Sunday, February 8, 2015

Finding Focus

Suddenly my camera wouldn't focus.  I was having visions of expensive repair when I remembered this had happened before and my photographer friend Cory had saved the day by suggesting that somehow I'd managed to switch off the AF (auto focus.)  


Eureka!


 I am such a dummy about this camera . . . 
 I really need to get beyond the automatic settings . . .
  

What really annoys me is that I caught these pictures of of a large bird down near the river -- all out of focus. I don't think it's an osprey -- its chest was brown. A Golden Eagle, farther south than usual?

I can only hope I see it again.


7 comments:

Ms. A said...

Hope you get another chance at the large bird, now that you have figured out the camera issue!

Kath said...

Perhaps a juvenile bald eagle?

Vicki Lane said...

The juvenile bald eagle is also a possibility...

Brian Miller said...

i hope you do get to see it....smiles...ha...you are not the only one that struggles at times with technology...and messing up settings...

Barbara Rogers said...

So glad your camera focuses for you, most of the time. Love our gadgets that make life better for us! I'm also voting for juvenile bald eagle...doesn't seem full size somehow. Goodie, that means you'll probably see him/her again!

Jime said...

Hey Vicki, Birds in flight are very difficult to capture cleanly. Specially when your subject is behind some limbs. Your camera might hunt and peck to find focus.

Here are some solid rules for photographing birds in flight. Must be a bright sunny day. Must have the sun from behind your shoulder onto the subject. Manual settings: 1/2500 of a second shutter speed. Aperture F 8. Focus point: center weighted. Shutter open and close speed as fast as your camera will go. ISO 400. Pan with the flight and hold the shutter release button down.
Learn to put all these settings in manually. Auto settings just will not do except for auto focus.

These rules will give you a better chance of infocus pictures, anything less is a crap shoot. If you take 10 pictures in two seconds of a bird in flight one might be great or none. Tis a crap shoot even with these settings. All this came from a professional photographer who makes his living taking beautiful pictures of birds in flight. The more you practice the better you will get.

Unknown said...

Sure do enjoy your pics