PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS - IV COMPOSITION

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Bird and wildlife photography is very demanding when it comes to getting it technically correct, such as ensuring that the complete subject is sharp and in focus, there are no dark or burnt areas and exposure is precise. Thus, most bird photographers prefer to shoot only early in the morning or evening when the sun is near the horizon, and keeping sun at the back.

Common rules of composition, such as rule of thirds apply to bird photography too. There are many other things that are worth noting.

1. GET UP CLOSE AND FILL THE FRAME

Try to fill the frame with the bird. It happens very often, especially in the beginning, that your subject covers very small part of the frame. If you are trying to make a portrait shot, it is good to have the bird cover a third of the frame area or more. Sometimes, if you can't get so much of bird in the image, it is better to crop the image than have your subject in just a small portion of the frame.


Fill the frame

2. INCLUDE THE ATMOSPHERE

Try to add objects that complement the bird. For example, when you have a sunbird hunting for nectar, it is always nice to have a flower along with the bird. There could be other things such as fruit, leaves or other objects of interest. A bird with some food on its beak would be nice too. When you are shooting this way, you can often ignore Rule 1 above. And while you include the bird's surroundings, make sure it doesn't form a clutter.


Include the atmosphere

3. GET BEHAVIOR SHOTS

Spend time with the bird and catch various behaviour of the bird, such as when it is cuddling with it's partner, in flight, catching its food, calling, etc. It is usually discouraged to shoot a bird near its nest though, since it can disturb the birds.


Get behaviour shots

4. CHECK THE BACKGROUND

Getting a clutter-free background is important. It ensures that the subject is in focus while a cluttered background can be distracting. This is especially important when shooting birds because it is easy to get a background with too many twigs, branches or such distractions that can spoil the image.


A clear background can enhance the subject

5. GET CATCH LIGHT IN THE EYE

It is very very important to get at least a small flicker of light in the eye. Often, this alone can make or break the image. Keep waiting for the catch light to appear in the eye. Since birds keep looking here and there, you normally don't need to wait for long, but just click on the right moment.


Catch light in the eye is important

And of course, like in any other area of photography, the best images break the guidelines. If you find a rare bird that is hardly photographed, the best thing to do would be to keep shooting and ignore every rule in the book. You would be just happy to somehow find the bird in the frame. Some birds like warblers are very agile and you can't really think about getting a composition of your choice. Infact, they are hard even to find them through the viewfinder. Composition matures with practice and images improve overtime. Spending more time outside with the birds is more important than anything else.