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Also taken from a recent trip to Werribee Treatment Plant, one of the better shots of the Kite. Although the subject didn't occupy the frame as much as the others, this I think had the best lighting. The bird must have turned and have been flying in the right spot to illuminate it's underside.

Hi Kipper,

Well done. You can capture the majestic flight of this bird. The light illuminating the bird's body and wings made the shot work!

regards,

Arthur

Kipper/Darryl,

That is a ripper shot

I am hoping to visit my daughter in Melbourne in October, and the 'Werribee Treatment Plant' is a spot I definitely want to visit.

Kipper, Your bird shots always impress me and this one is no exception.

I wonder if I could ask some newbie questions of you because I would love to get some bird shots of this quality.
here goes:
as for camera settings I was interested in the typical iso you would use?
what colour mode or do you use a custom curve??
how close do you typically manage to get, particularly the raptors??

as for PP I was wondering what you typically do to make these shots so special ie crop sharpening saturation??

I understand that this may be a trade secret and you may have to kill me
Any tips would be great though.
Steve

Kipper
A classic bird shot! As good as any I've seen. I can see it handing on the wall.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Avkomp, the settings really boil down to the kit that you're using.
Depending on the species of raptor shutter speed can vary. Kites in flight when soaring (which this was) are quite slow and tend to use the wind to it's advantage. The only time they seem to be quite difficult to keep in the viewfinder is when they catch the wind and then you're like "where did they go". I was using a focal length here of 340MM and I'd definately recommend a 1/400 or 1/500 shutter speed minimum. I was shooting handheld and I had a 50% keeper rate, which is not bad but could be better. As for aperture, unless you're really close, a wide aperture isn't really going to be a problem with DOF. Most of my shots were taken with F8 and wider.

I believe lighting also is really is a key part in getting nice shots with bird photos. Don't even bother at midday. Sunrise to about midmorning is nice, late afternoon till the sun disappears. Nicole and I will both vouch that getting to where the birds hang out early as possible and hanging around until the sun disappears is the key. If the lighting is horrid, eg. overcast then your best bet is to try and learn a few things about the birds eg. behaviour.


ISO depends really on the lighting. If the lighting is good I'll use 200, if it's a bit of an overcast day I'll chose 400. If the sun is gone over the horizon I'll go 800->1600. If the bird is fairly close I'll use my SB800 aswell to give a bit of fill flash. Apparently it's good to use flash on birds as the oil in the feathers reflect a lot of light so it brings out colors that you wouldn't normally get without flash. I don't know how true this is, but since I started using my flash for birds they sort of came out more vivid. This shot I did use a flash but I think it mostly [ut a catch light in the birds eye. Also a flash extender is a good idea for bird shots for focal lengths > 300mm, I'm looking at investing in a Better Beamer soon. Also I'll be looking at getting a 500MM lense aswell as using this for small birds is a must. It's also quite handy for raptors that are timid. This Whistling Kite didn't mind us when it was in the air, he'd let us get < 10M. However when it was perched it was very timid. We'd stalk them, come around corners trying to get the shot and as soon as we did it'd be airborne.

For the post processing work, tones I either use in camera Normal or Fotogenetix Point and Shoot or sometimes I use the Less Contrast (apperantly combined with EV settings can give a provia look). Cropping all comes down to how much the subject fills the frame. For a flight shot I'll try and give a bit of space around the bird. For perch shots I'll look keep as much as the perch in the shot as I feel right and also provide a bit of negative space if the bird is looking into it. Occassionally if there is something in the shot that is distracting (eg. barbwire, the odd OOF leaf/branch etc) I will clone it out. Sharpenning I'll chose to use none/normal in Camera/Nikon Capture and add it in Photoshop. I'll also use Neat Image to remove noise (selecting background with harsher settings, then inversing with softer settings). If there are any sharpening halos that I notice, I tend to spend 10-30minutes going around the bird removing them with the clone tool.

