Bird

I am trying to shoot birds but somehow my photos are not sharp. I have increased the speed but still didnt find the sharpness. Hope to get some advice what went wrong with this picture.

It is almost impossible to know what went wrong without the "Exif" (lens used, aperture, shutter speed, iso). One thing for sure, it is not sharp. Looks like camera motion to me.

Seems to me you might need a tripod. If I have the correct exif here (f/16, 1/160, 800 ISO, 300mm)
How are you focusing? Auto focus or manual? It does look like camera motion to me as well.

With a 300mm lens, if you are not using a tripod, the minimum shutter speed should be more around 1/500s. Open up your aperture and use faster shutter speed should get you sharper pictures unless there is mis-focus issue (happens when branches or other objects interfere with the main subject).

I'm kind of surprised that we don't have a resident "bird guru". Most of us have random bird photos in our portfolios, but I haven't seen anyone who is an outright bird fanatic. Here is a pretty comprehensive list of bird photography tips. That said, there's some sound advice here already. 1/160 is too slow for hand held photography in general, and especially for birds. 1/500 should be a minimum, and with a 300mm lens that's really going to be pushing it, especially when your subjects are small like birds.
With EXIF data like that, I'm inclined to believe you're either shooting in Auto or AP mode. f/16 is way too high for bird photography, as you typically want to control the DoF as much as possible. The exposure triangle is a juggling act, but mastering it will make you a better photographer. Next time, try a couple things:

AP Mode - Twilight
Switch your mode dial to "A" and set your aperture as low as you can. Then meter your scene and check other settings. Is your shutter speed 1/500 or faster? Are you at ISO 200?

SP Mode - Daylight
Switch your mode dial to "S" and set your shutter speed to 1/500. Again, meter your scene and check the aperture and ISO.

Personally, I would start with shutter speed (especially if you don't own a tripod). During normal daylight hours, you should be able to crank up shutter speed into the 1/1000 or above range and still have a shallow enough DoF.

When not using a tripod my shutter speed is at least 1 over my focal length, so if you are at 300mm your shutter speed should be at least 1/300, unless you have very steady hands.

jengajoh said:

When not using a tripod my shutter speed is at least 1 over my focal length, so if you are at 300mm your shutter speed should be at least 1/300, unless you have very steady hands.

Click to expand...

Ah Jen these values were for full frame film days. With crop sensors as D 90, you have to take that into consideration also which makes the 1/300 1/500 or just about.

here is a pic at 2oomm s1/500 f/5.6

Hey thank you guys. I think my shutter speed is too low. Will try again. I was testing the various settings before I go to the local bird park. I shoot people on the bike, jogging, wild birds just to see if the pictures are sharp.

Will post again as ask you guys.

Regards

dont be afraid of bumping up your ISO a bit to get the fast shutter speeds you want. Most people believe it is a MUST to keep your ISO at 200 or lower for daytime shots....those are the same people who buy a 1.4 lens and shoot at 1.4 for EVERY shot lol. Just dont go TOO high with it.

I will shooting some birds over the weekend. Will select my best shot and post here. Hope I can't remember and apply all the tips you guys have imparted.

I am considering going to a Hawking center for the day where you can follow them around (for a fee) amd shoot as much as you like, Its about an Hour from me so when i get my next free day (work and wife permitting) I will go over....

The Falconry Centre

they do photography workshops as well

I spent a day at Silverband falconry center doing one of their photography days (chrismas presents) it was fantastic, my advice is be prepared, take lots of batteries and memory cards as well as a selection of lenses, I had a 28-200 and the 70-300G lens with me that day and used every focal length I had I think. An absolutely brilliant day out, i think there are some pics in my gallery.

Hope you enjoy

The funny thing with lady is they never check if their husband is free to go shopping. However, whenever their husband is going out, eg to take photograph and they are not at all interested, they get annoyed that we didnt plan our time with them.
I guess biographically we are born different. No ofence ladies, just an observation.

Hi, as promised, I applied all the tips, higher ISO, avoid the longest zoom, mid aperture range. But I find the picture noisy. Please help to advice

I dont see much noise, except the background of the first picture. Not bad at all to me!!

Thank you. I am new to bird photography. This is my 3rd tries and it was raining thus lighting poor. Will try again next week if I get the opportunity.
Do keep the CC coming. I need a lot of guides to improve.

Hi, I decided to PP my photo and post a bit more for CC

In regards to the last 3 shots. Try to compose , or when cropping, to leave some room in front of the subject. If they are looking/pointed/or flying to the right, leave more room to the right in the crop or composition. Also try not to cut off or crop out any portion of the primary subject. Sometimes it's better to back off on the zoom so you have more to work with in post processing. Occasionally I'll shoot a horizontal composition and later decide verticle is better, without leaving room, you have no options.

OK, over the week, I decided to change to D300. I don't think there is anything wrong with D5000 but I feel the D300 will suit me more. These are some shots taken today using the D300 for CC