I've been doing photography for about 6 months now. With summer coming I plan to be a lot more active and taking a lot of nature and wildlife shots. But I struggle with getting the clarity and detail that a lot of other 365ers are able to do. I'm not sure if it's user error, lack of needed equipment, or that the camera itself doesn't meet my needs. My last last three photos of Common Mergansers are great examples. I know they aren't well focused, but I really feel those are the best I could do (these are the best of about 30 shots that took.) The camera was fully zoomed in and seemed impossible to hold steady. I think I need to get a remote trigger, and probably a monopod. But will those things help, or do I need to consider a different camera? Is there anything I can do with the current camera I have?
I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX300 and no additional equipment yet.
@teresaf I was just looking at your pictures. You have some great stuff. I am now following you. Not being an expert I can't offer much technical advise. I have 2 Cannon Point and Shoots with no bells or whistles and I only have the very basic editing program that came with the cameras. I just do the best I can. A lot of people have 2000.00 cameras and several photo edit programs. That's fine but that's not me. I just have fun and try to do my best. Don't sell yourself short, you have beautiful photos!
I just looked at your merganser shots--great birds! Yes, they are out of focus. I'm wondering if you are cropping these too? It seems as though you may be stretching the focal length a bit. With my point and shoots, it's really hard to stay still so a mono pod might be better (a tripod with moving subjects is really hard). I use a dslr (Canon Rebel) with a zoom lens that can really handle some shake (but not much--there are only a few gems in the bunch when I do birds). I have found that my point and shoot will zoom, but if I move, I get things out of focus. Does this help? I would see what the best zoom "sweet spot" is for your camera and go from there.
@darylo Thanks Daryl. Yes I am cropping but they are out of focus even before I do anything. If don't zoom in all the way, they are so distant you can't even tell what type of bird they are.
I agree with Rosie @chocolatesocks you have some great photos, some out of focus. My camera is 5 years old, i just use Picmonkey for my editing (only new to this). Majority of my photos I just point, shoot and then upload. I dont use tripod at all. I just love to capture nature photos. Just keep practising.
I am not a professional either but I have learnt from my own mistakes. Best thing is even though you may have a "point and shoot" you can still take great photos. Best advice I was given when using a point and shoot was to take my time to set the shot, don't be a rush to push the button, make sure I have it lined up and its in focus.
I've looked at you ducks (they're cute btw). You have your ISO quite low at 160...you can afford to raise this a bit, say 400, which will makes your shots a bit faster. Are you holding one hand under the lens, to help support it? I'm not familiar with your camera but I trust that it has a voewfinder and that you are using it and not trying to use the back screen. Apart from that tuck your elbows in close to your sides for extra stability.
I agree with much of what has been said already. I'm going to suggest something different as well. I recently spent some time on a "photo safari" with a professional photographer. He said,over and over again, that I needed to consider the foreground of the shot as much as what I was *actually* shooting. I think, in general, I do this pretty well.
I looked at your photos. I think that you could improve by making sure you are in the best possible place to get the shot you *really* want. While none of the shots I have here on 365 are taken with a P&S, that's where I started. I have lots that I'm really pleased with and many don't/wouldn't know, unless I tell them, it's a P&S.
I understand you can't frame every shot with a bird in it. Those are more "on the fly" (*groan*) but the stills and landscapes you can take time to think about the composition and make it as visually interesting and pleasing from front to back; side to side; and corner to diagonal corner. I find taking a few extra seconds to evaluate my composition before taking the picture results in better shots.
I am assuming you are shooting in auto. I would suggest finding out how to set things manually. Use f11-f16, and ISO about 200-1600 to get the sutter speed about 1/250. Make sure the focus points are on the ducks.
Thanks a lot everybody. Good info and tips. Yes, I am shooting in auto right now. I'll change it to manual and increase the shutter speed. Hopefully better photos coming soon!
Hello - I am no expert but I think before you go out to take photographs you need to identify what type of wildlife pictures you want to take.
The wild life photos that are the spectacular ones are taken by people who invest huge amount of time, money and effort into capturing.
Your camera is limited but as others have suggested there are ways to work around this, however no matter how hard you try I am certain you will be frustrated unless you have a clear idea of the result you would like.
