sharp image from god glass is ideal. When i nail it I can zoom in at 100% and it still looks sharp even before I apply sharpening.
This of course assumes you already have the technique part taken care of. High enough shutter speeds, IS, or the use of Tripods. Cropping only degrades if you blow it up too much. A sharp image will tolerate enlargement a lot better then one that is even slightly "soft".
The 70-200IS F4 is an excellent lens and a great value for the price. it was my first "L" glass.
500mm "L" lens shot. Might have even been handheld, I don't recall.
500 mm "L" hand held froma boat
.
Keep in mind post processing makes a big difference too. Especially for Web posting. i still have a lot to learn in this area myself. I'm pretty sloppy about it. Still, starting with a sharp image from god glass is ideal. When i nail it I can zoom in at 100% and it still looks sharp even before I apply sharpening.
IPT
Active member
Ha, lol. God glass is the holy grail of lenses . All you need to have to get it is a higher connection...church optional . Jesse's right too, Nikon is not capable of that level of quality :lolspin:. (Why is it always so fun to poke jabs at Nikon?....even if it's never really warranted )
You jokers you.
. All you need to have to get it is a higher connection...church optional . Jesse's right too, Nikon is not capable of that level of quality :lolspin:. (Why is it always so fun to poke jabs at Nikon?....even if it's never really warranted )You jokers you
.
