PDA

View Full Version : Flight



6297J
December 13th, 2009, 11:10
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4127/698297291689070725dsc89.jpg


Taken with a D300, 300mm AF-S f2.8 VR lens, handheld at f5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 200

HighGround22
December 13th, 2009, 11:22
.
My-my! That's a sight of infinite beauty, power and grace!

Thanks for sharing that with us.
.

luckydog
December 13th, 2009, 12:15
:applause::applause::applause:

Cratermaker
December 13th, 2009, 13:41
Beautiful!

kilo delta
December 13th, 2009, 14:42
Fantastic! :)

Panther_99FS
December 13th, 2009, 15:13
Outstanding capture!

Snuffy
December 13th, 2009, 15:40
Excellent!! :applause: :applause: :applause:

jmig
December 13th, 2009, 15:44
That is one heck of a shot. Excellent!

Chacha
December 13th, 2009, 20:36
... One Perfect shot! :applause:

Outstanding... :ernae:

Kiwikat
December 13th, 2009, 20:57
That is perfect! BIF is among the hardest kind of shot to take.

:applause:

I hope this subforum remains this popular in the future. It's great to have a place to share these kinds of things.

Chacha
December 13th, 2009, 21:03
That is perfect! BIF is among the hardest kind of shot to take.

:applause:

I hope this subforum remains this popular in the future. It's great to have a place to share these kinds of things.

I second that, William (do you prefer William, Will or Bill?) :isadizzy:

6297J
December 13th, 2009, 21:40
Thank you. I was very lucky with this one. I was watching Sand Martins nesting in a river bank and the Kestrel came and hovered right above me. Luckily I was already set up for continuous shooting and I got a string of about fifty shots.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/4474/698276526dsc8977.jpg

Kiwikat
December 13th, 2009, 22:04
I second that, William (do you prefer William, Will or Bill?) :isadizzy:

Haha most people call me Will. I've heard it all though. :mixedsmi:


I was watching Sand Martins nesting in a river bank and the Kestrel came and hovered right above me. Luckily I was already set up for continuous shooting and I got a string of about fifty shots.

That is awesome! I volunteer at a bird of prey rehabilitation center in a nearby city. I've had so many cool experiences through volunteering there. One of these days I want to photograph a release. It would be something special, for sure.

Do you have any other shots of other birds of prey?


Here's a shot of a baby osprey from my Flickr. Some of you have probably seen it already, but oh well. I think it's pretty cute. :kilroy:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2652/3704006646_4f3ae8cc93.jpg

Cazzie
December 14th, 2009, 02:48
Both fantastic shots, I just love raptors.

Caz

Snuffy
December 14th, 2009, 03:07
Another great shot there 6297J!! :applause:

6297J
December 14th, 2009, 09:44
Haha most people call me Will. I've heard it all though. :mixedsmi:



That is awesome! I volunteer at a bird of prey rehabilitation center in a nearby city. I've had so many cool experiences through volunteering there. One of these days I want to photograph a release. It would be something special, for sure.

Do you have any other shots of other birds of prey?


Here's a shot of a baby osprey from my Flickr. Some of you have probably seen it already, but oh well. I think it's pretty cute. :kilroy:




I don't have too many raptors. I tend to concentrate on insects these days.

Here's an adult Osprey from Arizona a few years ago -

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/752/244883766hawk3.jpg


A Sharp Shinned Hawk, also from Arizona -

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/6993/244882678coopershawk9.jpg


and another Kestrel from London -

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7640/438486134dsc3797.jpg



Now I concentrate on macro and don't really use that 300mm as much as I should given how long it took me to pay for it.

Just to show you how good that 300 is though, here's a scruffy young Heron to finish with -

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/7386/309435709heront2.jpg

thisizma
December 14th, 2009, 10:55
Makes for some great wallpaper. Thank you.

Chacha
December 14th, 2009, 11:19
I don't have too many raptors. I tend to concentrate on insects these days.

Here's an adult Osprey from Arizona a few years ago -




A Sharp Shinned Hawk, also from Arizona -



and another Kestrel from London -



Now I concentrate on macro and don't really use that 300mm as much as I should given how long it took me to pay for it.

