How to Take Great Pictures of Birds
One of the most popular aspects of animal photography is bird photography. Taking perfect pictures of birds in the wild can be very challenging, but you can create many wonderful photo opportunities in your own backyard.
Setting up your Backyard Photo Shoots
The biggest challenge isn't actually attracting birds to your yard. Once feeders are out and discovered, word will get around fast! The biggest challenge with bird photography is getting the birds to perch where you want them. So, consider the location carefully before setting up your feeding station or birdbath.
Choose locations that won't make the birds easy prey for cats and other predators, and at the same time that will provide you with the opportunity to photograph them with nice backgrounds and good angles.
Do remember that if you set feeders out in the winter to consistently provide quality seed so your feathery subjects aren't filling up on something like bread that won't provide them with the energy needed to stay warm at night.
Birdbaths also make great places for photos and help encourage birds to visit your yard regularly.
If you are trying to attract certain bird species, check with The Audubon Society to see what types of seeds or plants are best for them. You can also find good tips at the National Wildlife Federation's “Gardening for Wildlife” pages.
Don't limit your photographs to the bird feeders and baths either. You can also take pictures of birds in your yard that perch on tree limbs and fences nearby so make sure to look for these areas too.
Camera Settings
Have you ever noticed that birds are in almost constant motion? They are always moving no matter if they're foraging on the ground or sitting on a tree branch. With so much movement you want a higher shutter speed for bird photos, so use the Sports mode or set your shutter speed to at least 1/250.
If you have an optical zoom on your compact digital or have a telephoto lens on your SLR, this will make taking bird photos a lot easier. Depending upon the camera, an optical zoom of 6x can give you about the same magnification as a 200mm lens which means that a photo taken from 10 feet away will look close up.
Some of the so called “bridge cameras” offer zooms from 10 to 20 feet, but not all produce quality results so check around before purchasing. When using a high range zoom, you should also consider using a tripod or other camera stabilizer.
Given a big enough lens, you can also get some great photos of birds in flight or perched high in the tree tops too. Professional nature photographers will often use a 600 lens to capture images with good detail of birds in flight or far away.
Telephoto lenses of this size are very expensive, but there is another way, brought to us from birders. It is called digiscoping. Digiscoping is where you combine the birder's spotting scope with a digital camera. Here is one of many good articles online introducing the digiscoping method to bird photographers: Birdwatchers Digest: Photography.
When taking birds in flight, blue skies are always best. And the bluest sky of the day is usually the hour after dawn. Also, look for times of the day when you have flocks of birds around your house or flying over. Or, if you're looking to take pictures of birds of prey like osprey, go to a lake or river early in the morning or evening when they fish. This is also a perfect time for soft, warm and even lighting.
And once you get a great bird picture, don't forget to share it and display it in a quality picture frame. Although there is a huge selection of frames available, you should choose a frame that has simple, clean lines like a thin metal picture frame or a natural wood picture frame as it won't compete with your photograph.
Hopefully by using these tips, you'll attract more birds to your yard and be able to capture some great bird photos that you'll be proud to display.