Wildlife Photography

[SarahLadd]

More local wildlife, and pictures of those owls. They were raising a baby, so they were really easy to find, all the time. Plus, the bluejays would not leave them alone. Constant screaming. Could never tell which parent was which, sometimes I'd see both, but they were never in the same tree together to get a shot of both parents, or a parent with the child. Oh well! Wood ducks, green heron, I forget which kind of duck that last one is...

 

[mdees88]

Here are a few more local wildlife ones from the backyard. Wild turkeys, mature bald eagle, great blue heron, baby bald eagle, pileated woodpecker, great horned owl

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You have an awesome backyard.

More local wildlife, and pictures of those owls. They were raising a baby, so they were really easy to find, all the time. Plus, the bluejays would not leave them alone. Constant screaming. Could never tell which parent was which, sometimes I'd see both, but they were never in the same tree together to get a shot of both parents, or a parent with the child. Oh well! Wood ducks, green heron, I forget which kind of duck that last one is...View attachment 3260098View attachment 3260099View attachment 3260101View attachment 3260103View attachment 3260104

That's a drake and hen blue winged teal. Nice images!

 

[SarahLadd]

You have an awesome backyard.


That's a drake and hen blue winged teal. Nice images!

It is absolutely fraught with danger for chicken keeping. I think I have a pair of rough-legged hawks stalking my property right now. All of my predators are terrifying sky dinosaurs.

 

[SarahLadd]

.. but the pictures are nice

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

.. but the pictures are nice

Understatement of the day

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Looking at most of your photos I have been thinking that the camera may be part of the sharpness problem.

If you're looking to upgrade I would buy into a system you could grow into. Like a DSLR with interchangeable lenses. All I have ever shot is Canon so that's the only system I feel like giving specific recommendations on.

I think Nikon is a better value for your money (get a little more bang for your buck). Sony is a good choice too. I keep forgetting which Nikon @Alyssa-Bee uses but it's a good value setup that can produce great results.

The hardest part is finding a lens that performs well at a low price point.

If you go with Canon, the best lens for the money is their EF-S 55–250mm f/4–5.6 IS STM lens. It is a very sharp lens and can be bought used for less than $100. The only downside to this lens is 250mm is a little short on the long end. I used mine for a while but wanted more reach so I ended up buying a 400mm which was very expensive. The 250 will work you just have to practice getting a little bit closer to your subjects. But for your budget I think it is the best choice.

As far as bodies go, I pretty much always recommend the Canon 80D. Not just because I owned one but because it is a good balance between price and performance. You can find them used for between $400-500. You definitely will want a canon with the dual pixel autofocus. I believe that started with the 70D. You can pick up a Canon rebel t7i (make sure it has the "i") for a little bit cheaper and it has the same sensor as the 80D. It is basically 90% the same as an 80D, but if you want a camera you can grow into I would go with the 80D. It has weather proofing, a better button layout, and a few extra features like micro focus adjustment that you can tune to each lens.

Regardless of which brand you choose I definitely recommend going with a DSLR and buying used.

Thank you so much, will have a look around and see what I come back with!

 

[Bakbuk]

Nah, it's a clean shot and I like it. You can fiddle with the exposure/lighting/color balance a bit to bring it up a bit and it'll be a totally different shot. Can't do a lot with the crowded frame (unless you already cropped it in which case you can just back the crop out a bit to give yourself some more space.)

I did overcrop it, I guess. I think my major problems are the messy background and the half-rotten pear it was eating.

 

[azurbanclucker]

I did overcrop it, I guess. I think my major problems are the messy background and the half-rotten pear it was eating.

it's wildlife. you captured it being wild.

 

[mdees88]

It's a pretty little plaza that runs in the community. Doubt they would treat their ducks poorly. Plus, they've been raising ducks for as long as I can remember, and it's a pretty rich neighborhood.
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That's an awesome place to take pics. I really like waterfowl but I haven't been able to find a good place with nice scenery where I can photograph "tame" ducks. All the ones I have photographed were wild but I only have a handful of images as a result....

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

I think Nikon is a better value for your money (get a little more bang for your buck). Sony is a good choice too. I keep forgetting which Nikon @Alyssa-Bee uses but it's a good value setup that can produce great results.

I have a Nikon D3500. It is recommended for those new to photography and is cheaper than many other good options I found. I was able to get a black Friday deal, too, which helped with the price. It came with two kit lenses: a 18-55mm and 70-300, as well as the case.

I don't have any new pictures to post due to the fact that the storage on my phone is already taken up by all my other photos. It got to the point that I had to delete the snap bridge app (which allowed the camera to easily transfer pictures) or the phone would stop being able to receive messages of any sort. In addition to that, I moved across the country so haven't had much of a chance to get out anyway. On the bright side, I found a really cool camera store here that I couldn't help but check out. I was able to try out a really expensive camera with a motorized 400mm lens. Basically everything was way too expensive for me, but it was fun to play around in.