Distance to the raptor varies on species. Black Shouldered Kites you can walk upto their perch and be <10M and they don't really care. Then again it depends on the individual. However percentage wise, we've found this most often the case. Whistling Kites, don't mind you being around them while in their air, but when perched are very timid. Brown Falcons, you can be 50M out and these birds will fly off their perch, haven't been close to one yet. Nankeen Kestrels, a bit timid in flight, most times when perched they can be a bit timid, however at times you can get close. Nicole and I got within 5M of one at dusk. Red/Brown Goshawks seem quite timid from the one of experience I had with them. Kept flying from post to post, never let us get close. They're the only species of raptors that I've experienced so far.

Hope this info helps. The best way to capture them in the wild, is to talk to people. Find out where they are, and just keep going there and learning from your experiences.

Great shot.

Can you tell me how to find this place or is that a secret? I dont live all that far from there (Hoppers Crossing) and wouldnt mind taking a look around but have no idea where it actually is or how to get there.

daryl,
thanks for the informative reply.
I am working on the more common birds at the moment but they seem to fly off, I think people around here must throw stones at em or something. I have some nice sharp pictures of parrots seagulls and fairy wrens but they just dont seem as vibrant as your birdies hence me asking the expert for tips!!
Also I have been rousted twice by the cops. (I had a monopod and a 400 at the time) I think someone musta reported a guy hanging around the park with a gun. The second time they buzzed me in the police chopper. I took some shots of them when I was sure they had identified what I was doing. Didnt wish to be shot cos they thought I was pointing a camera at them.

Avkomp, that really does suck. I know when I was at Banyule I copped a few interesting looks, then at other times people sort of said hello and asked if I'd got any good shots. Seriously people need to really know when somebody looks a threat and when they don't. Sigh.


Jamie, you're in a good area for raptors. Werribee Treatment Farm is between Werribee and Avalon airport. The bad news is to access it you need a permit and a key permit to access the place. Talk to Nicole on these forums for more info on getting those. There are some parts of the area that are public roads that you can get access to the place without having a permit. Some of those are Farm and Beach Rd. The kite in this shot was taken on Farm Rd near the Western Sewer Trunk. I counted 20 individual Whistling Kites on this day. We spotted a few Black Shouldered Kites on Beach Rd from time to time, and a Nankeen Kestrel on 29 Mile Rd / Pt Wilsons Rd. They'll always be some around the public rds as they don't really have any boundaries, having access to WTP just gives you more freedom.

Also North of the City up near Melbourne Airport is another ok places, not as abundant as WTP with raptors but it's still interesting. You'll see the odd Black Shouldered Kite and there are Goshawks out at Woodlands Park.

Try around the You Yangs for Wedge Tail Eagles. At Cambridge Tennis (out near your way) Club there are Wedge Tails and Peregrine Falcons.

Hi Kipper,

You can make your own better beamer. I know where to get the fresnel lens. You can save $100+.

regards,

Arthur

Kipper, thanks for the info.

I might take a drive out there tomorrow after work (weather dependant) and see whats about.

As for talking to Nicole about access ill see what the road / track conditions are like first, my car is a little umm low and not suited to dirt tracks.

Jamie

Arthur......isn't the Better Beamer only like $35US anyway?

http://www.naturephotographers.net/gs/betterbeamer.html

Darryl

This is an excellent shot - the bird is sharp as a tack and the underbelly is fantastically detailed because the illumination is just right. I'd also like to say how much I love this place - you're detailed response to a newbie question is a great example of just how helpful people are here. Congratulations and thanks.

Darryl, I would like to second what Stubbsy said. Your comments and advice about the birds was excellent.
The shot is one of the best I have ever seen of a bird. Well done.

Regards
Meicw

very good shot, however I feel the b/ground is too bland - I think it can be enhanced without taking from the subject
bobrob

Shrug, you seem more interested in my backgrounds or the lack of them more so then the subject. I think if you ask most nature photographers, some of which who have already commented on this photo on another forum, most will tell you that an OOF or clean BG is what you go for when taking shots of wildlife. The only thing that most of these photographers commented on was that it was cropped too tightly.