Shooting through mesh screen (or alternatives)

[derangedhermit]

I want to observe and take photos of whatever wildlife is around when I'm outside; birds mostly, but also other things. Anyway, much of the time I'm on one side of mesh screening and the creature of interest is on the other. From what little I've experimented, binoculars won't give sharp images and the photos are always blurred due to the screening.

How do you work around this to get sharp views and images?

Examples of screen in question are our back porch screening and fixed screen windows in our tent.

 

[donaldsc]

I assume that you are doing manual, not auto focus. If you do auto focus, the camera may focus on the screen.

--
Don

 

[The_cheshirecat]

Not the best of situations.

One method of dealing with these opportunities is to have the screen closer than the MFD of the lens being used. This will prevent the screen from becoming the plane of focus, but may still defeat AF from locking on the subject. Even then, the capture is still likely to be blurred. Depending on the screen you may also get something akin to flare, as light is reflected of the wire / thread. And, the direction of the light will impact the quality of your capture

One alternative may be to replace the one or more screen panels with a pane of glass, which will cause far less issues than a screen, but is still not optimal. Another is you could arrange a small section to be opened, as and when necessary, through which you shoot.

I have encountered the same problem at my weekend retreat. I have come to the conclusion it is simply not worth shooting through a screen, regardless of the direction or amount of light. Glass only is often acceptable, even shooting at a steep angle, but through a screen is simply not worth the effort.

--

I started in the 50's - my first picture was taken with a Leica and hooked me for life. I no longer use my Leicas, but I am still taking pictures. Some things never change.

 

[zackiedawg]

As mentioned already, putting the lens as close to the mesh as possible, inside of the lens' minimum focus distance, is the first and best way to avoid the camera focusing on it, and reducing the effects of the mesh in the shot. Also, using larger apertures is preferable to keep the depth of field shallow and allow the camera to shoot through the mesh without hashmarks or patterns all over the shot.

You might also consider looking into some solutions like a camera hole in the mesh, large enough to accomodate the lens - something that might be sealable when not using the camera. A glass panel might work, even a very clear plastic sewn or woven into the mesh. Or you might be able to use something like a sock sewn around a hole in the mesh so the sock hole is open through the mesh - the camera could be inserted through the sock to the outside, and when not in use it could be kept closed with an elastic band or twist-tie so bugs can't get in.

--
Justin
galleries: http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

 

[derangedhermit]

Yes, I should have said, always careful manual focus.

At first I assumed I could shoot wide open and move close to the screening and it would be OK. But then later I remembered using black nylons stretched over the lens to soften the image for female portraiture. There may be no escaping the effect.

 

[dock]

In my house I remove screens and make sure windows are clean. shooting through glass degrades only slightly. If it were my tent, I would have a zipper installed so my lens could stick through. an over cloth would keep water out in a rain.

 

[pixseal]

Use black mesh or paint the screen black. That's what the sports photographers shoot through at baseball games. Shooting through black (assuming not side-lit) will only slightly degrade contrast.
--
-Dave
http://pixseal.com

 

[jaktini]

How big of an opening is there in the wire mesh? Is it something like a 30 x 30 wire mesh with 30 wires per inch or more of a 4 x 4 mesh - if the openings are large enough, then if you can get close enough you can probably shoot right through the screen.

Check out here for more screen specs and details:

http://www.bwire.com/index.html

If the openings are too small - your best bet to is remove the screen and replace with something clear such as glass or some hardcore plastic surface.