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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Tripod and remote
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12/31/2015 01:50:10 AM · #1
I just bought a tripod and a remote for my camera. Are they successful for taking pictures? I'm planning on using them for taking pictures of hummingbirds next year. Do you guys think it be a good idea?
12/31/2015 08:48:31 AM · #2
Hi Jeremy, glad to see you've started to take steps in the right direction :-) Both are VERY useful for helping take good pictures. What make and model are your tripod? A good tripod is pretty much mandatory equipment for any photog.

One thing you will have to be careful of is using your 55-300mm with it; fully extended, your lens might unbalance the tripod and your gear will take a fall. Most bird and wildlife photography is shot with a lens like that and you may need a Gimbal head for your tripod. A Gimbal head mounts up to the lens, as opposed to the camera. They're usually L-shaped.

I don't know what kind of remote you bought, so best to dig up the instruction manual and read it, and use it. Practice is the key here now that you have two very important pieces of equipment. Your camera's manual will tell you how to set up and shoot with a remote.

Hummingbirds are very small and very fast so shooting them is something of an art in itself. What I suggest you do is, as this probably isn't hummingbird season where you are right now, set up a bird feeder and stock it with birdseed suitable for the local birds that winter year-round. You don't list a location in your profile so I have no idea what kind of species are in your area. Anyway. What I am trying to say is use these birds for practice. Set up your gear either outside or if it's cold, inside but with an open window with the screen removed. (You don't want to be shooting through an extra layer of glass!!!)

But do NOT hesitate to start learning your new toys now, otherwise you will be incredibly frustrated trying to shoot hummers later on. Use your camera's autofocus to focus on the birdfeeder, then set the switch on the side of the lens to Manual. You will have to figure out your exposure yourself, then set your camera up to operate off the remote.

Then be patient. Don't use the pop-up flash!!!! Birds are very skittish and will fly off if there is sudden movement around, especially an unexpected burst of light. But when you see birds at the feeder, trigger your camera with the remote. Set it for, say 5 captures in a burst. Then look at your images and see what you need to adjust, make adjustments, and keep shooting. Don't shoot just a dozen frames; just keep on shooting. Go for more like 50-100 shots. Experiment.

ETA: if you use the search images features here, on the left, and search for hummingbirds you will see a lot of good hummingbird pictures. Read the photographers' notes with regards to their camera settings and setup, if they post shoot details.

A tripod is useful for studio work, and also great for things like shooting stars at night, landscapes, sunsets and sunrises, waterfalls and getting that silky look to the water. Again, experimentation is the key. Read up on long exposure.

So now it's up to you to get to work and practice, practice, practice. No. more. excuses! :-)

Message edited by author 2015-12-31 17:37:11.
12/31/2015 02:56:25 PM · #3
Originally posted by snaffles:


A tripod is pretty much mandatory for any studio work


Not if you are using strobes.
ETA unless you are mixing ambient light with fill. Then a tripod would be mandatory. ie. dragging the shutter.


Message edited by author 2015-12-31 14:59:55.
12/31/2015 03:20:46 PM · #4
I use this all the time shooting hummingbirds at the feeder. Trick is to make sure you have enough depth of field to get them in focus while also shooting fast enough to freeze their wings. This means higher ISO's. In bright sunlight I can shoot above 1/1000s at f8 or f9 on my Sigma 150-500mm and still manage to come in around ISO 1600. Focus it on one of the feeder ports and shoot when it goes to that one.

I have RF triggers which is nice because I can be on the other side of the deck if the birds are skittish. Ours get used to us fairly quickly and I've had them feed 3 feet from me. I can't move or they bolt, so it's not practical for taking photos. I use the same rig handheld when I want to get them on flowers as it's near impossible to predict which one they'll go to.
12/31/2015 03:31:02 PM · #5
Never yet used a tripod shooting hummers.....Little suckers flit around between blossoms too fast.

All you need is luck and a cooperative hummingbird.



Message edited by author 2015-12-31 15:33:50.
12/31/2015 04:48:47 PM · #6
Originally posted by NstiG8tr:

Originally posted by snaffles:


A tripod is pretty much mandatory for any studio work


Not if you are using strobes.
ETA unless you are mixing ambient light with fill. Then a tripod would be mandatory. ie. dragging the shutter.


Ok, I stand corrected. But a lot of the time I need to do whatever's going on in the shot myself, ie pouring two streams of coloured water and thus do need to use a tripod and the camera's timer, and my strobes, to get the shot.
12/31/2015 04:56:43 PM · #7
Originally posted by snaffles:

What I suggest you do is set up a bird feeder and stock it with birdseed.

I think you mean fill it with sugar-water -- hummingbirds don't eat seeds ...

But yes, set up a feeder, pre-frame and -focus on the spot they'll be, and work on your reflexes ... if you are sitting still you can be positioned within a few feet of the feeder without scaring them off.
12/31/2015 05:31:05 PM · #8
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by snaffles:

What I suggest you do is set up a bird feeder and stock it with birdseed.

I think you mean fill it with sugar-water -- hummingbirds don't eat seeds ...

But yes, set up a feeder, pre-frame and -focus on the spot they'll be, and work on your reflexes ... if you are sitting still you can be positioned within a few feet of the feeder without scaring them off.


C'mon, Paul, of course I know that hummingbirds drink sugar water!

