Blurry bad photos

[Naanory]

Ok, so hear me out. I thought I was getting a better understanding of bird photography, but I am very disappointed in myself and this photo. When trying to photograph birds in flight I keep an eye on my ISO so that it doesn't go too high and the photo doesn't get blurry. I also make sure that my aperture is low so that a lot of light comes in. But unfortunately I only get pictures that are out of focus and blurry. What else should I take into account?

Please don't be rude or anything, just someone who wants some help/ tips .



(No I do not own a A7R V, I wish but should learn how to make better photo's first, just borrowed it from my work)

 

[IrishWildicat]

Matt Klowkoski has a pretty good intro to birding video at

for birds in flight, shutter speed takes precedence. Should be at 1/2000 for large birds gliding to 1/4000 for humming birds and fast action.

don’t be afraid of high ISO. With modern processing software, noise can be greatly reduced. Motion blur is a whole lot hard to overcome.

also looks like you stepped down from f6.3 to f10 in that photo. Consider shooting manual with a shutter speeed of 1/2000(or faster), lens wide open, and auto ISO

 

[EricVan]

Matt Klowkoski has a pretty good intro to birding video at

for birds in flight, shutter speed takes precedence. Should be at 1/2000 for large birds gliding to 1/4000 for humming birds and fast action.

don’t be afraid of high ISO. With modern processing software, noise can be greatly reduced. Motion blur is a whole lot hard to overcome.

also looks like you stepped down from f6.3 to f10 in that photo. Consider shooting manual with a shutter speeed of 1/2000(or faster), lens wide open, and auto ISO

All good advice above. One other thing to keep in mind is that in this case the bird is relatively small in the frame and that can be a challenge to keep in sharp focus for you and the camera.

 

[drj3]

The major problem with this image is that the target is too far away and too small in the frame. Shutter speed could be a little faster, but if you pan well you can shoot a soaring bird at 1/1600 or slower. 1/2000 is better.

 

[drj3]

Matt Klowkoski has a pretty good intro to birding video at

for birds in flight, shutter speed takes precedence. Should be at 1/2000 for large birds gliding to 1/4000 for humming birds and fast action.

I agree your shutter speeds for fast action, however shutter speeds above your maximum flash sync speed will have minimal effect on wing blur for hummingbirds. The individual pixels with be sharper, but the wing moves just as far at 1/4000 as it does at 1/max.flash syn speed. If you want to freeze the wing at anything other than maximum extension you need to use a flash.
Example (#1 & #2) comparing the same type wing motion at 1/250 (flash sync speed) and 1/1000. The same blur occurs, but the individual pixels are sharper at 1/1000.

If you want the wings less burred, shoot a longer burst and choose the images where the wings are almost stationary as the wings change direction. You can get extended wings with enough blur to suggest motion even at relatively low shutter speeds (#3).













--
drj3

 

[NikonNature]

Absolutely a combination of subject distance and shutter speed. Just imagine holding very still on a subject that's 30 feet away. Then compare to a subject that's 300 ft away. Any slight shake is exaggerated exponentially the farther away you are.

For shutter speed, 1/1600s is fine when you're closer. At the distance of your falcon, I'd use 1/2500 or 1/3200. That's been my experience anyway.