Walk in the Town Forest

So here we go. I would like to present my pictures in a format that is inquisitive and maybe even for some a little informative. I am looking for folks kind enough to visit to both offer insight and advice as well as some visitors to have the ability to share the learning exprience by picking up a trick or two.

This little guy was a great model. I snapped over 100 shots at different settings. I used full auto mode first, out of fear he would fly off on me at the first snap but, as I rapid shot again and again he turned and preened more and more so I became a little daring and started to make adjustments in manual mode. In Auto focus I found the lens having too much trouble determining what the subject actually was as the AF setting is determined to grab hold of the absolute nearest image. The other issue was that I had the metered AF setting actuated as well. What the metered setting does is pick one of seven set points and focus on the nearest point regardless of the users subject. (In certain circumstances you can be creative with this feature by centering on the subject and locking the focus and then recomposing to offset your subject giving you a great creative effect, it can be a great feature just not in this particular application.) When trying to focus through a spiderweb of branches with these settings and the subsequent issues that ensue, you only have one choice if you want any chance at a great shot. Manual!! Believe it or not this little Chickadee was behind several of the branches similar to the ones that you see him standing on. With the settings chosen I was able to focus down to the point of them being nearly invisible or giving the appearance that they are actually in the backround to the picture feild.

I had several botched shots that I should have kept for this purpose but I deleted without thinking of this use for them. After all this is the point of the blog yes? Snap a picture, learn and show the "mistakes" as well as the "sucess".

Here is the quick and dirty on this shot as my offering for this subject.

EOS Rebel XS
Tamron 70-300mm (non IS)
Tiffen Circular Polarizing filter
f /5.6
1/250 sec.
ISO-800
WB was set to cloudy as it was a tad overcast.
Fully extended to 300mm
Free handed holding the camera.

The subject was about 8-9 feet away with the late afternoon sun over his left shoulder as you are looking at him. (I was standing on a waterfall wall) and had limited positioning options.

I find the color dull and perhaps a bit washed out with my settings/filter choice. The branch in front of his head (if you look at the back of his neck and up to the crown of his head) was not fully focused out of the picture leaving a fuzzy edge to the upper portion of the shot.