Getting that shot when something is heading straight at you.

Skyline

Skyline

Emmet Brickowski
Suspended / Banned
Messages
4,497
Name
Dave
Edit My Images
No
Birds, bikes, cars and planes, left to right, vice versa, no problem :) What I don't know is how you get that head on shot razor sharp when it's coming straight at you. I've never done it. You know the kind of photo, an Eagle, Owl etc heading straight at the camera.

I'm hoping to go to my sisters this weekend. My brother in-law has a new massive bird/Pterodactl.

I'll be using a Canon 7D. What do I do? :snaphappy:
 
Camera set to AI servo multi frame shooting with a fast shutter speed, aperture perhaps f6.3 to try to ensure you get face and wings in focus........and practice

What lens are you using.......on a raptor day a while back I struggled with my old 100-400 mk1 as the focus could be sluggish. The mk11 by comparison is much quicker but have yet yo try such head on shots with it.

But more importantly as this will be a first in modern times do let the Natural History Museum know about this wonder of a live pterodactyl ;)
 
Last edited:
Box Brownie said:
Camera set to AI servo multi frame shooting with a fast shutter speed, aperture perhaps f6.3 to try to ensure you get face and wings in focus........and practice

But more importantly as this will be a first in modern times do let the Natural History Museum know about this wonder of a live pterodactyl ;)
Click to expand...

lol, thanks. I'm no bird person. I do know it's a big winged monster though.

So AI servo will continue to focus even though the subject is coming at me?
 
Daverkl said:
lol, thanks. I'm no bird person. I do know it's a big winged monster though.

So AI servo will continue to focus even though the subject is coming at me?
Click to expand...
It should do - it does with my 7d (mkii) when I'm photographing football
 
Yes AI servo will continually focus and unlike single shot that will only fire the shutter once focused, in AI servo the shutter will fire whether focused or not.

I suggest you practice using BBF back button focusing in other words you separate the focus control from the shutter action. This means you can focus track the bird and only fire the shutter when needed :)
 
Practice, practice, practice...

Continuous focus, highest fps, & positioning
 
TBH head on is far easier than anything else.
I'm guessing that it maybe a Harris Hawk?
Get behind your BiL when he calls it it to the fist, it'll be hitting the brakes at that time, feet out wings splayed tail down,
and moving quite slowly too at that point.


https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/tutorials/photographing-captive-birds-of-prey.87/

I've not got that many in flight as its bloody difficult to fly them and gets the shots too :D
But this will give you an idea at least.


HH1.jpg





HH3.jpg
 
if you find your having some difficulty keeping focus you could trap focus as it's known
focus on a given spot you think the bird / object will pass through, set you camera on multi frame shooting and start shooting as it approaches and keep you finger on the button until it passes your pre set focus point
you should end up with at least one shot in focus as it passes the point you set your focal point

old school but works a treat :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for the help and photos. I got 2 days to practice. I'll have a look on youtube about back button focusing, if I can't work that out then old skool might be for me :)
 


Model: NIKON D300 - Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 -ISO 200- focal length 200 mm- exposure 1/640" (unedited photo)

If that is any help. I recommend at least a f2.8 lens and fast shutter speed, set on continuous focus as well
 
Last edited:
It will do Bazza if you come and take the photos for me hahaha
 
Not a Harris Hawk Cobra. He has had those in the past. This thing will grow the size of a 747 :D
 
Just asked my brother in-law to send a pic. It's this little Sparrow :thinking:
And it's still growing :eek:
 
Why didn't he get the full size version! Lol

However at least you won't need a 600mm to take pic of it.......
 
Agreed with the following comments its about getting out there and practising. I would recommend you to use AI Servo as suggested by others and a good shutter speed to match the speed of the subject coming towards you, I do something that I call predictive focus, where I think/want the subject to be I always move the manual focus so it set in that area then using AI Servo when the subject comes in range to lock on focus which for me has worked a treat in the past. here is a example taken with the Canon 7D Mark II using this method I talk about :)

More examples of this you can see on my flickr page or website.


Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) by Joe Turner, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Makes me think of a (juvenile) Golden Eagle! If so i wonder how many of those are in private falconer ownership. Yonks ago my biology teacher though not a falconer was licensed owner and he brought it into 6th form class a few times.....a magnificent bird.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, that's what he said. A Golden Eagle.
 
Daverkl said:
Yeah, that's what he said. A Golden Eagle.
Click to expand...

If ever there was a barn door of a bird flying it is one like that :)

Will he be displaying anywhere publicly in future?
 
