Help please

[border guy]

Hi all,
I'm looking for help/advice with a few images that seem to be suffering from pixelation if that's the right word. Quite a few of my photos seem to come out like the one I have attached; some almost look like watercolour paintings! This one was taken on a bright day, but not with bright sunshine. The subject was about 25 yards away from me, and the camera was handheld, I was resting on a fence post so very steady. I have similar images that are ok, but of a different bird and time.
Any help would be welcome.

Cliff.

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[miuzi]

My first inclination is that it's heat haze? That distance doesn't seem too great, but when I encounter something that looks like pixelated softness, that's usually what it is. I can't click through to a larger version of your image to say anything more confidently, but when I end up with weird results from a long lens, that can definitely be the cause.

 

[Only RF]

Hard to judge at that size. Might be heat haze. Also looks a little like low a Rez file. It looks what I see when I zoom one of my filed to 300% or so. Did you crop it a lot? Can you provide a RAW file or post a larger copy.

 

[MrSparks999]

As above, could be heat haze, if shooting later in the day, but could also be over cropping. I have been out shooting Marsh Harriers recently, got what i thought were some good shots, but when i got home and looked at them on the computer screen, the heat haze had killed them.

 

[ShipleyNW]

Do you have a higher-resolution jpg you could share? It's hard to diagnose anything from the one you posted.

If you're shooting with a 500mm lens, you'll get a lot of atmosphere between you and the subject. With more atmosphere you're susceptible to many types of distortion from moisture, heat, dust, etc. in the air.

Here's an example of heat distortion. The farther away from a subject you get, the more pronounced the distortion. There's more atmosphere between the camera and the subject.

Click to enlarge, then click again to zoom in.

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[Only RF]

That is the thing about telephotos - distance and cropping. Here is another example. There have been times while out in the field I thought broke my camera/lens.

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[Dean Wilson]

That is the thing about telephotos - distance and cropping. Here is another example. There have been times while out in the field I thought broke my camera/lens.

View attachment 36791

Lot of heat rising from the water...glad it wasn't asphalt or the van would be going up in flames!

 

[Only RF]

Lot of heat rising from the water...glad it wasn't asphalt or the van would be going up in flames!

Yes I shoot there often when in Portugal. It’s a bird preserve next to a golf course. Story is the people who have money wanted to drain it and build an another golf course. Environmental studies put a stop to that. It’s part of the Ria Formosa. A huge swath of land that is protected. I meet a lot of Brits who are bird enthusiasts that come at that time of the year for the migrations from Africa.

Not the first time I thought I broke my camera shooting at that location.

 

[Only RF]

If anyone is interested.

The Ria Formosa – The Ultimate Guide to the Ria Formosa [2025]

The Ria Formosa is an incredible lagoon in the Algarve, Portugal. Read this guide to find out what to see and do in this stunning location!

wetravelportugal.com

 

[ShipleyNW]

Yes I shoot there often when in Portugal. It’s a bird preserve next to a golf course.

That's funny. That picture I shared above illustrating heat waves, I call it, "No Birds Today." I was stomping around the marshes at a wildlife refuge with a bird kit, and that was the only picture I came back with.

I actually kind of like the way the heat waves work in that shot. Fits the scene better than just a straight bokeh. You see long-lens shots like that in old movie westerns that play on the heat distortion to set the mood. It's something viewers recognize if you can present it to them correctly.

 

[Only RF]

That's funny. That picture I shared above illustrating heat waves, I call it, "No Birds Today." I was stomping around the marshes at a wildlife refuge with a bird kit, and that was the only picture I came back with.

I actually kind of like the way the heat waves work in that shot. Fits the scene better than just a straight bokeh. You see long-lens shots like that in old movie westerns that play on the heat distortion to set the mood. It's something viewers recognize if you can present it to them correctly.

I like how that turned out. Sometimes you take advantage of a situation. In 2011 we were in Portugal (first time) and on a bus tour to Lisbon. We left early and there was mist/fog and sunrise. I couldn't believe I couldn't pull over. I figured if Servo works with me being static and the subject is moving it should work the other way around. Took bunch of shots travelling at highway speed through a dirty bus window. Got one of my all time favourite B&W shots.