I'm finding bird photography a real buzz but at the same time frustratingly difficult - so looking for suggestions on how best to improve.
I've currently got a Panasonic DMC-G7 and the 14-140 lens - I know, not huge, but I did hire a 100-300 and didn't fare massivly better.
I know there are a lot of ways this could improve but I am curious which i should focus my efforts on.
What I'm currently doing is:
Go to a local hide (near where I live, in the east midlands of the UK) either a west or north facing one in the morning or an east or north facing one in the late afternoon.
Set up bean bag on the sill with camera on it and see what turns up.
The best I can come up with is this heron in the distance - rubbish I know.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147214244@N02/29873470915/
I can work out from google satellite that this was about 85m away.
When I hired the 100-300mm lens I managed to get a shot of this heron at the WWT in london: slightly better but not great.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147214244@N02/29735084736
This was at 300mm rather than 140mm and still isn't anywhere near filling the frame so I'm guessing he must have been more than 100m away.
I did get a picture of a robin with the 100-300mm lens that I'm really pleased with, which was a bit of a lucky one really as he just landed on a table about 2m away from me - that was what ignited a spark to some extent.... my goal really is just to get a wide variety of birds at that quality that's all.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147214244@N02/29146011313/
So what would you do to take it to the next level?
Be more patient
Get beefier kit
Go to different hides
Go at a different time of year
Modify my technique
Give up
Adjust expectations/change attitude/learn
Get closer
My question really is which of the above is a priority! and which won't really make much difference without others.
Patience - I spend maybe about 1 hour in a hide at a time, during which nothing comes anywhere near. Is this what fairly patient means or 'nowhere near - we're talking an all day job for any sort of degree of success'?
Hides/time of year: are some hides just not actually positioned near to where any birds actually go? Am I doomed to a seriously uphill struggle trying to spot anything in autumn?
Kit - I know the PL100-400 would be far better than my puny 14-140 but I was sort of hoping hiring the 100-300 would provide some insight into whether it would yield successful results. The 100-300 didn't really have so much reach as to convince me that good bird photography is within my grasp, but I still have a nagging doubt that going from 300 to 400 could make all the difference... would it?
Technique - could I be doing something fundamentally wrong, e.g. does resting a camera on the sill of a hide scare birds off? Do i need a camo cover for my camera like I've seen on some (and/or self)?
Give up? - could a different, easier, type of photography be more my thing...? I just like creating great images but birds are one subject that usually do make great images imho.
Expectations/attitude/knowledge - am I expecting too much... is it the case that bird photography is not something just anybody can do but you have to be a real expert on birds' behaviours before you can have any hope of success, and even then you might need to stake out a hide 10 full days in a row and only get a good shot on the last one? Or is it actually a fairly accessible hobby IF you do x, y and z?
Thanks for any insight advice encouragement and disparagement, all welcome in equal measure.
I've currently got a Panasonic DMC-G7 and the 14-140 lens - I know, not huge, but I did hire a 100-300 and didn't fare massivly better.
I know there are a lot of ways this could improve but I am curious which i should focus my efforts on.
What I'm currently doing is:
Go to a local hide (near where I live, in the east midlands of the UK) either a west or north facing one in the morning or an east or north facing one in the late afternoon.
Set up bean bag on the sill with camera on it and see what turns up.
The best I can come up with is this heron in the distance - rubbish I know.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147214244@N02/29873470915/
I can work out from google satellite that this was about 85m away.
When I hired the 100-300mm lens I managed to get a shot of this heron at the WWT in london: slightly better but not great.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147214244@N02/29735084736
This was at 300mm rather than 140mm and still isn't anywhere near filling the frame so I'm guessing he must have been more than 100m away.
I did get a picture of a robin with the 100-300mm lens that I'm really pleased with, which was a bit of a lucky one really as he just landed on a table about 2m away from me - that was what ignited a spark to some extent.... my goal really is just to get a wide variety of birds at that quality that's all.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147214244@N02/29146011313/
So what would you do to take it to the next level?
Be more patient
Get beefier kit
Go to different hides
Go at a different time of year
Modify my technique
Give up
Adjust expectations/change attitude/learn
Get closer
My question really is which of the above is a priority! and which won't really make much difference without others.
Patience - I spend maybe about 1 hour in a hide at a time, during which nothing comes anywhere near. Is this what fairly patient means or 'nowhere near - we're talking an all day job for any sort of degree of success'?
Hides/time of year: are some hides just not actually positioned near to where any birds actually go? Am I doomed to a seriously uphill struggle trying to spot anything in autumn?
Kit - I know the PL100-400 would be far better than my puny 14-140 but I was sort of hoping hiring the 100-300 would provide some insight into whether it would yield successful results. The 100-300 didn't really have so much reach as to convince me that good bird photography is within my grasp, but I still have a nagging doubt that going from 300 to 400 could make all the difference... would it?
Technique - could I be doing something fundamentally wrong, e.g. does resting a camera on the sill of a hide scare birds off? Do i need a camo cover for my camera like I've seen on some (and/or self)?
Give up? - could a different, easier, type of photography be more my thing...? I just like creating great images but birds are one subject that usually do make great images imho.
Expectations/attitude/knowledge - am I expecting too much... is it the case that bird photography is not something just anybody can do but you have to be a real expert on birds' behaviours before you can have any hope of success, and even then you might need to stake out a hide 10 full days in a row and only get a good shot on the last one? Or is it actually a fairly accessible hobby IF you do x, y and z?
Thanks for any insight advice encouragement and disparagement, all welcome in equal measure.