Box Brownie said:
If ever there was a barn door of a bird flying it is one like that :)

Will he be displaying anywhere publicly in future?
Click to expand...

Maybe a year or 2. They used his Barn Own in Arry Potter so I'm sure it will be seen about.
 
Daverkl said:
I grows so big I will be able to strap my 7D to its head.... with battery grip :LOL:

Now, where can I get a long distance remote from :naughty:
Click to expand...

Not sure it was that large a raptor but I am fairly sure there was BBC wildlife documentary where they did mount a lightweight video camera on a raptor and it was quite a ride.
 
Box Brownie said:
Not sure it was that large a raptor but I am fairly sure there was BBC wildlife documentary where they did mount a lightweight video camera on a raptor and it was quite a ride.
Click to expand...

He says he will be able to put a small lightweight camera on. Can't wait to see that.
 
Box Brownie said:
Yes AI servo will continually focus and unlike single shot that will only fire the shutter once focused, in AI servo the shutter will fire whether focused or not.

I suggest you practice using BBF back button focusing in other words you separate the focus control from the shutter action. This means you can focus track the bird and only fire the shutter when needed :)
Click to expand...
AI Servo will only release the shutter when the camera is 'tracking', ie, it's got a focal point and its actively predicting correct focus. It doesn't mean it will be in focus though!

If it's not actively tracking even though the shutter button or BBF is pressed (ie, it can't find the subject or work out where it is) and the focal indicator is blinking it won't fire. At least this is how my 50d and 6d seem to operate!

As for the OP, a subject tracking toward the camera is always the most difficult to focus on as most cameras (bar bodies such as the 1dx) have difficulty tracking things coming towards them as the target movement isn't as pronounced.
 
Last edited:
I've always used AI Servo for moving & head on shots, works well with wildlife & motorsports :)

bird4.jpg
 
I need some serious practice. I might start off with something easier, like a slug coming towards me.

He didn't fly the monster as he had taken it out that morning with a mate. I got some portraits of it and he flew some Hawks in the garden for me to try and get these head on shots. I'm just looking through them now. I think I might take photos of people playing chess instead.
 
If possible have a reasonable flying distance to give you a chance to "lock on", also as has been said get behind the landing point as it will slow down before landing.



(Spent hours panning a slug, it only made it around one corner before it span out)


*that may be a joke ;)
 
realspeed said:


Model: NIKON D300 - Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 -ISO 200- focal length 200 mm- exposure 1/640" (unedited photo)
Click to expand...

Unedited? Looks like the blur was added PP due to the sharp grass under the left wing (but not under the body) and the weird stuff under the tail looks like unsharp-mask remnants...?
 
ImageUploadedByTalk Photography Forums1445445250.891167.jpg

Now I have a camera with a fast AF (7D2) I use servo for head on shots, but I took this year's ago on my old 50D by prefocussing on a spot the bird would fly through and keeping the button down as he flew past the marker I had focused on. BBF, so no change in focus.

Keep practicing, it is possible even on manual focus.
 
Last edited:
Here's the little thing that isn't even fully grown yet. After 20 seconds I thought my arm was going to fall off.

 
Interesting discussion, Can I ask anyone that shoots this type of subject mostly whether or not it would be feasible to switch to manual focus and continuous shoot (depending on your frame rate, I can shoot up to 7fps) until the subject comes into focus, or is AF a better option? Obviously a lot of wasted shots the rapid fire way and the risk of having a slightly out of focus subject before and after the focal point depending on your DOF.
I don't shoot fast moving subjects much but am always doubtful that the AF can keep up with something moving that quickly towards the lens. I realise this varies depending on body/lens too.
 
Steve Watson said:
Interesting discussion, Can I ask anyone that shoots this type of subject mostly whether or not it would be feasible to switch to manual focus and continuous shoot (depending on your frame rate, I can shoot up to 7fps) until the subject comes into focus, or is AF a better option? Obviously a lot of wasted shots the rapid fire way and the risk of having a slightly out of focus subject before and after the focal point depending on your DOF.
I don't shoot fast moving subjects much but am always doubtful that the AF can keep up with something moving that quickly towards the lens. I realise this varies depending on body/lens too.
Click to expand...

My photo of the eagle owl above was taken using exactly that method as the AF on the 50D I had then wouldn't keep up. I prefocussed on a point the bird would fly through, and started taking photos as he approached the marked spot. I now have a camera with faster AF (7D2) so just use Servo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top