I am probably wrong but I am sure the kind of shots you admire will be taken by people with DSLR's and decent zoom lenses.
@spanner Thanks Spanner! I think you're probably right. I will probably need a good zoom, because I really want to shoot wildlife and most animals will scurry off if I get too close. I have already found out I have limited ability for macros. I was hoping to be able to take photos of different insects and things. But my camera struggles with close ups of small things. I agree I will probably have to upgrade, but for now I will work with what I have and that will also give me an idea of what to look for when I but a new camera.
@agima I do go through them. It's easier for me to decide why I don't like something. I can't always figure out why I like something, but it's very easy for me to say why I do not like it.
@chapjohn I agree with what John said. If you have the time, what I would do is find something I want to photograph that is not moving and try out the different settings on it... sometimes I will note what I have done on a pad of paper so I can see what is what. I shot with a canon powershot for a good while. Most of my beginning images are taken with that. I still use it. In closing let me say this, for me, I am never 100% happy with the out come of my images. I always feel it can be more in focus. I think that's what keeps us at it.... we continue to strive for what we think is perfection.
This won't necessarily help the focus issue, but someone here on 365 told me that you can turn a mediocre snapshot into a great photo with just a little editing. I saw you said you didn't do much editing. I've gotten to where I love the editing process almost as much as the photographing. Just thought I'd throw that out there...
I've used this camera too! it suffers with stability problems, Try using a tripod or monopod to steady your hand I found landscape shots using the timer and a tripod worked a treat...hurried shots were always a bit fuzzy so take your time to plan your shots ps I also liked to put it on burst shot you can get ten rubbish shots but there is usually a belter in the set..
@kimshawball kim is also right a little editing works a treat My personal favorite is photoscape its free to download and is pretty straightforward to use there are loads out there..check out my project so see my editing.
@photohoot That's a good idea. I think that's what I'll need to do in order to find out the best settings.
@kimshawball Thanks! Yes, I will check more into editing. I've had some there shots that probably could have used some heavy editing to make them look right. I just have really learned how to do it yet.
@markjohnston Thanks for the confirmation, Mark. I thought some of it might be the camera, although I know some of it is also me. I'll get a monopod and hopefully that will help.
Thanks everybody!
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
I agree with much of what has been said already. I'm going to suggest something different as well. I recently spent some time on a "photo safari" with a professional photographer. He said,over and over again, that I needed to consider the foreground of the shot as much as what I was *actually* shooting. I think, in general, I do this pretty well.
I looked at your photos. I think that you could improve by making sure you are in the best possible place to get the shot you *really* want. While none of the shots I have here on 365 are taken with a P&S, that's where I started. I have lots that I'm really pleased with and many don't/wouldn't know, unless I tell them, it's a P&S.
I understand you can't frame every shot with a bird in it. Those are more "on the fly" (*groan*) but the stills and landscapes you can take time to think about the composition and make it as visually interesting and pleasing from front to back; side to side; and corner to diagonal corner. I find taking a few extra seconds to evaluate my composition before taking the picture results in better shots.
Best of luck!
~~JT
Thanks a lot everybody. Good info and tips. Yes, I am shooting in auto right now. I'll change it to manual and increase the shutter speed. Hopefully better photos coming soon!
The wild life photos that are the spectacular ones are taken by people who invest huge amount of time, money and effort into capturing.
Your camera is limited but as others have suggested there are ways to work around this, however no matter how hard you try I am certain you will be frustrated unless you have a clear idea of the result you would like.
I am probably wrong but I am sure the kind of shots you admire will be taken by people with DSLR's and decent zoom lenses.
When you take a set of photos do you go back through them and find the ones you like and decide what it is you like about it?
And on the other side so you find the images that you don't like and point out the bad points?
@kimshawball kim is also right a little editing works a treat My personal favorite is photoscape its free to download and is pretty straightforward to use there are loads out there..check out my project so see my editing.
Now following your progress :-D
@kimshawball Thanks! Yes, I will check more into editing. I've had some there shots that probably could have used some heavy editing to make them look right. I just have really learned how to do it yet.
@markjohnston Thanks for the confirmation, Mark. I thought some of it might be the camera, although I know some of it is also me. I'll get a monopod and hopefully that will help.
Thanks everybody!