Just to show you how good that 300 is though, here's a scruffy young Heron to finish with -




A dumb question.... :isadizzy:

So you went to AZ and took those pictures? :isadizzy: (Obviously, yeah- these birds migrate from one place to the other!) :pop4:

kilo delta
December 14th, 2009, 11:50
Great shots :applause:
I really want that 300mm now.....unfortunately rummaging down the back of the settee for loose change hasn't provided me with quite enough moolah in order to purchase it yet!:icon_lol::bump:

6297J
December 14th, 2009, 12:22
A dumb question.... :isadizzy:

So you went to AZ and took those pictures? :isadizzy: (Obviously, yeah- these birds migrate from one place to the other!) :pop4:

I used to go to Arizona every year for about 6 years until things went pear-shaped with the recession and the holidays had to go! Annoyingly it wasn't until the very last time I went that I had a camera to take with me. I am desperate to go back again!!

6297J
December 14th, 2009, 12:27
Great shots :applause:
I really want that 300mm now.....unfortunately rummaging down the back of the settee for loose change hasn't provided me with quite enough moolah in order to purchase it yet!:icon_lol::bump:

It is a great lens. Since I got the 60mm macro I don't use it anywhere near enough as my interests have shifted significantly.

But I doubt any of you would like to see any bug shots!

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3034/594550253dsc1651.jpg

Kiwikat
December 14th, 2009, 12:30
Great shots :applause:
I really want that 300mm now.....unfortunately rummaging down the back of the settee for loose change hasn't provided me with quite enough moolah in order to purchase it yet!:icon_lol::bump:

Oddly enough, I've decided to get the Canon 300mm f/4 L IS, instead of all those other things I listed in the other thread. Seeing these shots taken with a 300mm further enforces my decision!

luckydog
December 14th, 2009, 17:31
It is a great lens. Since I got the 60mm macro I don't use it anywhere near enough as my interests have shifted significantly.

But I doubt any of you would like to see any bug shots!

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3034/594550253dsc1651.jpg

Here's a cousin...........

22764

P.S. How do you load full size pics ???

Tom Clayton
December 14th, 2009, 19:08
The pics displayed full-size here are hosted on something like Photobucket. Then you take the image's URL and sandwich it between a set of [img] tags to make it show here.

Cazzie
December 15th, 2009, 03:23
Well, I think both are very sharp bug shots. I like good bugs and dragonflies are good bugs.

Want to see what that transparent wing looks like at 100X?

Caz

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/cazmodel/drangonfly_wing.jpg

JorisVandenBerghe
December 15th, 2009, 09:52
Great captures, I like the macro and the raptors. William, have fun with the new lens! When do you expect to buy it ?

Kiwikat
December 15th, 2009, 10:09
Great captures, I like the macro and the raptors. William, have fun with the new lens! When do you expect to buy it ?

Late January I hope, after tax returns. I've already saved a good chunk of it. Just gotta get the rest now!

lefty
December 15th, 2009, 10:21
Oh boy, I've just had a wee look at the price of that Nikon 300. Gulp. £4k.

Kiwikat
December 15th, 2009, 10:35
Oh boy, I've just had a wee look at the price of that Nikon 300. Gulp. £4k.

That's why I like the price of the Canon 300 f/4 L IS...

It is "affordable" yet tack sharp. It's also built like a tank like all the other L series lenses.

JorisVandenBerghe
December 15th, 2009, 11:27
That's the biggest 'bummer' for people who have just got into photography, I guess...

At first thinking they have got a decent kit, they start to notice there are great but very expensive lenses available...:mixedsmi:. To most people - myself included - it comes as a surprise that lenses could be that expensive...best example being Canon's EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM...price: $ 13,000 :isadizzy:. I'd rather invest that amount of money in a car...

I don't think anyone of us can afford to buy a couple of + € 1,500 lenses just for our 'hobby'...:kilroy:.

Within a couple of years I might get a macro lens too...but for now I'm focusing on lenses so I can take good photos of people, aircraft, etc.

lefty
December 15th, 2009, 11:47
Yeah, Joe Public is being lulled into thinking that pixels are the answer to great photography.

