Bird photography is the fastest growing part of wildlife photography - Whether it’s photographing birds in flight and capturing the magnificence of a Tawny owl near dusk ...
How to make the best use of lighting, get the right exposure and compose your shot.
The easiest places to photograph birds.
If you're a "birder" and also have a passion for photography then what can be better than combining the two?
You'll find that every bird photograph you take is always different. Whether it's a new bird, a new behaviour, or a new environment that you haven't photographed them in before.
It's fairly easy to take a technically correct shot of a bird but something else to turn it into a work of art. By reading and acting on the advice below, you can do this!
Bird photography is challenging because they are usually moving, rarely stay still and when they do it's never for long. They are shy and difficult to approach. If you're not close enough then the bird is too small in the picture. Too close and it will fly away.
When you can take a photo of a bird with pin sharp focus on the eye, it goes a long way towards getting a shot that will impress. I can't emphasise this enough. Take the time to read
this article
and master the basics.
Lighting, Composition and Exposure
Once you're confident that you can take sharp well-focused photos you should master
lighting, composition and exposure.
Taking your photo with the best lighting, the bird framed correctly and keeping detail in the shadows without blowing the highlights is the final ingredient for a perfect shot.
Know Your Birds
OK, so you know how to take the picture but where and when do you take it?
Knowing your subject
will help you to get the best photos by being in the right place at the right time. If you don't know where to go to find them or don't know how they behave then you won't get a good shot.
Once you know everything about them, you need to
know how to get close. There are three ways to get close to birds ... attracting them, stalking them and hiding from them. I use all three methods all of the time.
Birds In Flight
One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of bird photography is to photograph them when they're doing what they do best ... Flying.
Many photography skills will need to come together at the same time, so take a look at our
birds in flight section
and you'll soon have some great images of them framed and hanging on your wall.
Bird Photography Ethics
Finally, I'd like to briefly mention ethical photography. This is something that is very important to me. Wherever you go and whatever you do when photographing birds it's important to be ethical:
The welfare of the bird is far more important than the photograph.
Don't disturb them.
Don't do anything that could cause them stress.
Don't harm their habitat.
In summary - "Take Only Photographs ... Leave Only Footprints".
Related Articles
Did you enjoy this page about bird photography? Then check out the following related articles:
