Photographing birds is not as difficult as you might think

When photographing birds – what makes a great image?

Like every other image, a bird photograph needs to be interesting and give the viewer a nice experience. In all photography the lighting is important. When photographing birds, taking the images early morning or late afternoon is the best option. At these times the light is colorful and can give the image the little extra.

Know the birds and their habits
There are so many different birds and all of them behave different. Shooting birds at the sea is totally different from shooting birds of pray in the forest. By knowing what and how the birds are feeding you can plan your photography accordingly. Some birds are shyer than others and might not be easy to photograph without having to set up a cover you can hide. By understanding the habits of the different birds you are more likely to get the good shots.

Some creative ideas for better bird photos

Many images of birds are portraits. Birds sitting in a tree on a branch or a feeder are often easiest to photograph. If you want to go further and make an even more interesting image you should try to photograph them while doing something interesting. Birds are very active so try catching them while flying or interacting with other birds

Panning
An interesting technique your can use when photographing birds in flight is panning. Panning is when you have a moving subject and you are following the subject with the camera. If you do this well, the subject (bird) will be in focus while the background is blurred. This way you get a sense of speed or movement.

Panning is better with larger birds and takes a lot of practice before you get it right. When practicing panning try to photograph the bigger birds as swans or geese as their movements are slower and thus easier to catch. These birds also need more time to take of and land, giving you more time to compose the image.

Use flash to emphasize the colors
Often we find the birds in shadow rather then in bright sunlight. If the bird is close enough using a flash is a possibility. You can use the flash either on camera or preferably off camera for more flexibility. The light from the flash can bring more life and colors to the bird’s feathers. Using flash when you photograph birds might sound strange and not many photographers think of this as an option.

Use flash to freeze the birds wings
In most situations there will not be enough available light to use very short shutter speeds when photographing birds. One way of freezing the bird’s wings is by using flash. The short burst of the flash will freeze the bird’s wings.

To get enough light you might have to use the flash of camera and relatively close to where you expect the bird to fly. This type of photography is easiest to do in the backyard where you can place feeders and photograph the birds when they are approaching or leaving the feeder.



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