Littleegret
Egrets rock - note
Erm..
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How do you photograph birds well? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Littleegret
- Start date
Sy V
Well-known member
LE
I am low down on a very steep learning curve and (regardless of expenditure) nothing, and I mean nothing, beats practice, more practice followed by even more practice.
Then start offering your photos up here for critique and be bold enough to accept straight talking, honest feedback.
I hope this helps... it's honestly meant to.
Simon
I am low down on a very steep learning curve and (regardless of expenditure) nothing, and I mean nothing, beats practice, more practice followed by even more practice.
Then start offering your photos up here for critique and be bold enough to accept straight talking, honest feedback.
I hope this helps... it's honestly meant to.
Simon
rezMole
Well-known member
Don't start learning photography by taking photos of birds! Birds are one of the most difficult subjects. Learn the basics of photography and the way your camera works, then when you are ready to move onto birds, start with ducks and other large and/or close birds.
It takes time and lots of practice.
It takes time and lots of practice.
Gentoo
Guest
What the others said although I was dumb enough to start with birds as I was a birder first. However I started with ducks and gulls and only fairly recently moved onto more challenging subjects.
I have to repeat the part about practice. Just keep finding time to go out and shoot and when you're ready, place them in here. From the feedback I've gotten I'm starting to practice my cropping techniques as I tend to crop too close. Take whatever feedback is offered here.
I have to repeat the part about practice. Just keep finding time to go out and shoot and when you're ready, place them in here. From the feedback I've gotten I'm starting to practice my cropping techniques as I tend to crop too close. Take whatever feedback is offered here.
psilo
Well-known member
Depends what you mean by well Little egret as there are so many things that go into making a good photograph. Certainly as already mentioned you need to learn the technicalities of photography and start with something easy like ducks in the park. Beyond that experience to light colour, editing and composition also come together to make a good photograph. Keep a folder of all the photographs that really inspire you and try to learn exactly what it is about the photo that really inspires you. Do not try to do everything in one go. There is often so much to remember it can be overwhelming. Give yourself small goals and just practise, practise, practise. Most on the photographers on here that are very good have been taking photos for years. You wont get stunning photos overnight but with commitment and alot of fun along the way you will get there.
I have been photographing birds for only a couple years, although I have been taking photos longer. These are some things I learned by trial and error.
1. Try to photograph the bird either close up, or with enough magnification so that the bird fills a good part of the frame.
2. Lighting is very, very important. Either try to photograph the bird with good natural light, or learn to use an outdoor flash. Good natural light generally is light in the early morning or in the late afternoon, with the sun either at your back or to the side of the bird. One of my next goals is to learn outdoor flash photography.
3. Pay attention to composition. Learn the rule of thirds, but use it only as a general guide.
4. Aim the active focus point on the eye. If the eye is not in focus, the photo will not be nearly as good.
5. Decide how much depth of field you want. Use a lower f stop or higher magnification lens, or both, for more shallow depth of field. If the background is busy, you may want to use shallower depth of field.
6. Experiment with use of the Av, Tv or Manual modes and with evaluative or spot metering. In general, for still birds I like to use the Av mode and the evaluative metering mode (except I sometimes like to use the spot metering mode if there is high contract between the subject and background). For birds in flight, I like to use the Tv mode for hummingbirds (so I can control freezing the wings) and either the Av or M modes for larger birds in flight. These are just my personal preferences. I am by no means an expert.
7. Use exposure compensation liberally. I will set the exposure compensation to what I think will work best, and then review both the histogram and the photo in the LCD display. I will then adjust the exposure compensation if I think it is necessary, again reviewing the histogram and photo in the LCD display. Read about histograms, and routinely watch the histogram.
8. Use the lowest ISO setting that will still result in enough light to get a good exposure. Turn up the ISO as necessary.
9. Watch for interesting bird poses, such as the head at an angle but the eye still visible, and interesting settings and backgrounds.
10. Photographing birds in flight is a different skill. Use a continuous focus mode. Learn to lock the focus on the bird, and then to track it while depressing the focus button half way. Learn whether you need to use the center focus point on your camera or whether other focus points will work okay. Use a longer focal length lens (one with higher magnification). Pay attention to which custom function settings will work best.
I attached a few photos to give examples.
Photo 1.
In the late afternoon, I set up my camera on a tripod about 20 feet from a water feature in my backyard where small birds like to land. I used a 500mm lens, so the bird would sufficiently fill the frame. I stood still, and waited and waited.
