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Photo Safari #4130967 03/19/13 03:56 PM
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LandPirate Offline OP
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Finally got a day off and decided I needed to take some pics to wind down and decompress. Previously, I've been struggling to get the sharpness in my photos that I wanted. I recently made some adjustments to my equipment and technique, but also in the post-production of the images. Yesterday, I was able to bring it all together and got what I think are some quality pics. Tell me what y'all think.

Grebe of some sort


Duck of some sort


Northern Shovelers


Old Coots










Mike
Buda, Tx
Hunt near Freer
Re: Photo Safari [Re: LandPirate] #4130973 03/19/13 04:00 PM
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DocBailey Offline
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great pics!

Re: Photo Safari [Re: LandPirate] #4130978 03/19/13 04:02 PM
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Great Blue Herons




Turkey Vulture


Red Wing Blackbird








Cardinal




Mike
Buda, Tx
Hunt near Freer
Re: Photo Safari [Re: DocBailey] #4130980 03/19/13 04:02 PM
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dkershen Online Content
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Nice


To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

www.NewHopeEquine.com - Health and Healing through Horses.
Re: Photo Safari [Re: dkershen] #4131152 03/19/13 05:32 PM
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DiverTexas Offline
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Good looking pics.

Re: Photo Safari [Re: DiverTexas] #4131205 03/19/13 05:58 PM
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great work mike..love them red winged blackbirds.... cool looking!

Re: Photo Safari [Re: crstfr] #4131260 03/19/13 06:24 PM
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very good

Re: Photo Safari [Re: Hair 'o dog] #4131274 03/19/13 06:28 PM
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great pics!

Re: Photo Safari [Re: Hair 'o dog] #4131275 03/19/13 06:29 PM
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Pretty sure 2nd duck is a Pintail

Re: Photo Safari [Re: SingleShot85] #4131312 03/19/13 06:40 PM
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tth_40 Offline
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Gorgeous pix, Mike. You have a good eye. Every time you post more I just get pushed harder to take up a new hobby.


Originally Posted By: theserxtremedays
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
Re: Photo Safari [Re: SingleShot85] #4131318 03/19/13 06:41 PM
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I had a friend of mine that's a goose/duck hunter just tell me that the second one is a drake Gadwall. The first one is a Least Grebe.

I've been enjoying the challenge of bird photography. I'm not really into birding but they do make challenging subjects. Even with a telephoto lens you have to get very close in order to capture any detail. Most birds are skittish. They don't want people getting too close.

I think I'd really like to try to call in predators for some up-close photos, along with some S. Texas wildlife and W. Texas landscapes. Dang, when will I have time for hunting and fishing?


Mike
Buda, Tx
Hunt near Freer
Re: Photo Safari [Re: SingleShot85] #4131367 03/19/13 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted By: SingleShot85
Pretty sure 2nd duck is a Pintail


WRONG.....

Your buddy is correct, nice picture.

Re: Photo Safari [Re: SingleShot85] #4131536 03/19/13 08:13 PM
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Very good pictures I too am trying get the most out of sharpness . I'm looking at buying light room 4 and a Mac for editing . I too would like to be able to call in varmints for few pictures


instagram.com/mcgrawimages
Re: Photo Safari [Re: rofd1374] #4131680 03/19/13 09:10 PM
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txbowhunt7 Offline
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dang it mike. can't wait until I get some quality shots


,
Re: Photo Safari [Re: txbowhunt7] #4131835 03/19/13 10:00 PM
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swmays Offline
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Nice shots LP.

Re: Photo Safari [Re: swmays] #4131909 03/19/13 10:25 PM
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No Martins?


Originally Posted by ImTheReasonDovesMourn
I'd ask him if he's pregnant. He missed a s__tload of periods.

Originally Posted by Hancock
I'll take "things that look like a uterus" for $200 Alex.
Re: Photo Safari [Re: hoof n wings] #4131920 03/19/13 10:28 PM
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Awesome pics. First duck is a gadwall.


[Linked Image]
Re: Photo Safari [Re: SpoonPlatoon] #4131961 03/19/13 10:40 PM
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Always enjoy your pics!!!

Re: Photo Safari [Re: Mr. Clean] #4132428 03/20/13 02:03 AM
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Doc2011 Offline
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Great pictures.

Re: Photo Safari [Re: Doc2011] #4132469 03/20/13 02:15 AM
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Your picture images are getting sharper

Re: Photo Safari [Re: Brother in-law] #4132574 03/20/13 02:51 AM
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coolpics

Re: Photo Safari [Re: chital_shikari] #4132591 03/20/13 02:56 AM
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Wonderful!! I'm partial to the turtle/coot photo...


Originally Posted by Russ79
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.


Re: Photo Safari [Re: Nogalus Prairie] #4133179 03/20/13 02:10 PM
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Very nice pics.

Re: Photo Safari [Re: rofd1374] #4133435 03/20/13 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted By: rofd1374
Very good pictures I too am trying get the most out of sharpness . I'm looking at buying light room 4 and a Mac for editing . I too would like to be able to call in varmints for few pictures


Here's what I've found for getting the best results.

1) Get close(r). Don't crop much. Cropping loses resolution.
2) Use the single center focal point. Put the point directly onto the eye of the subject.
3) Use the AI Servo (Canon's name for Continual AF) Auto-Focus setting for live animals.
4) Use a fast shutter speed (1/1000) or better. This means you'll need to use a higher ISO too. I'm getting decent shots even at ISO 1600 and in some cases, even higher.
5) My camera and lens are taking sharper images when the aperture is choked down a bit (f/7.1 to f/11) instead of wide open at f/4 or f/5.6. Again, this means higher ISO settings.
6) I'm using Canon's Digital Photo Pro (DPP) for processing. I've found that the Unsharp Mask (USM) tool works much, much better than the Sharpness tool. Under USM there's 3 adjustments; Strength, Fineness, and Threshold. I generally bump the Strength to 5-7, the Fineness to 7-8 and keep Threshold low at 2-3. You can bump Threshold a little when using high ISO but you'll lose some detail.
7) Apply Noise Reduction as needed. Again, the more you use, the more detail will be lost.
8) Go easy on Contrast and Saturation. A little goes a long way. In some cases, especially with hi contrast shots, I'm using -1 or -2 on Contrast. This helps to reduce the bright sky or highlights.
9) A little negative Shadow will help enhance details. I don't use more than -1 or -2. In high contrast shots (like a dark bird against a bright sky) I use positive Shadow (+1 or 2). This will brighten dark areas.

All of this assumes that you're shooting RAW images. Once you've processed the image go to File, then Convert & Save (not Save or Save As). Adjust to save a high quality JPEG at a (Image Quality) of 7 or 8 and a size of 350 dpi for posting to internet or higher for other uses. Go to 800 or 1000 if you're going to print the image. This saves your RAW file and produces a high quality copy in JPEG. You'll have to have a program that reads RAW files, such as DPP, Photo Shop or Lightroom.

Finally, understand how you AF works. Mine detects vertical and horizontal lines on the target. It then uses these lines to achieve focus. If the surface is smooth and/or without texture then the AF will search or miss focus altogether. The fine hair or feathers on the body of an animal often won't produce a enough texture to achieve a fine focus. The head/face/eyes have features that provide for better focus. Besides, viewers are drawn to the eye of the subject so it really needs to be in focus.

Hope this helps someone.


Mike
Buda, Tx
Hunt near Freer
Re: Photo Safari [Re: LandPirate] #4149798 03/27/13 06:32 PM
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nice

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