Some Thoughts on Photographing Birds

Some Thoughts on Photographing Birds: "

After being away for the winter, the birds are starting to return to my yard. It's great to see and hear them again.

With birds on my mind, I thought I'd share some of my bird photographs (not from my yard, ironically) and a few tips on photographing these wonderful animals.

Above: Behavior shots are often more impressive than portraits. To get behavior shots, you need to be patient and lucky. I was lucky to get this shot, but the dove was not that lucky . . . .

Above: These portraits are okay. However, the background is distracting in one shot and boring in the other. Remember: the background can make or break a shot. Maybe the one good thing about both pictures is that I shot at eye level.

Above: Birds-in-flight shots are cool. To stop the action, use a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 sec. In Photoshop, selectively blur part of the wings to add a sense of motion to your still shot.

Above: And speaking of Photoshop, always envision the possibilities that await you in the digital darkroom.

Above: Try to get some light in the bird's eye. Select a good shooting position or use a flash. To extend the range of your flash, use a Better Beamer. I use one on my Canon Speedlite 580EX.

Info:

The Flash X-Tender (Better Beamer) FX-3 Flash Output Booster for Canon 580EX, Canon 580EX II, Metz 54-4 & Nikon SB700 Flashes

Above: When choosing a tele-extender, go with one that is made by your camera manufacturer. Also, 1.4x tele-extenders are usually sharper than 2x tele-extenders. I use a Canon 1.4X tele-extender on my Canon 100-400mm lens and Canon 70-200mm lens.

Info:

Canon EF 1.4X II Extender Telephoto Accessory

Above: Go where birds hang out. I took this picture in Bosque del Apache in New Mexico in early December. I used a shutter speed of 1/30th of a second to slightly blur the action.

Speaking of hanging out with birds, we have two spaces open on my Alaska eagle workshop with Hal Schmitt.

Above: Know everything about your camera - so you can shoot even with one hand. Also master your flash and daylight fill-in flash, so your pictures do not look like harsh flash pictures. The key is learning how to balance the light from the flash to the daylight.

Above: Have fun!

Explore the light,

Rick

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