What I'm suggesting is that Jeremy get used to setting up and using a tripod, and remote, and shoot whatever birds are local to his area that will come to birdfeeder to eat seed, to give him a sense as to what to expect in terms of timing, lighting etc. If he has this set up for non-hummingbird species to come to, then in the spring/summer he can set up a hummingbird feeder there in its stead. As Jeb has noted he may want to try shooting hummers handheld instead, but the OP is specifically asking for some help learning how to use a tripod and remote.

At this point I am trying to get the OP no chance to say 'Well it's winter here, there's no hummingbirds around so I can't practice.' Ergo the suggestion that he try to shoot larger, easier birds first before he tries to shoot very small, very fast hummers.

Message edited by author 2015-12-31 17:37:53.
12/31/2015 05:36:31 PM · #9
Originally posted by backdoorhippie:

I use this all the time shooting hummingbirds at the feeder. Trick is to make sure you have enough depth of field to get them in focus while also shooting fast enough to freeze their wings. This means higher ISO's. In bright sunlight I can shoot above 1/1000s at f8 or f9 on my Sigma 150-500mm and still manage to come in around ISO 1600. Focus it on one of the feeder ports and shoot when it goes to that one.


You can put tape over all but one port and save yourself a lot of frustration.
12/31/2015 05:38:24 PM · #10
I know you know, it just seemed funny in the context of talking about hummers.

Your idea of practicing on larger birds is good (now that I know that's what you meant!) -- someplace I have some pictures of a flicker working over a suet block.
12/31/2015 06:10:11 PM · #11
Originally posted by GeneralE:

I know you know, it just seemed funny in the context of talking about hummers.

Your idea of practicing on larger birds is good (now that I know that's what you meant!) -- someplace I have some pictures of a flicker working over a suet block.


Heh, just as I finished off my last post I opened the front door to see how cold it was, and a huge fat grouse exploded out from my crabapple tree and booted out to the maples. Amazing how fast they can fly for birds that essentially look like feral chickens :-)
01/01/2016 12:18:28 AM · #12
I live in Northwest Illinois. I do take a lot pictures of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are my favorite for me to take pictures. It's challenging for me.

I'm planning on to buy two more Nikon lens as Portrait Len and Marco Len. I just want to try them for fun.

I wish that I would buy a bigger Nikon len for taking pictures of bald eagles, Hawks, cardinals, and etc. Nikon 55-300 Len is the only bigger Len I have. Actually I have two of them because my first one was broken. I asked someone to find that can fix the Len, so the Nikon can fix a Len. It's works for now.

The tripod I got is Precision Design PD-58PVTR 58" Photo/Video Tripod with Case.

01/01/2016 12:24:01 AM · #13
I forget about the remote. It's Nikon - ML-L3 Wireless Remote. My camera have a program in there. Easy set up.
01/01/2016 07:43:31 AM · #14
Not sure someone mentioned it, but when shooting with your camera on a tripod, make sure you disable the Vibration Reduction (VR) on the lens. Otherwise it will cause small vibrations which will effect the sharpness of the image.
01/01/2016 09:20:16 AM · #15
Originally posted by jere2201:

I live in Northwest Illinois. I do take a lot pictures of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are my favorite for me to take pictures. It's challenging for me.

I'm planning on to buy two more Nikon lens as Portrait Len and Marco Len. I just want to try them for fun.

I wish that I would buy a bigger Nikon len for taking pictures of bald eagles, Hawks, cardinals, and etc. Nikon 55-300 Len is the only bigger Len I have. Actually I have two of them because my first one was broken. I asked someone to find that can fix the Len, so the Nikon can fix a Len. It's works for now.

The tripod I got is Precision Design PD-58PVTR 58" Photo/Video Tripod with Case.


Good to hear from you, Jeremy! And hummingbirds are tough subjects to shoot as they are very small and very fast. My ex-bf liked to shoot birds and so he would set up a blind, like the kind hunters use, in the backyard, with the tripod and a stool inside and have some camo material draped over it.

You don't really need a bigger lens to shoot other birds, though, unless you want to start spending big amounts of money. I have a 300mm f.4 that is basically one of the best lenses out there for birds in flight.

Still, maybe you can try renting a 150-500mm Sigma for Nikon (aka Bigma) lens from a local camera store that rents out lenses, and see if you like it. I rented it once and tried it out for a weekend but didn't like it (didn't help that the poor lens had probably never been cleaned by anyone). Anyway don't think you have to stick with just Nikkor lenses; Sigma makes very good lenses for Nikon. Both my wide-angle and 50mm portrait lens are Sigmas. And Jake (aka backdoorhippie) can probably answer any questions you have as he owns that big 150-500mm lens.

ETA: oh yes, and Kroburg is definitely right. If you have a lens with VR, you do want to disable it when shooting with a tripod.

Message edited by author 2016-01-01 09:44:38.
01/01/2016 09:55:14 AM · #16
Originally posted by snaffles:

As Jeb has noted he may want to try shooting hummers handheld instead, but the OP is specifically asking for some help learning how to use a tripod and remote.

Yah......I forgot to mention that what I primarily use my tripod for is night shots.

I love it for that.

Though I use the timer rather than the remote.



Message edited by author 2016-01-01 10:05:16.
01/01/2016 06:21:08 PM · #17
The Bigma is no longer the Bigma since Sigma now makes two models of a 150-600 (contemporary and sports models I think they call them) to keep up with Tamrons 150-600. I have the Tamron 150-600 and a gimble head. Big bang for little $$$. I would put up some photos shot with it but I dont remember how to post them on here without a membership. Put that on a gimble head and you have a nice combo for birds.
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