A fun experiment.

It always amuses me to think how common blue moons actually are: “A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects.” - from Wikipedia, so maybe once or twice a year even just from the “twice in a month” form.

Nice views and framing!

Two of them are seeing the trees on the left looking a bit over-exposed/washed out - have you tried any post-processing (especially of RAW Format versions) to try and get the dynamic range under control?

Have you tried taking RAW format photos and doing a little post-processing (in particular whatever more detailed Histogram or Luminance tools you have)? This sidesteps a lot of functionality that usually guesses right, but can go horribly wrong.

Are you manually setting all three of aperture, ISO and speed? If not, double check what the auto settings of the others are (you should be getting those details in the photo meta data - visible under Properties|Details in Windows, as well as “Live”).

Kites are so fun and rewarding to photo. They were out in force today in Prospect Park in Reading, UK

Mmm, but it is a powerful camera + lens, making it easier :) And the light was kind.

Jay, and an excuse to post my Jay photo from today (Reading, UK)

The photo with the dead tree in the water is really satisfying - well done. A large print and put up on (a shaded) wall sort of thing.

The other photo, of the far side of a lake, doesn’t really work for me - there’s the tree lines and their reflections pointing to the centre, but there’s nothing there to look at. You needed someone waving, or a large treasure chest (X marks the spot) or something.

Mmm, I really must learn to crank up the speed on a sunny day. I don’t normally go above 1/1250.

It’s not cheating, it’s taking advantage of your observations to date!

And that’s a delightfully crisp photo - what speed was your camera set at?

Mmm, yes, you’d rather expect a path for the eye to start at the edge and move to the focus.

Yes, that again works, but needed that log.

Out of interest, did you also take a shot while in front of that patch of herbs? It could be taken as obscuring things, rather than deliberately breaking up the man-made parts (which is what I guess you intended).

Mmm, lens hoods are vital lens protectors - I’m not sure mine have ever usefully stopped glare, but protecting from knocks - invaluable!

For all depth of focus is more with a telephoto lens, I’d guess that’s still the cause of the issue. I’m just delighted the bulk worked so crisply, I’ll forgive the camera/physics a few hairs :)

Yes, depth of focus is greater, removing one issue of macro photography (at least, unless you’ve the hang of focus stacking and the post-processing required).

Well, yes, I suppose there’s that…

Cat making itself comfortable in an entirely inappropriate place (loft?) checks out.

As far as I’m concerned, post away, daily, or even (a little!) more frequently.

As to the photo - it obviously meets your stated goal, but the sun coming through the trees and providing some shadow boundaries, to me, is an important lift to the picture. It suggests to me that, while sticking to your goal, always look for an additional lift, without it needing to be consistent across the set.

Sun, sea and sand … and cloud !?!

A potent combination - I’ve had unexpectedly pleasing photos along the same lines

Until that time, do still practice on them higher up - with a 600mm lens you should get something, and the practice will get you ready for the good days. In particular:

• Tracking
• Best times in any circle to take the shot (sun, and facing)
• Behaviours to watch for - patrolling or soaring on thermals, or breaking into straight flight, so you know where they’ll be
• Address dark bird on bright sky issues (post-processing RAWs luminance curve, or exposure compensation) - you’ll notice my sky is a blown out white - it wasn’t on the day :)
• Camera settings that work for you

And practice panning with pigeons, crows or anything else in view

Yes, done at 800mm. However, there’s other reasons it’s reasonably sharp, some technical, some to do with Kites.

Technically, that’s cropped down a bit , taken in good light at a good angle from the sun (so 1/1250, ISO250 and that worked, other than messing with the luminance curve), and the bird was indeed slowing down to land - earlier in its flight the photos were a little softer.

But the crucial difference is that Red Kites are urban birds - though they apparently do hunt, they are seen as scavengers and carrion eaters. As such, they are much less fussed by humans than most birds of prey, and while they don’t interract with humans in Prospect Park itself, there are some who feed them, and there are tales of picnic thefts, conversely there’s no persecution of them in towns (it would be illegal, and unpopular). So a lazy speed at not much higher than head height perhaps as close as 30 yards is not that uncommon. It’s also more uncommon for me not to see a Kite somewhere on my walk than not (if usually because its soaring high up so very visible): I feel so happy about their successful reintroduction.

Which of course, given they are good looking birds, make them a joy to photo.