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Thread: Anticipation

  1. #1
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Anticipation

    Things were slow in the nesting colony where I was photographing so I decided to move to the ocean's edge for a change of pace. There was a small flock of shorebirds, Sanderlings that looked interesting. But then a young Herring Gull caught my eye. Normally a seagull would not be that enticing to me, but this bird was very intent on hunting in the surf and the lighting was really nice.
    That is where you have to stop and think, "what do I want to do with the shot". Getting the camera ready before the action can really help capture some fun moments. I knew I wanted a fast shutter speed, 1/2000 (or more if possible) and an f stop of around 8. More depth of field, f11, f16 was not needed and f 7.1 was acceptable. So I took a few test shots of the surf and checked the histogram. More light. So I bumped up the ISO and the exposure seemed pretty good.
    The bird was well occupied but I moved in very slowly and shot from my knees to get a low level shot. One or two more test shots of the bird this time and now I was ready. Made sure the camera was on continuous focus and shutter release was high speed ( the machine gun setting), and waited for action.

    Turns out the Gull was hunting for crabs and trying not to get bit. When he finally caught one, an adult swooped in and stole his breakfast. Here are three shots that were captured. If the camera settings were not ready, there is no way to freeze the split section action.

    20150814_Day Four Nickerson LI_062847_7686-Edit-Edit.jpg

    20150814_Day Four Nickerson LI_062849_7692-Edit.jpg

    20150814_Day Four Nickerson LI_063022_7804-Edit-2.jpg
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  2. #2
    Silver Member DonMD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Great shots, Stan! What part of the country were you in when you took these? East coast, west coast?

  3. #3
    Registered Member Discus-n00b's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Another excellent series! Doesn't get much better than this. Incredibly sharp focus on those. I can never seem to nail it like that.
    -Matt


  4. #4
    Registered Member MadMatt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    The quality of the pictures are incredible!
    Wow!

  5. #5
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Thanks.
    These were taken on Long Island, New York.

    The chances of getting sharp images improve with several factors, I think.
    Shutter speed is key. Frames per second helps as split second images like the crabs in mid air are more likely captured at 9 FPS than 3-5. (But you surely will have a lot of images to delete!)
    Knowing the focus system in your camera is critical in order to maximize continuous focus.
    I like trying to show animals doing stuff in their environment so it's fun when you get useful images!

    The prize!

    20150814_Day Four Nickerson LI_063027_7833.jpg
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

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    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Stan, loved the way you caught the interaction between the gulls and the crabs. These are the type of shots I would like to capture. Could you provide a bit more detail on using the histogram?
    Pat
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  7. #7
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Thanks Pat.
    Digital photography gives you such instant feedback but there is much more info on the LCD than just the image. For expose, just looking at the image can be very misleading especially in daylight. Dark areas and highlights may be tough to discern. I generally take a lot of images so composition, just looking at the image on the LCD, is something I rarely do. When I do check images it is to be sure I haven't cut off the feet or tail etc.
    More important to a successful photo is checking the histogram and the highlight (the blinkies) screen. The latter tells you right away if there are areas of overexposure in your image. The histogram too will become second nature to review. In fact I have my camera set so that the histogram shows up on the LCD after each image. I look at the RGB (colored) one.
    This is basically a graph of your image exposure. On the far right are the lightest (highlight) areas and on the far left the darkest. For the most part the SHAPE of the curve between the right and left edges has very little importance. What one has to be aware of is that there is no part of the graph piled up on either edge. If the graph is piled up on the right then there is information that is blown out and generally not retrievable in post. On the left there is info lost in the shadows. If one shoots in RAW, BTW, it is easier to regain in processing info from the highlights and shadows (to a degree).
    When you hear people say "shoot to the right" that means expose the image so that the graph on the histogram moves close to the right side wall without piling up. You will learn that this is not always true for all situations but it is a good exposure starting point. Most images exposed this way will have the most data available and be rendered in post processing to a perfect exposure more easily.
    Screen Shot 2015-08-22 at 10.18.46 PM.png

    Screen Shot 2015-08-22 at 10.17.08 PM.png

    The first Histogram shows an image with a lot of overexposed info (piled up on the right). The second (which is from the two white Gulls) shows a good histogram.
    A quick test shot can often help with setting up an exposure. If I am working a subject, I will check the first few histograms, make adjustments in exposure, and then blast away if the action is happening.With that first histogram I needed less light which can be achieved with adjusting SS, Aperture or ISO depending on what is important to the image.
    Another quick check is to look at the highlight screen on the LCD. If for instance the white birds were blinking, that shot would be no good, because the subject was overexposed and likely not fixable in post. Getting the exposure perfect on the white birds is just as important as a tack sharp image. If either fails the shot is lost.
    Questions or corrections? ;~))
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  8. #8
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    I would add, by the way, that shooting in the "golden" hours of early morning and late afternoon, makes exposures easier because the light is balanced throughout the scene.
    If the two gulls shot was later in the day with stronger light and I exposed for the birds, the water in the back might be blown out and make for a very contrasty image. At sunrise the intensity of the white on the birds and the water match pretty well making for a more pleasing exposure.
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

  9. #9
    Registered Member John_Nicholson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Cool pictures.

    -john
    Please check out http://forum.discusnada.org/

    SOS Crew Texas

  10. #10
    Photo Guru SMB2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anticipation

    Thanks John!
    Stan

    SIMPLY DISCUS IS AN OXYMORON

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