How to make great avian photographs from capture to post-processing
Ari (Arash) Hazeghi , Ph.D. has been photographing birds for two decades. He enjoys photographing avian species in their natural habitat and in flight, a challenging subject. He has been working on the handheld super-telephoto technique to capture dynamic, highly detailed in-flight images of diverse avian species. His birds-in-flight images have been featured numerous times on the web, in printed media, as well as in prestigious museums and art galleries such as San Diego’s Natural History Museum (NAT). His images have inspired many photographers.
He is an avian moderator on BirdPhotographers.Net and a premier photographer at 500px.com. He is the author and co-author of several highly successful guides for the professional photographer that cover raw conversion and post processing as well as in-the-field techniques for Canon, Nikon and Sony equipment.
Ari's guides are a result of extensive field experience in making in-flight images with state-of-the-art cameras and super-telephoto lenses. The author wishes that every photographer finds the guides useful and effective in further advancing their photography, whether it is a career or a passion.
The complete guide to the fundamental concepts and the essentials of birds in flight photography for all photographers.
The ultimate guide to BIF photography including advanced setup guide for Sony mirror-less cameras
The ultimate guide to processing Sony RAW files using Capture One pro
The complete guide for capturing BIF with Nikon DSLR cameras
The ultimate guide to processing Nikon RAW files using Capture One Pro
I purchased your e book in March of this year in an effort to shoot better photos with my 7d II. I have struggled with it a bit as a beginner overall. I have no clue to all of those settings and how they really work.
In short, I was able to get decent single shots while shooting in Av mode...but nothing like the quality of your shots. These would be any static shot overall, and I am unable to capture many continuous shots in focus. While have great fun and getting some good shots, I was left disappointed at my short comings.
I have great canon glass....so that is not an issue. For me...it understanding the camera and its tools.
Finally, after trying my first "in flight" shots this last week, I realized that I needed to sit down and go through your e book. I must admit, I have no clue what all those changes do, or meant at this point, but I followed your tips thru the book in the last few days.
Yesterday, I took the time to visit the local zoo at lunch...for some test shots.
All I could do....was laugh...at how much things changed! And also cry...for all of those wonderful "Lost" shots...over the last few years as I stumbled along.
The test shots....while I have no clue how the camera did it....were so much better....I cant believe it myself as i look at them.
I would have payed you hundreds of dollars long ago, had I known this could be in my wheelhouse at all.....
Because of this, I just purchased the 1dx II.....and cant wait...to shoot even more than I do already....
So I wanted to drop you a note...to say "THANK YOU"..FOR THE BEST HELP I have ever...received...
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the guidance and expertise offered in your Birds in Flight Photography Basics. Mid-June was my first attempt at birds in flight, and I continue to practice as the opportunities come about. I am using the 5D Mark IV with the 100-400 II and a 1.4x TC; not a long enough lens many times, but a great combination nonetheless. Birds flying directly at me are still my biggest challenge, and while I am getting better with panning and holding the focus point over the bird I know I still need practice. All in all, I am very happy with my keeper rate given the times I’ve been able to get out in the field to shoot and much of my success I credit to your advice. I am attaching a couple of recent images…thank you again!
Just wanted to let you know that I completed reading your Birds in Flight guide over the weekend and then had a chance to practice/apply what I learned on Sunday and again this evening. I’m fortunate to have a GBH rookery nearby. Took this one tonight with my 7DII and 100-400II. This is just out of DPP 4 and converted into JPEG (I was aided by your DPP guide a little while back, bought from Arthur Morris' site). So far, I’ve only used PS for cloning, etc. I’ll soon buy your other guide (along with Neat Image) to learn about noise reduction and sharpening to clean up these pictures a whole lot more.
I found your Birds in Flight guide to be truly excellent. It was very easy to read and packed with practical advice. The guide provided tips that were new to me and and helped me improve the settings on my 7DII to get more out of it. I realize the attached photo is still just a 3-out-of-10, but I look forward to continuing to grow and learn. I appreciate your help in my journey.
Thank you, I’m very grateful.