Rosliston Forestry Centre Bird Portraits

I went to Rosliston Forestry centre with my Fiancee and Parents at the weekend to try and capture some photography I could use in my final portfolio.
My aim was to walk round and listen for Birds of different types then try and get close enough to take some shots of them with my camera. I took with me the following kit.

• Canon 550d SLR camera
• Canon 100-400 Lens

The long lens would allow me to get some close up shots of birds whilst still at distance. Before starting out I set the camera up to take photos at 100 iso. This was because it was a very bright sunny day so wanted to use the lowest iso setting possible as this would greatly reduce light noise and as I was not looking to take pictures of moving birds then would not have to use really high shutter speeds. I then set the lens to its maximum zoom of 400mm and then set the biggest aperture I could which at 400mm is f5.6. On the camera I set the centre AF point on the camera only as I knew I would have to focus in and around trees and wanted to reduce the camera trying to focus on branches and twigs and to focus on the subject. The issue with setting up like this is composition of a photograph as the main focus of the shot will be in the middle of the frame. So using "Rule of thirds" will be harder.

All in all the day went well and managed to get some good shots, however most of these were at the Hide that is set up at the centre. As the area in front of the hide had a lot of food put down the birds came quite close allowing for some good close ups. I will try and use some of these shots in the final portfolio as the two of the Dunnock I really like as you can see the eye very clearly.

To see the photographs of the day click here.