RT on squirrel

[thefishguy]

Couple pics of my RT after her second catch of the day.

Thanks for looking
Chris

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6687338439_b358bb22df_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6687338281_d44dffb464_b.jpg

[Billy Blackwolf]

Nice

[Keith Denman]

Alright that is one kicking RT. Thanks for sharing the pics Chris.

[thefishguy]

Nice


Alright that is one kicking RT. Thanks for sharing the pics Chris.

Thanks. the lighting was great that afternoon.
Chris

[Keith Denman]

What camera are you using Chris?

[thefishguy]

What camera are you using Chris?

Canon 7D with a 100-400 F4.5/5.6 L lens. Bought it a couple years ago when I started taking falconry photos. The 8 fps really helps!

Chris

[Keith Denman]

I have a Canon EOS Rebel XSi with an EFS 18-55 image stabilizer lens. I do not carry it when I am out doing falconry because I am 99% of the time by myself.

[thefishguy]

What camera are you using Chris?


I have a Canon EOS Rebel XSi with an EFS 18-55 image stabilizer lens. I do not carry it when I am out doing falconry because I am 99% of the time by myself.

I have had several Canon Rebels. They are great cameras. For the fish photography I normally do (check out my signature) they worked great. But they were not fast enough to get the flight shots I wanted. The 7D is double the speed and I can get some of the flight pics (and not as expensive as the Mark series). Straight on flight pics are still impossible.

I am in the same position as you in that I am normally by myself and carrying the camera and working the bird is too much. That is why I take a lot of pictures of Mario's birds :) . With these RT pics, my wife was with me and she can take the camera from me when needed. I also take friends when I can to do the hard work, flushing game. They flush, I take pics, and hand off camera when she gets something.

Chris

[raptrlvr]

I carry the bird and the camera with me while I am hunting. Once the bird leaves the glove, I raise the camera and try to get a focus lock on the action. I used to try to take my glove off, but, I gave up on that and just take the pictures with the glove on. I use a Nikon D700, with grip and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens and usually set it at 300mm. I leave the camera in Aperture Priority and try to shoot at 1/1000 or faster. Once the action starts, you don't have time to adjust the camera. Obviously, you {me} are not going to get the quality pictures that can be achieved when shooting other peoples birds or shooting pictures of non action shots. Still is fun to try and catch the action of the flight. I also leave the camera in "continous shooting" for the extra frames per second.

[thefishguy]

I carry the bird and the camera with me while I am hunting. Once the bird leaves the glove, I raise the camera and try to get a focus lock on the action. I used to try to take my glove off, but, I gave up on that and just take the pictures with the glove on. I use a Nikon D700, with grip and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens and usually set it at 300mm. I leave the camera in Aperture Priority and try to shoot at 1/1000 or faster. Once the action starts, you don't have time to adjust the camera. Obviously, you {me} are not going to get the quality pictures that can be achieved when shooting other peoples birds or shooting pictures of non action shots. Still is fun to try and catch the action of the flight. I also leave the camera in "continous shooting" for the extra frames per second.

I use the same settings. The 7D shoots 8 frames per second which really helps get the flight pics. I also found picking the location helps. Bunny slips tend to have more available light than squirrel slips.

I took this flight pic of my bird last week.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6698481403_8b026f88c8_b.jpg

[Keith Denman]

I am vertically handicapped and do not want to break my camera when I am out watching the bird and not the ground. I am going to try your technique and see what I can get next season. I can not afford a new camera right now or a bigger lens but hopefully soon.
That is a great pic of your RT. Looks like a full crop on it. Nice clear and clean, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and skill with me.

