Any good pointers on picture taking?

[gertsgal]

Good morning, I'm expecting my chicks any day now and some of you take amazingly cute pictures of your chicks. It seems that whenever I take a picture all I get is a blur of tail feathers. Whats the trick? Thanks.

 

[maizy'smom]

Through trial and error, I have learned that a lot of what it takes to get a good photo is based on the equipment you use. In my case, the digital camera with zoom lens and flash turned out to be no where near as good as my cell phone. Granted, the camera is not the newest, certainly not newer than the technology in my phone. I had a similar problem 24 years ago when my son was born. The very good, Nikon SLR, with all the manual adjustments and fancy lenses and flash attachment, was quickly replaced by a newer, one-hand, point-and-shoot, automatic model. By the time I got the Nikon out, focused, and adjusted...he had stopped doing whatever it was that was so cute/funny/etc. Or, he had simply moved out of focus.
Other than having the right equipment, the next basic pointers are (much as with photographing children) to get down on their level, or bring them up to yours. Otherwise, you'll end up with lots of shots of the tops of their heads, or, if they are looking up at you, shots of up their nostrils. (speaking from experience here.)
Another plug for the cell phone camera, something you can hold in one hand and click without having to look through the view-finder, can be very handy for catching somebody in the act of sitting in the nest box and laying their first egg. That way you don't have to literally poke your head into their business. As with any thing else, practice makes perfect.....just keep trying and see what works best for you. Have fun!

mm

 

[Tricorn]

Ample light is especially important when using a point-and-shoot type camera. More light means faster shutter speed means less blur. I can never get good pictures indoors or in the barn unless it's a super bright day.

 

[JodyJo]

I am a photographer, and use my Nikon to shoot everything....for babies, I usually wait till they aren't all wound up...
place each one on a rag, backdrop etc...whatever you want, and shoot a bunch...one at least will turn out!
Shoot 100 to get 1 is a good rule of thumb!

For older ones, I sit outside with them and watch for the right shots...again, I shoot a lot of them, and only
get a few good ones...

Cell phones are better then they used to be...so it depends, try both and see the results you get...

**you get the idea!

*avoid the direct sunlight...same as when doing people, your best shots come on cloudy days, or when the sun is blocked...
Have fun!

 

[Oregon Blues]

I stand around and take dozens of shots. Even hundreds of shots. It's the nice thing about digital. I can take 100 shots and throw 96 of them away.

Then you need to go to a photo program and crop the photo. You won't believe what a difference this will make in your photos.

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Take a 200 pix and you might get 10 that you really really like!

Happy-Hens

 

[aoxa]

A good camera.. Very important.. Good lighting.. Sunny days are the best days to take pictures..

The marco feature is my favourite on my canon powershot

Though I am NOT a professional photographer by any means. I do enjoy taking pictures of my animals though!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Patience for right shot, use several types of exposures and settings, and quality pictures are like getting quality chickens- make many and cull mercilessly. The beauty is with pictures we are in a digital age, sadly for chickens it's not virtual reality.