Note the the sun in this photo is to the left of the bird, casting a shadow to the right. The rocks in the top corner and bottom right are perpendicular. The eye of the bird is in focus. The photo shows detail in the feathering of the bird. I like this photo, but it lacks some interest because of the pose of the bird.
Photo 2.
I like this photo better than the first one. The bird's head is turned toward the camara at around a 45 degree angle, which I thinks adds a lot of interest. The eye is in focus, and the feathering detail is shown. The rock in the upper right and lower left are depicted at a different angle than in the first photo, and the bird is facing in the other direction making a V between the bird and the rock. I like the composition better.
Photo 3.
This a photo taken in the late afternoon with the sun at my back. The background is blurred, and the juxtaposition of the bird, the blurred tree in the background and the sky adds some interest. But there is really nothing very compelling about this photo. The bird is a little blurry, and is not in a very interesting pose.
Photo 4.
I think this is a much better photo than photo 3. The bird is in a much more interesting pose, where the head is turned but both the head and front of the bird are well depicted. The eye is in good focus, and the feathering detail is shown well. The background is busy, but is sufficiently blurred so it is not distracting.
Photo 5.
This is a small bird in flight, coming in for a landing at a bird feeder. This type of photo takes a lot of practice, and at least for me requires some luck and taking a lot of photos (mostly bad). Photographing small birds in flight is much harder than photographing larger birds in flight, because small birds move so much more quickly and there is less bird at which to aim the focus point. This is one of my best efforts.
1. Try to photograph the bird either close up, or with enough magnification so that the bird fills a good part of the frame.
2. Lighting is very, very important. Either try to photograph the bird with good natural light, or learn to use an outdoor flash. Good natural light generally is light in the early morning or in the late afternoon, with the sun either at your back or to the side of the bird. One of my next goals is to learn outdoor flash photography.
3. Pay attention to composition. Learn the rule of thirds, but use it only as a general guide.
4. Aim the active focus point on the eye. If the eye is not in focus, the photo will not be nearly as good.
5. Decide how much depth of field you want. Use a lower f stop or higher magnification lens, or both, for more shallow depth of field. If the background is busy, you may want to use shallower depth of field.
6. Experiment with use of the Av, Tv or Manual modes and with evaluative or spot metering. In general, for still birds I like to use the Av mode and the evaluative metering mode (except I sometimes like to use the spot metering mode if there is high contract between the subject and background). For birds in flight, I like to use the Tv mode for hummingbirds (so I can control freezing the wings) and either the Av or M modes for larger birds in flight. These are just my personal preferences. I am by no means an expert.
7. Use exposure compensation liberally. I will set the exposure compensation to what I think will work best, and then review both the histogram and the photo in the LCD display. I will then adjust the exposure compensation if I think it is necessary, again reviewing the histogram and photo in the LCD display. Read about histograms, and routinely watch the histogram.
8. Use the lowest ISO setting that will still result in enough light to get a good exposure. Turn up the ISO as necessary.
9. Watch for interesting bird poses, such as the head at an angle but the eye still visible, and interesting settings and backgrounds.
10. Photographing birds in flight is a different skill. Use a continuous focus mode. Learn to lock the focus on the bird, and then to track it while depressing the focus button half way. Learn whether you need to use the center focus point on your camera or whether other focus points will work okay. Use a longer focal length lens (one with higher magnification). Pay attention to which custom function settings will work best.
I attached a few photos to give examples.
Photo 1.
In the late afternoon, I set up my camera on a tripod about 20 feet from a water feature in my backyard where small birds like to land. I used a 500mm lens, so the bird would sufficiently fill the frame. I stood still, and waited and waited.
Note the the sun in this photo is to the left of the bird, casting a shadow to the right. The rocks in the top corner and bottom right are perpendicular. The eye of the bird is in focus. The photo shows detail in the feathering of the bird. I like this photo, but it lacks some interest because of the pose of the bird.
Photo 2.
I like this photo better than the first one. The bird's head is turned toward the camara at around a 45 degree angle, which I thinks adds a lot of interest. The eye is in focus, and the feathering detail is shown. The rock in the upper right and lower left are depicted at a different angle than in the first photo, and the bird is facing in the other direction making a V between the bird and the rock. I like the composition better.
Photo 3.