Few of them understand that what you really pay for is that bit of glass at the front.......... :mixedsmi:

6297J
December 15th, 2009, 12:24
My only advice is buy the best you can afford. There is nothing worse than substandard glass. I part exchanged all my rash purchases when I got the 300mm. I've only been interested in photography for about three years and I'm horrified to think of the junk I bought at first when I didn't know any better. I had some truly dreadful lenses which I bought because they were so much cheaper than the Nikon equivilent and I didn't think they they would be that different. How wrong I was! I only have three lenses now.

Anyway, to keep with the Flight theme - here's a perfect touchdown


http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/8521/289369470littleegret1.jpg

Cazzie
December 15th, 2009, 14:50
Perfect flair, eh. Very nice shot. :applause:

Caz

Cloud9Gal
December 15th, 2009, 16:27
Magnificent shots! WOW!!! http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/CBSA/smileyvault-cute-big-smiley-animated-024.gif (http://www.smileyvault.com/)

Birds are such beautiful creatures! I have always loved them!

Thank you SO much for sharing these with us! It put a smile on my face!

http://freesmileyface.net/smiley/Happy/happy-096.gif (http://freesmileyface.net)

Henry
December 15th, 2009, 17:49
just remember
its not the glass its the eye
that sees the image
yup expensive glass counts
but it comes down to the eye
in the end
some great shots here
H:guinness:

Cloud9Gal
December 15th, 2009, 18:29
just remember
its not the glass its the eye
that sees the image
yup expensive glass counts
but it comes down to the eye
in the end
some great shots here
H:guinness:


I agree Henry- good equipment is a must, however, if you don't have an "eye" to recognize a great photo op, the most expensive camera gear will not resolve that.

Cloud9Gal
December 15th, 2009, 18:32
Cazz- your 100X magnified picture of a bug's wing reminds me of cristallized sugar....

Kiwikat
December 15th, 2009, 18:54
just remember
its not the glass its the eye
that sees the image
yup expensive glass counts
but it comes down to the eye
in the end
some great shots here
H:guinness:

That may be true but a L series lens produces photos with much more clarity, contrast, and color rendition than those from my cheap 55-250 lens. If any photographer is going to invest in gear, it should be in glass and a decent flash.

Still, it requires skill to use them properly and creatively. :kilroy:

Chacha
December 15th, 2009, 21:34
That may be true but a L series lens produces photos with much more clarity, contrast, and color rendition than those from my cheap 55-250 lens. If any photographer is going to invest in gear, it should be in glass and a decent flash.

Still, it requires skill to use them properly and creatively. :kilroy:

One has to know how to use the tools/gears that your camera has.... and that is skills..

A very good camera is nothing if the one who uses it doesn't know how to use it.... :isadizzy:

If we are talking about a skilled professional photographer, the lens/glass/flash are important to take a more quality/clarity/color/contrast pictures. :applause:

It is how the picture is being presented that makes a good character picture. With regards to fineness or grade of excellence, it is in the camera and the one that uses it that makes the difference. :running:

...my humble two cents... :pop4:

Cazzie
December 16th, 2009, 02:14
If one truly wants clarity and sharpness, a requirement in ad work most times, good glass is a must. But ultra-sharp photography is subjective, it is all uo to the taste of the subject. I like some sharp photography, but I also like soft, diffused photos done in taste. In all photography, it is the eye of the photographer that makes the print.

When I started getting serious about photography, I stared studying the Fine Arts and painting artists. If you wish to learn light and composure, study your great artists. And that's what makes fine photography from standard photography, an eye for light and composure, not glass.

Caz

Snuffy
December 16th, 2009, 03:09
You've got the talent Caz!! No doubt. I'm jealous.

jmig
December 16th, 2009, 03:20
If one truly wants clarity and sharpness, a requirement in ad work most times, good glass is a must. But ultra-sharp photography is subjective, it is all uo to the taste of the subject. I like some sharp photography, but I also like soft, diffused photos done in taste. In all photography, it is the eye of the photographer that makes the print.

