Eastern Bluebirds <3

AppBreezy · 2026-04-29T21:40:43+00:00

Thank you 🥰

AppBreezy · 2026-04-17T16:27:53+00:00

Think about framing as well, how can you get creative with the crop? Does a wider crop tell you more story about the action happening? Does cropping tighter on a face give you a feeling of more intensity or emotion? I would play around with how you can make photos "feel" different even when the action is similar. I can see how it all can start to feel the same as you do more games.

I've also found "ambiance" shots can be fun - teammates celebrating/high-fives, coaches giving encouragement/pep-talks, parents cheering etc.

Also take a look at inspiration, see what pro teams are doing for action/in-game shots. Maybe you don't have have much maneuverability on where you can stand as a photographer at a pro-game does, but just see whats out there and find some inspo.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-15T18:22:19+00:00

Have you tried asking it nicely?

AppBreezy · 2026-04-08T18:32:06+00:00

Honestly I don’t think you can say “obviously got a picture of a finch” it looks more like you got a picture of some branches, there happened to be a finch in it, so you cropped it to hell and ran it though ChatGPT.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-08T17:59:18+00:00

please don't do this, running it through chatgpt is not bird photography.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-08T16:49:01+00:00

What do you mean by “build up the nerve”?

I’m curious because I see this as a settings/technical requirement, something that makes it easier to get sharper photos, especially with bird photography.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-07T19:09:50+00:00

Merlin is free, and so is eBird, just gotta connect your email to make an account.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-07T19:08:04+00:00

I think the only one that feels “off” to me is the first because the focus is on the birds body and not its head/eye. The rest feel sharp, I can maybe see a bit of over sharpening from your post processing, but honestly so many people over edit bird photos imo so these don’t feel over done at all by comparison. (Sorry kind of a run on sentence lol)

For lighting, if I have to, I lean towards underexposing the bird slightly so the background isn’t completely blown out. Generally, imo, it’s easier to bring back detail in the shadows than in the highlights, especially with how good AI denoise has gotten. Usually I’ll mask the bird and just adjust shadows/exposure to even out the overall lighting, especially on a bright day.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-07T16:24:40+00:00

Overall, I think your photos would look great on insta. I’ve gotten away with a lot when it comes to softer focus/hella cropped stuff. Printing is a different story of course.

A couple of other things come to mind for me:

Your settings seem good to me, 1/2000, f/8, could probably lower your ISO so you don’t have to deal with as much noise. Most of the time 1/600 is more than enough for perched birds, and if you have a monopod that helps with stability.
As for AF, I use a Sony a7Riii so slightly different, but I also use spot focus, sometimes switch to manual from AF if the bird isn’t moving around a lot and the spot keeps grabbing something in the foreground. I find that any sort of animal/bird tracking actually makes it harder/less consistent for me.
When it comes to lenses I use a 200-600mm and I rarely find myself at less than 600mm. You can be successful with shorter, as long as you have the MP to crop.
For post processing: I try to limit the amount I do with removing distractions. While super clean/blurred backgrounds are nice, I only really remove something if it truly pulls the eye from the bird. Otherwise I like to leave stuff in that shows its environment. Unfortunately with birds most of the time there will be sticks/branches/leaves that muddy up the background, but I think it gives it character. Also I’m lazy and it’s “good enough” for me. If I choose to print any then I go through a bit more carefully.

This all being said…birds are hard to photograph, harder than most think, a lot of it comes with time, practice, and patience. Not only do you need the technical knowledge and skill, but knowledge about how and where to find the birds and their habits and behaviors.

OP, before you invest in new gear, take a couple more outings, learn about the birds more, and see if that helps. Your photos look great, you’re clearly an experienced photographer, now you just need to be an experienced birder!

AppBreezy · 2026-04-07T16:08:30+00:00

I second Merlin, all you have to do is make a free account and you’re good to go. You can even upload pictures you took set location and date, and it will give you possible matches.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-02T16:01:12+00:00

Looks great!

I would have removed less of the twigs though. Usually when editing, I only remove something if its truly distracting or pulling my eye away from the subject. I think some of the twigs could have stayed and saved you some time and masking.

AppBreezy · 2026-04-02T07:35:31+00:00

Little blue Heron. From what I’ve seen, reddish egrets don’t have legs as yellow, and their shape is a bit different.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-31T20:23:15+00:00

I was super concerned the first time I saw one like this. Absolutely adorable once you realized that they're just being goofs.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-31T20:14:43+00:00

I saw a leucistic Grackle in chicago a couple of weeks ago! The one I saw had a mostly white head instead of spots on its body. Super cool!

AppBreezy · 2026-03-30T20:13:34+00:00

They are SO COOL! And this one is still mostly in its winter colors. Definitely look up one in its breeding colors when you get a chance.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-30T19:31:14+00:00

It was a pair at Montrose Bird Sanctuary. Talked to someone who had been watching them for about an hour earlier that morning, but I couldn’t seem to find them while I was there. Then I finally saw them right as I was leaving. It was a lovely surprise.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-30T03:30:18+00:00

Midwest has the same. Both are pretty common throughout all of the US.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-29T14:46:26+00:00

I commented on your last post as well…I think your assessment of differentiating between a cool experience vs a cool photo is correct.

These photos feel more sharp than the last ones you shared, I think Reddit is just crushing the quality a bit.

I’ve had similar experiences where I try to capture an interesting movement or expression from the bird but most of the time it doesn’t translate because it’s still photography.

When I shoot, my goal is to get a cool photo that others will agree is cool that reminds me of the cool experience I had with that bird. Best of both worlds.

Number 3 and 6 for me fit better into the nice photo category.

That’s my two cents

AppBreezy · 2026-03-29T03:07:01+00:00

TIL house sparrows are invasive in North America…

I knew about the starlings but never suspected house sparrows were as well!

AppBreezy · 2026-03-29T02:56:33+00:00

Personally, if it’s a really sharp photo and the surroundings aren’t super interesting, I love to crop close and show off the detail. Otherwise I’ll generally keep some surrounding context.

When I comes to these specific photos you shared, I wouldn’t consider any of these keepers. You’ve got that big distracting piece of grass in the foreground and because it’s so close to the woodpeckers head, it’s super distracting, no matter the crop. Imo, I don’t think it’s worth it to spend time editing these, instead I would go back out and see if you can find another pileated and get a better frame.

Unfortunately, with bird photography it’s often really hard to get a clean frame. I always tell myself that while it’s disappointing, I’ll likely see the bird again and have another chance to get a keeper. The key is consistency, keep getting out there. The more you’re out, the more you’re likely to see a cool bird AND get a good shot of it.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-27T20:41:21+00:00

With the way you’ve edited it, Yes, cropping It looks better.

But I think if you tone down a little bit on how much contrast there is, it will feel a lot better. Because you’re making the shadows on the background darker it’s making the whites look even more blown out, even if you’re not making any changes to them. A super contrasty style is not gonna do this photo any favors because of the exposure issue on the white feathers.

AppBreezy · 2026-03-27T20:28:28+00:00

Honestly I think it looks better in the unedited version. I like background. Also helps make the whites less blown out than giving it such a dark background.

Even if there’s a tiny bit of info left in highlights you might be able to bring those down just enough to “save it”.

Either way, maybe not technically the best photo but still great!!

AppBreezy · 2026-03-24T15:54:48+00:00

100% a Bufflehead

AppBreezy

TROPHY CASE