Bird Photography

[Darren Rowse]

I've just posted Leisa's tutorial on Backyard Bird Photography over at the blog and thought it might be good to have a thread here on the forums for questions, tips.

Looking forward to see what you've got to add to what Leisa's learned in her own bird photography.

[inkista]

Here's what I've learned, chasing raptors in my local canyons:

1. They deliberately fly so that they'll be backlit. It's nothing personal (although it sure feels personal), but they want to have the sun at their backs so they can see prey. Pay attention to the direction of the light.
2. Birds in flight: keep both eyes open. It'll help you track and get the bird in frame that much faster.
3. Go for the best, longest lens you can afford. You can never get close enough for birding.
4. Teleconverters are nice, but sometimes they're not worth the autofocus hassle. Do research before buying one--do not assume all lenses will work with them or have full functionality. Learn about taping pins.
5. Know about camera shake vs. focal length, and the shutter speeds you'll need and how to get them.
6. Learn your autofocus system's quirks. Single-point, servo vs. non-servo mode, using the focus-limiting switch on your lens, etc.
7. Always have your camera out and ready to shoot BEFORE you start hiking to your birding spot. I can't tell you the number of red-tailed hawk shots I've missed to teach me this lesson. The readiness is all, when you've got half a second to get a shot.
8. Good handholding technique and monopods are things you want.
9. A car makes a good blind.
10. Learn to post-process. You will crop. You will sharpen.
11. If you don't have one, and you live in North America, get a copy of The Sibley Guide to Birds. It makes everything a lot more fun.

[NaturesPixel]

Brilliant Tips i try and get out along the 401 here in ontario.. they sit along sides of roads.. but you can also get ya self killed from the maniac drivers here...

thats is the birding book of all books!!! tho when i went to get mine they didnt have it in and im impatient.. so i settled for National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

one more tip.. if you do take your book along... its best to take photos of the bird and ID him later...lol i see a few people trying to ID the bird.. and then look up with Camera and he is gone ....lol

[inkista]

Originally Posted by NaturesPixel

Brilliant Tips i try and get out along the 401 here in ontario.. they sit along sides of roads.. but you can also get ya self killed from the maniac drivers here...

What I really hate is how the raptors locally here completely ignore cars, so they tend to fly much much closer to me while I'm, say, driving onto the freeway onramp, then when I'm on foot.

thats is the birding book of all books!!! tho when i went to get mine they didnt have it in and im impatient.. so i settled for National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

I still can't believe that one person could have painted all those pictures. Sibley is simply amazing. I despair, however, of ever identifying seagulls correctly. They're hard! I just give up and tag them as "seagull" in Flickr. (sigh).

... one more tip.. if you do take your book along... its best to take photos of the bird and ID him later...lol i see a few people trying to ID the bird.. and then look up with Camera and he is gone ....lol

Ohman. Yeah, I can see how someone would think it really is a field guide, since it says so on the cover. But it's too honking big for that. Actually, though, I started out taking the pictures just because I would need it to ID a bird later.

If you're coming at it from the photography side, without birding experience (like me), google is your friend. It can lead you to local Audubon society information--you can leech off their experience and information to find good birding spots, good birding/conservation practices, and what species are "in town" and when. The thing is that this is a dual-sided-thing. You have to learn about birds and birding to get good bird photos. And birders are crazy fun people who appreciate great optics and the crazy fun of photographers (although they usually prefer to attach a camera to a scope, rather than a mere lens).

Two people whose websites I like to go to for inspiration would be Daniella on the dpreview boards, whose pbase gallery is stunning (and not just for the bird photos), and the Bird Chick's blog.

[CindyChris]

I am about ready to quit using my teleconverter completely. I absolutely cannot get things focused with it, not automatically, not manually. Perhaps it is an inferior model, my husband purchased it for me, so I'm not sure how much he paid for it. But I'm not impressed. I thought I had everything set right, camera on the monopod, etc. but this is the best shot I got.

[NaturesPixel]

Cindy.. what lens are you using this on?? also what camera ???

[CindyChris]

Leisa,
I have a Konica Minolta DiMage A200, 8.0 megapixel, a DSLR wannabe. Great camera but it does not have interchangeable lenses. It's like a hybrid with many SLR features. The lens is a 28-200 zoom lens, 7x optical zoom. I put a 2x digital telephoto converter lens on it. I am really into digital, but am still trying to get the hang of it. Sometimes I wish I hadn't sold my 35mm with all the lenses.

[Chico]

I have been an avid bird-watcher going on near 13 years now.
I have taken numerous shots and as well experimented with digi-scoping which produced some amazing shots...if the light was perfect.
As far as hawks are concerned for me I find them very skiddish. I also found out that my Manfrotto tripod gives me away like a red-neck loon will give itself away in winter on a nice sunny day. The reflections from the tripod make me stand out like that loon on water.
I agree wholeheartedly with the tips given here as I practice most of them. Another book I'd like to recommend, which is rather phenomenal is Bird Life and Behaviour...another great book from Sibley.

[NaturesPixel]

Originally Posted by CindyChris

Leisa,
I have a Konica Minolta DiMage A200, 8.0 megapixel, a DSLR wannabe. Great camera but it does not have interchangeable lenses. It's like a hybrid with many SLR features. The lens is a 28-200 zoom lens, 7x optical zoom. I put a 2x digital telephoto converter lens on it. I am really into digital, but am still trying to get the hang of it. Sometimes I wish I hadn't sold my 35mm with all the lenses.

its the converter then there is nothing you can do about it I'm afraid.. most attachment converters for P&S are chit...

save hard for a DSLR

[JJthethird]

I'm fairly new to this but I love nature, birds in particular. These are a couple of shots that I took while out and about last week. Any advice and criticism would be most welcome.

Cheers, John.