PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS

Thursday, December 07, 2006

This is the summary of four part series on photographing birds. For more details and some more photographs, see the link to individual articles of the series at the end of this post.

Birds are fascinating subjects for photography. They are colorful and beautiful and are photogenic subjects. But they are also small, shy and agile and photographing them is not easy. Here is a primer for photographing birds.

OBSERVE YOUR SUBJECT

Spend time observing your subject. The more time you spend watching them, the more you know about them and easier it is to photograph them. Best images are often a result of days of observation and understanding the behaviour.


I spent a lot of tailing this bird, before managing to catch it in the frame.

GET THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

Having the right equipment is crucial in bird photography. Being small subjects, it is essential to have long telephoto lenses to be able to shoot them. A 400mm or longer lens is required. Since they can be very agile, it is also important for your lens to be able to focus quickly. Mornings and evenings is the best time to photograph birds, and faster lenses that let in more light will be useful. And your camera must be good enough to be able to support and drive a telephoto lens. A sturdy tripod is also useful.


To shoot small and agile birds like Plain Prinia, one needs a good telephoto lens that can also focus quickly.

APPROACHING THE BIRD

Be discreet when you are approaching the bird. Don't make sudden movements which can startle the bird and make it fly away. Use a hide if possible. Your car can serve as a good hide, as birds tend to be less afraid of an approaching car than a person. When you are approaching by foot, don't walk into the bird, but stalk around them. Try to hide behind a tree or bush or any such object where possible. Or the best way would be to wait hiding at a strategic location for the bird to turn up.


Yellow Browed Bulbuls are very agile and hard to catch. I was lucky to find this one hardly 3 meters away when I was in the car.

GETTING THE RIGHT COMPOSITION

Quality is an important factor in bird and wildlife photography. Your images need to be precisely exposed, and without any dark spots. Mornings and Evenings are ideal time to shoot, as the sun doesn't cast harsh shadows during these hours of the day. Try to get close to the bird and fill as much of the frame as possible with the bird. Try to include the atmosphere around the bird, like flowers, fruits, etc which the bird would be pecking. A bird with some food in its beak makes a nice subject. Also look for behaviour shots, like when the bird is bathing, in flight, calling, etc. Catch light in the birds eye is very important. Ensure that the background is clear and not cluttered.


Get behaviour shots.

One of the most important factors in bird photography is patience. You should be willing to spend long hours chasing and observing your subject. And this is where love for your subject also helps. The more time and effort you spend, and the more you know your subject, you are more likely to succeed and get good images.

LINKS

Below are the individual entries of the four part series on photographing birds. You can see more pictures and details in each of these posts. You can also see a few larger sized photographs in my image gallery's Birds and Animals section.

Photographing Birds - I: Observe your subjects
Photographing Birds - II: Get the right equipment
Photographing Birds - III: Approaching the bird
Photographing Birds - IV: Composition