Background Consideration - American Robin
Lesson 9 from: Beginner's Guide to Bird PhotographyBen Knoot
Background Consideration - American Robin
Lesson 9 from: Beginner's Guide to Bird PhotographyBen Knoot
Lesson Info
9. Background Consideration - American Robin
Lessons
Class Introduction
00:25 2Location Scouting
12:54 3Gear
07:43 4Camera Settings
05:54 5Four Tips for Bird Photography
02:09 6Composition
01:51 7Lighting for Bird Photography
01:43 8Setting Photo Goals - Lewis's Woodpecker
08:03Lesson Info
Background Consideration - American Robin
So, I stopped real quick 'cause there's an awesome robin with some pink flowers in the background that I wanna grab, so... Beautiful. (camera beeping) And, the perch is bending to the left, (camera beeping) which is awesome, so we're gonna get him looking left. (camera beeping) Put him kind of in the top rightish area of the frame. He just needs to look at me. (laughs) The background is composed of these pink flowers that are just stunning. And, when they're that far away from the bird, they throw the background completely out of focus. And, it looks awesome with the robin's kind of orange breast and gray back, so it's a really pretty photo-op, (camera beeping) I would really appreciate it if he would turn his head. Come on! (camera clicking) There he is. (camera clicking) There we go. Come on! (camera clicking) There it is. So, I was able to get him nicely. He's actually turned around, so I'm gonna take a couple more shots, couple more regular shots of him before. But, after that, I l...
ike to take a little bit of video, just to kind of... It shows a little bit more about the bird, kind of how they like to move, if they like to perch a lot. (camera beeping) And, also the video, if they're singing, then the video's really cool, 'cause you get to hear them, so... Now, actually, what I'm gonna do... The 2X is nice, but it's giving me a little too much zoom actually, so I'm gonna take that off, put just the 300 on. Maybe get a 600, so I can get a little more of the pink and a little more of the perch. (camera beeping) Also, this means I can drop my f-stop down to F4. (camera beeping) Yeah. (camera clicking) (camera beeping) (camera clicking) So, this way, if you look at that perch this way, the branches are coming down, kind of. With the 2X, you don't see that, it's just these little nubs at the bottom. With the 600, instead of the 1,200, you can get those kind of branches coming down, it just adds a little more pop to the image. (camera beeping) It's a little cooler. (camera beeping) (camera clicking) If you ever find yourself in a situation where the subject is being very cooperative, like this robin is, still there and it's been, I don't know, it's almost a minute probably, of just sitting here and photographing him, try some different stuff. Try different focal lengths, try composing it a little different. Try finding a different background. Like, I am actually seeing a slightly better background right now, and it just means I have to get out of the car. And, that's fine, once you've got your shots that you're happy with, go ahead and get out of the car and try something else. That way you always, again, always push your boundaries, that's how you keep learning. (camera clicking) Nice bird, nice background, nice perch. Can't really ask for better than that. It's just a robin, but when you begin, everything is really cool. When you get a little more advanced, you become a little more picky. And, that's actually something that I would try to avoid when you do get a little more advanced. Everything can be really beautiful if it's just in the right situation. Like, that robin, if it was on, you know, your sidewalk in the middle of town, I wouldn't necessarily take a photo of it. But, out here, this is a completely wild robin. It's on a beautiful perch with beautiful pink background. (gear shift clicking) It's awesome.
Ratings and Reviews
Cynthia
I liked this class. It gives beginners a great place to start photographing birds. I especially liked his lesson on post-processing. Too many classes skip that part. The use of bird calls is what it is. To be competitive in bird photography you probably have to use them. I personally won't; it's just not worth it to me. So nice to see a young person active in this field!
Colleen Church
This class is wonderful. Ben give you some very helpful information to starting your photo birding adventures. The apps he suggested are very helpful. The tips for scouting and what to look get you going. I will definitely be watching it again.
a Creativelive Student
I really enjoyed this course. The instructor doesn't beat around the bush. He gives you useful information that you can implement. I especially loved that he talks about apps on your phone that could be used to make your experience more fruitful. The only thing I didn't like was the advertisement for Olympus, but you can just skip that part.