[raptrlvr]

The D700 has the capability to shoot 8 frames per second with the right batteries. I shoot the normal 5 frames per second with the standard batteries. I do have the grip, which probably makes it 6 frames per second, but, I'm not sure about that. Your shots are excellent. Mine are so so and would be better if I knew how to post process them. I am really bad when it comes to computers. This is a shot from today of my female HH.
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z74/raptrlvr/20120114_9646A.jpg

[Keith Denman]

Jim that is a great shot of your Harris' and looks like you posted it up great. Do you have a program like photo shop where you crop and resize the image?

[raptrlvr]

I use Photoshop CS3. Some of the photographers on "FredMiranda.com" use "Lightroom" and there is a full tutorial on how to process an image on "FM.com". Don't want to hijack this thread.

[FredFogg]

I use Photoshop CS3. Some of the photographers on "FredMiranda.com" use "Lightroom" and there is a full tutorial on how to process an image on "FM.com". Don't want to hijack this thread.

Jim, I have Photoshop CS5. I need you to teach me how to use it. LOL frus) :D

[Keith Denman]

I use photoshop cs3 been using photo shop before they bought dreamweaver. I use it for my photos and for designing my websites that I have made. It is a great program.

[raptrlvr]

Fred, that would be like the blind leading the blind. Photoshop CS3 is a waste in my hands.

[thefishguy]

The D700 has the capability to shoot 8 frames per second with the right batteries. I shoot the normal 5 frames per second with the standard batteries. I do have the grip, which probably makes it 6 frames per second, but, I'm not sure about that. Your shots are excellent. Mine are so so and would be better if I knew how to post process them. I am really bad when it comes to computers. This is a shot from today of my female HH.
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z74/raptrlvr/20120114_9646A.jpg

That is a nice pic. One thing to keep in mind, lighting is everything. the original pics I posted were at the end of the day, the flight pic was shortly after sunrise. Those are prime times for taking pics, the golden light really makes the pics feel warm. When I take pics in the middle of the day, they always tend to be "washed out"

I try not to process the pics too much with PS. If I have to spend more than a couple minutes processing the RAW image, I move on to the next one.

I agree with you, shooting in AV mode really helps. I try and use a F stop > 6.3. The more depth of field, the better chance the eyes will fall in the focus plane (in my opinion, the eyes are the only thing that need to be in sharp focus). I found the F stop many times is more important than the shutter speed. Especially if the bird is in a soar and the wings are not moving, so you do not need a very fast shutter speed to stop the action.

Chris

[raptrlvr]

I usually don't get out into the field until about 9 or 9:30 am. I always stop at the coffee shop and sit around with the regulars to tell our lies. I am retired, so, I am never in a hurry to get out in the field. By then, the morning golden light is long gone. I don't fly in the afternoon. The pictures I take are just for sharing here on this site, so, I try to make them as presentable as I can, but, I don't think anyone will complain if they don't turn out perfect.

[Keith Denman]

They look good to me Jim and no one should complain. I appreciate the sharing, I enjoy seeing the pics. Thanks for sharing them.

[thefishguy]

I usually don't get out into the field until about 9 or 9:30 am. I always stop at the coffee shop and sit around with the regulars to tell our lies. I am retired, so, I am never in a hurry to get out in the field. By then, the morning golden light is long gone. I don't fly in the afternoon. The pictures I take are just for sharing here on this site, so, I try to make them as presentable as I can, but, I don't think anyone will complain if they don't turn out perfect.

I wish I had that kind of schedule, most days I am rushing so I am not late getting to work (wish never works out :) )

Again, great pic, hope you did not think I was complaining, just sharing the 2 cents I have picked up photo wise.

Chris

[raptrlvr]

Chris, no I didn't think you were complaining. I have been retired for 7 full years working on 8. I worked for 30 years and am so glad that its over and now I can enjoy my retirement. I try to hawk every day, but, sometimes its just not possible. Today for example was extremely windy and rained for most of the day. So I put a trackpack on the male HH, which he has been trying to pull off for a couple of hours. Most of my hawking shots are around 10 to 11 am. Thanks Keith, I am glad you enjoy the photo's.