Photography in itself is already a very vast field with sub-domains like portrait photography, street photography, landscape photography, wildlife photography and what not. So why then is there such an emphasized focus on Bird photography? It is already a part of wildlife photography, why shouldn’t we treat bird photography like that only- a part? That’s because Bird photography has evolved and has garnered quite a huge following, so big that bird photography demands being treated at par with other types of photography.
Do you know what it is that has enticed people into pursuing this branch of clicking? Take a guess. If you’re thinking adrenaline-rush, I must say you’re right. I think Bird photography is one of the most challenging genres out there. Birds are shy, skeptical and dubious creatures. No doubt wildlife photography has such perks too; it’s just that birds are smaller than most animals and usually perched in perfectly hiding leaves and branches up in the trees. Hence the challenge of getting a clear and perfectly framed shot promotes bird photography. And I think this feature is what’s most exciting about photographing birds. This genre requires patience and the ability to adjust according to birds. To get that perfect shot you might have to brave mosquitoes, mud, rain, sun, and wind, but let me tell you it’s every bit worth it. All these challenges and rewards make bird photography a hobby die for.
The rewarding feeling you get when you capture that bird on your camera just as you imagined it in your head is amazing. You won’t be able to keep calm and let me tell you my friend, once you begin on the path of the journey of bird photography, there won’t be any turning back. And that’s not because you can’t, that is because you wouldn’t want to forgo the habit of going back to nature for bird photography. Bird photography is addicting! The good kind of addiction, the kind that makes you a better person, helps you grow and understand nature better.
One another thing that will keep your interest in bird photography forever intact is its unpredictable nature. You can never be sure of getting your desired shot. You see birds don’t do as you say. You might be the photographer but hey! They are the stars and in this world, the roles are reversed. Photographers mould themselves according to birds instead of other way round. Moreover, birds are great posers. You just have to seize the right moment. Pictures of the same bird in flight, before flight, just landing and idly sitting on a branch would be all different shades of amazing bird photography. So, you see, your model is not a monochrome, it’s a freaking rainbow.
You might hear from a local guide that a bird was sighted in some place today and when you reach there the next day, you might not find it anywhere. Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal and nothing new. As I was saying, bird photography will never let your life get stuck in the wheels of monotony; instead, bird photography will keep on adding different flavors to the same old recipe.
Some little birdies told me that beginners find it a bit hard in the initial days of bird photography. They struggle with the selection of right equipment, then their usage, and even if some of them get these two correct in their first day, they lack the knowledge of secret ingredient and end up shooing away birds instead of capturing their delightful shots.
It’s okay. It’s perfectly okay. Like any other activity bird photography also needs time, a dash of right equipment and yes, a pinch of knowledge. Take it slow there. It takes time to develop interest also.
So if you’re a beginner, congratulations, you’ve come to the right place! You’ll find answers to all your questions here. And if you’re an experienced birder + photographer, welcome buddy, maybe you’ll also find something of use here.
Lens
Camera
This is very important and should not be looked over. When it comes to settings, there are a few things you must take note of:
Shutter Speed: You see your shutter speed should never outrun your focal length as longer exposure tends to cause blurry pictures. Its a thumb rule that shutter speed should be faster than or equal to the focal length at which you are clicking pictures. The subject of your image should not be underexposed as it happens most of the times when the subject is shot against the sky. There’s an exposure highlight indicator on your DSLR, use it! Turn it on and learn how to compensate and adjust exposure. Denoted by +/-, usually, a difference of +/-0.3 or +/-0.7 gives the desired exposure.
Aperture: Depth of field is decided by aperture. Now what must you aspire to do? You should go for shallow depth of field as that creates a clear distinction between your subject and background. For a long lens in the range of 300 to 600mm, aperture of f7 to f11 should give you good result with nice bokeh. If you go lower than these values at long focal length, there may be chance that a body part of bird is in focus while rest of it is blurred.
ISO: ISO is inversely proportional to the quality of the image. The lower the ISO speed, the better is the image. ISO 800 or 1600 tend to give good sharp images. You can rely on your camera’s auto-ISO feature for this. Otherwise practice with different ISO settings and see what works for you as higher ISO invites higher noise, loss of colour, loss of sharpness and you have to deal with it.
Focus: Your focus should always be on the eyes of the bird. If the eye is not sharp, you, buddy have missed the shot.
Camera Mode: Best is to click in manual mode, but if the environment in which you are clicking is dynamic, you may like to switch to Aperture Priority mode.
Always shoot in RAW format which will give you greater data while you go for editing.
And learn your camera controls. Be so good that your fingers move automatically without necessitating the need for your eyes to look at the controls. A good way for that would be to practice in dark and then check if you set the settings you wanted or not. This would take some practice but believe me, it’s worth it and you’ll be thankful to yourself for doing it.
There are a few things rather tips that can make your photographing experience really smooth.
Camouflage: Hide yourself using surrounding material to get the bird to come close to you.
Move slowly: Sudden quick movements scare the birds and drive them away. So tread carefully and slowly.
Patience: Be patient and wait for the bird to come to you.
Know when to back off: If the birds are feeling threatened because of your actions then back off.
Be camera ready: Have your camera settings ready according to light conditions and be ready to click at the spur of the moment.
They say presentation is an art. Perspective, composition, skill everything comes together when you present the final picture. But what are all the factors that need to be taken care of? Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Light and composition:
Photography is all about light. Which is better-soft light of mornings and evenings or hard light of the rest of the day? Soft light it is. You get beautiful colors spread through the sky and warm vibrant hues to click your pictures in.
When composing the picture, apply the rule of thirds. And try to maintain the bird’s eye level while shooting. Aim for contrasting background and try to fill the frame. Also leave breathing space in the direction of the movement of bird’s gaze. And lastly, avoid distractions.
Bird’s background:
Capturing bird in its natural habitat gives the best pictures and did I tell you the magical ones are those captured just before flight and when the bird is about to land. Here are some tips to capture birds in flight.
i. Learn about bird’s flight patterns and landing patterns.
ii. Shoot away from the sun as that will only lead to backlit birds.
iii. Take 2-3 images back to back.
iv. Know that in case of multiple birds, if one takes flight, the others follow pursuit.
v. And it’s important to track the bird for a few seconds before pressing the shutter so that camera can focus.
Also avoid taking pictures when there are too many elements in the background.
Go beyond what you see:
Tell a story through your picture. Try to depict the weather, time, place and habitat of the bird along with it in one frame. The viewer should be able to imagine himself/herself in the same scenario. For this you need to capture the bird’s actions and behavior. Capture them feeding, foraging, flying however they are. And see the magic unfold in your picture.
Happy clicking guys! Cheers.
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