When I started getting serious about photography, I stared studying the Fine Arts and painting artists. If you wish to learn light and composure, study your great artists. And that's what makes fine photography from standard photography, an eye for light and composure, not glass.

Caz

Very good point. Are you a technician or an artist? Most of us fall mostly in one or the other category. The great ones are usually both.

As to the lenses. I think the 80-20 rule works for 98% of us. The lenses that come with the quality DSLR cameras like the Nikons, Cannon, Sony, etc. are much better than the lens of 20-30 years ago. They and the superb electronics of today's cameras will provide the amateur with better pictures than he could imagine he could take.

If you are a professional who's livelihood depends on your pictures or a really talented amateur, with money, then a lens costing thousands of dollars may be worth purchasing. For the other 98% I say the biggest impact will be to our pride and not picture quality.

Learn the camera inside and out. As Caz says, learn the art of photography. Take thousands of pictures to the point where you can tell small differences in good and great shots, then consider buying the $3000 lens to replace the kit lens. Other wise, I suggest you save you money.

Just my opinion from a non-professional who has had a lot of hobbies and seen many people (himself included) waste money on overbuying things, strictly for reasons of pride.

Cazzie
December 16th, 2009, 06:42
John,

I guess you can say I am a bit of both. I use to draft my own copper work for rich people, so some technical experience by the way of a father who owned a sheet metal shop came in handy. I can use the computer for plans now, but in my hollowed days, I used a 1926 US Navy Sheet Metal Design & template book to learn my way around triangulation for pattern designs.

I hate the term artist, even though I have been called one in several fields, as I said in another post, I am a learned man, everything I do well, I have learned from someone else. True artists are born with a talent, I was not so blessed. I am a cuss, moan, fiddle, redo, break something, try, try again artist. :icon_lol:

Caz

jmig
December 16th, 2009, 09:10
John,

... I hate the term artist, even though I have been called one in several fields, as I said in another post, I am a learned man, everything I do well, I have learned from someone else. True artists are born with a talent, I was not so blessed. I am a cuss, moan, fiddle, redo, break something, try, try again artist. :icon_lol:

Caz

Artistic talent, like all talent, is something with which you are born. The "artist" is someone who develops his/her talent. The great art masters like Leonardo Da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh spent years developing the technical size of their art.

The inner eye of the artist sees the vision. The technical side of the artist turns the vision into reality. This is true for all art, be it painting, sclupture or photography.

That is why I say expensive lenses will do little to help someone who doesn't understand the technical size of photography. Maybe an anaology will help in understanding?

Years ago I read a biography on the late Dr. Albert Schweitzer. A story was told by a visiting doctor. This doctor said that after dinner one night, Dr. Schweitzer started to play an old piano, which was at the hospital. This piano was ravaged by the African jungle climate. Some of the keys were simi-stuck and slightly out of tune.

However, according to this doctor when Dr. Schweitzer say down and started to play, it was as if the old piano recognized the master and the music that came forth was like music from heaven.

Dr. Schweitzer was a master organist and he would travel the world raising funds for his hospital by playing the organ in famous churches throughout Europe and the US.

He was the true artist who had masted the technical side of his art. The old piano knew it was being lovingly caressed and purred that night.

Henry
December 16th, 2009, 09:25
If one truly wants clarity and sharpness, a requirement in ad work most times, good glass is a must. But ultra-sharp photography is subjective, it is all uo to the taste of the subject. I like some sharp photography, but I also like soft, diffused photos done in taste. In all photography, it is the eye of the photographer that makes the print.

When I started getting serious about photography, I stared studying the Fine Arts and painting artists. If you wish to learn light and composure, study your great artists. And that's what makes fine photography from standard photography, an eye for light and composure, not glass.

Caz
a few years ago when i lived in London
and actually was a photographer "well i got paid for being one"
that does not make me one:isadizzy:
the photographers gallery in Soho had a great exhibition
from someone whom i forget his name:kilroy:
with a disposable camera
his images were unbelievable
yes its all about light and composition
now the better glass the better the image
but do not fall into the jewelry business
H