This a photo taken in the late afternoon with the sun at my back. The background is blurred, and the juxtaposition of the bird, the blurred tree in the background and the sky adds some interest. But there is really nothing very compelling about this photo. The bird is a little blurry, and is not in a very interesting pose.
Photo 4.
I think this is a much better photo than photo 3. The bird is in a much more interesting pose, where the head is turned but both the head and front of the bird are well depicted. The eye is in good focus, and the feathering detail is shown well. The background is busy, but is sufficiently blurred so it is not distracting.
Photo 5.
This is a small bird in flight, coming in for a landing at a bird feeder. This type of photo takes a lot of practice, and at least for me requires some luck and taking a lot of photos (mostly bad). Photographing small birds in flight is much harder than photographing larger birds in flight, because small birds move so much more quickly and there is less bird at which to aim the focus point. This is one of my best efforts.
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Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
Wow, that's a wide open question! Do you have anything in mind LE?
Dogged has a lot of great ideas but basically just practice a ton. I am still practicing....
I too find that starting with bigger subjects such as ducks or geese which are bigger and you are more apt to get closer too helps.
If you are not already a 'birder"....and know the art of birding such as how to be patient and let them come close to you, what to look for, the sun at your back, the bird angle from your view etc.... You will fail at bird photography.
It is not a matter of picking up photography but birding first....
I too find that starting with bigger subjects such as ducks or geese which are bigger and you are more apt to get closer too helps.
If you are not already a 'birder"....and know the art of birding such as how to be patient and let them come close to you, what to look for, the sun at your back, the bird angle from your view etc.... You will fail at bird photography.
It is not a matter of picking up photography but birding first....
Harold Stiver
Well-known member
Be self critical. Look at every bad photo you take as a learning experience. Analyze it and decide what you could do to improve it next time you get the chance.
I agree that getting in a position to photograph many birds requires the knowlege and skills of a birder, such as how to be patient, letting the birds come close to you, and knowing what to look for. But when in position, the skills of the photographer make the difference, and in some cases make a considerable difference.
How true.
Fozzybear
Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter
I think Littleegret has left the forum... no more posts since starting this thread. If you are still reading though:
find some tame birds to start with, birds in your garden that you feed or ducks in the park - something that will allow you to get close and build up your experience and confidence. If you want to shoot small birds or birds from a hide then you'll need a long lens and more practice to get used to that. If you want to photograph birds as you walk about then you'll need to learn some fieldcraft - how to be patient, the way to approach them, and how to be quiet and move slowly and unobtrusively. All these things take time and as has been said, you need patience and lots of practice to do it well. It's easy to get disheartened but if you make it a challenge then that can help. I try to encourage myself to improve in this way. Take a crummy, long-distance shot of a specific bird and then keep trying to get a bit better each time.
I still take photos of mallards in the park too, because I think they're great birds (come on, I mean... who doesn't like mallards!) and they can actually be quite interesting to photograph too, they let you get close but are constantly on the go so are good practice. Trying to photograph them really close up with a 500mm lens is rather interesting too! |
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It would help if you give us a situation you're trying to take photos in, Littleegret.
find some tame birds to start with, birds in your garden that you feed or ducks in the park - something that will allow you to get close and build up your experience and confidence. If you want to shoot small birds or birds from a hide then you'll need a long lens and more practice to get used to that. If you want to photograph birds as you walk about then you'll need to learn some fieldcraft - how to be patient, the way to approach them, and how to be quiet and move slowly and unobtrusively. All these things take time and as has been said, you need patience and lots of practice to do it well. It's easy to get disheartened but if you make it a challenge then that can help. I try to encourage myself to improve in this way. Take a crummy, long-distance shot of a specific bird and then keep trying to get a bit better each time.
I still take photos of mallards in the park too, because I think they're great birds (come on, I mean... who doesn't like mallards!) and they can actually be quite interesting to photograph too, they let you get close but are constantly on the go so are good practice. Trying to photograph them really close up with a 500mm lens is rather interesting too! |
|It would help if you give us a situation you're trying to take photos in, Littleegret.
Littleegret
Egrets rock - note
no i havent left just not been on for a while.
MelissaM
Well-known member
I am just like Gentoo. I started with birds as well. I also crop too close but I take whatever feedback I get. Even my worst shots are great to me because they have a picture of a bird and place that I took and I was glad to be there in the moment. So just get out there and enjoy it most of all. The more pics you take the more you will learn and the more you will have to share with us too!o
