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Any advice? I've just been in the garden, got a few decent shots of a robin, I could have focused a little better, but still, it seemed the sky was affecting the picture quality.
today where i live, the sky is just white. no sun coming through, though the clouds arent really grey. so its just a semi bright whiteness.
when i shot up into a tree, its hard to get the robins colours coming through. also the hard whiteness make it less clear on the edges of the robin. it kinda has a glowing effect around the robin - taking away the focus.
any advice on this? i tried a skylight polorizer thing - but this didnt do much (since its not so much sunny, just bright).
Or am i just going to have to wait for a day where the sun is out which would give a less dominating sky, and shine some light on my robin? too far away for my flash to help 
any advice is welcome,
Dan
(edit, added it to portfolio now.. after a very quick fiddle to try and make it look a little better)
Cloudy white sky days are superb for bird photography bringing out maximum detail and colours,but,and this is a big but,not generally with the sky as a backdrop which will tend to look very unappealing and lifeless,not to mention the massive contrast range between shaded bird and bright sky which you'll have to deal with.
A far better option is waiting untill the bird lands on a more photogenic branch without the white sky behind.
If however you really want to capture an image against a bright white sky your best option is to balance the bright background with the bird by using fill in flash.
To be honest though in situations such as this the best advice is knowing when notto take the shot.
If it was a very rare bird and perhaps a golden oppurtunity then trying to make the most of the lighting situation would be worth the effort,however with such an obliging,and often very easy bird to photograph,you're far better off waiting untill the conditions are more favourable.
Justin.
Fill in flash (or daylight balanced flash)in the above scenario means lessening the contrast between shaded bird and the brighter surroundings.
Basiacally you'd expose for the brighter parts of the scene normally,i.e. allowing the shutter speed and aperture to give a correctly exposed background,but you'd use flash to light the bird.
The built in flash on most camera's is ok for this in certain situations,providing your subject is within range,i.e. indoors,or very close.
With wildlife,birds,etc this generally requires a more powerful flashgun,i.e.an external flashgun mounted to your camera hotshoe.Pricewise your looking at around the £150 pound mark,upwards.
THIS is an example of where fill in flash was used to lighten the shadows on a bird (a robin also,coincidently).
Justin.
Hi Dan. Unfortunately, I havn't successfully photographed a bird, so I can't add to the quality of advice that has already been forthcoming.
One thing I will say is to know your subject well. Robins are not the most timid of birds and can be quite curious. I bet if you were to offer some reward in the form of breadcrumbs, you would get a much closer shot - especially those who live in City areas. My ex-girl friend wanted a shot of a resident robin, so she set her camera up on a tripod and focussed on a pile of breadcrumbs... she didn't have to wait very long until she had a full frame shot.
I know this doesn't answer your question really, but it might help.
thanks for the advice again, both of you. despite not answering the sky question happyosterich, i still appreciate it!
I dont think i can afford a flash like that, and id have to do it when i get a better lense for wildlife. its a great shot the one you linked though - great colours and clarity. exactly what id want.
cheers again
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