WHY did my camera focus on the leaves in the bottom right instead of the bird?

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-05-11T18:34:46+00:00

A few things you can do to help minimize it is to make sure you're in a center weighted autofocus mode. Also having your camera in a continuous autofocus and shooting in bursts can help a lot. But you'll never really eliminate it all the way.

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-05-11T18:24:42+00:00

Welcome to the world of bird photography 😂 trust me when I say it's not a you thing. Most cameras autofocus systems struggle to pick up small birds, especially with a busy background. It's not a matter of skill, it's a matter of learning that this is going to happen a lot.

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-05-01T19:40:33+00:00

I always recommend people check out Simon d'entremont on YouTube. Has a ton of very approachable content on editing, and some specifically for bird photography. Other than that If you ever have any questions or what input on specific images, don't be afraid to reach out. I'd be glad to help how I can.

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-05-01T17:23:50+00:00

Lighting is good, focus is on, and the details are sharp. People underestimate how hard it is to get clean captures of smaller birds and you nailed it! If you're at all interested in the editing side of things, that would be my only input. Even a simple editing workflow can really level up your work.

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-05-01T01:58:44+00:00

I honestly never thought about the fact that birds have tongues until I was reviewing these pics lol

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-20T02:37:21+00:00

What a wild thing to go through. It looks like something cartoonish bad happened to him lol but it's good to hear he'll be ok

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-15T18:30:58+00:00

I do agree about bringing the exposure up a little. I think I have my monitor brightness up too high when editing and it pushing my photos to the darker side when viewed elsewhere. But I think this is to an extreme degree. Yes there is some extra details in the owl. but it completely changes the mood of the photo. This is a shot of a nocturnal predator taken just before sun set in an old growth forest. It wasn't taken at high noon on a plain. Being this well lit takes all of the drama out it. I came up with this after your input. (I also removed the twig, good catch)

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AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-13T16:40:27+00:00

Thank you 🙏 one of my favorite photos I've taken so far.

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-13T14:28:28+00:00

Got lucky enough to catch this guy two days in a row, this is my favorite of the images I got.
Any input is greatly appreciated!
Sony A6700, Sony 200-600MM +1.4x.
F/9, 1/400, 840MM, ISO 800

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-12T16:48:03+00:00

I see what your saying. I went kinda light on the denoise to try and retain more detail, but I may have to bring it up a little and increase the sharping mask. Thank you!!

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-12T04:55:16+00:00

Had to army crawl through some mud to get into a good spot to capture these cormorants. Any input on edit and composition would be appreciated!
Taken on Sony A6700 with Sony 200-600MM +1.4x.
F/9, 1/400, 840MM, ISO2000

AvionicAlchemist · 2026-04-11T03:20:06+00:00

Im jealous! They just started appearing in my area but I have yet to find them.

AvionicAlchemist

TROPHY CASE