We have a number of threads on Shuttertalk setting out resources for developing our photographic skills but no thread specifically addressing bird photography resources.
It would be excellent to add to this a thread detailing specific resources for bird photography, bearing in mind its particular challenges in selecting kit, technique, field craft and process and publication.
To start the thread off, I note that WesternBoy posted a link in November - http://www.digitalbirdphotography.com/cover.html
This is an excellent 900+ page free online resource covering a wide range of aspects of bird photography which I have found enormously helpful and readable, titled: The Secrets of Digital Bird Photography.
It would be most welcome if those of you with expertise (or none!) in this area could add to this thread any relevant resources you think would be helpful.
Please also add a quick post if you have an interest in bird photography or in seeing bird photography resources. You don't have to be skilled - I'm not! It's about helping members and guests develop in what is an incredibly exciting but desperately challenging area of photography.
My regards and thanks in anticipation, Jeff
(This post was last modified: Jun 19, 2014, 05:16 by Freeman.)
We have a number of threads on Shuttertalk setting out resources for developing our photographic skills but no thread specifically addressing bird photography resources.
It would be excellent to add to this a thread detailing specific resources for bird photography, bearing in mind its particular challenges in selecting kit, technique, field craft and process and publication.
To start the thread off, I note that WesternBoy posted a link in November - http://www.digitalbirdphotography.com/cover.html
This is an excellent 900+ page free online resource covering a wide range of aspects of bird photography which I have found enormously helpful and readable, titled: The Secrets of Digital Bird Photography.
It would be most welcome if those of you with expertise (or none!) in this area could add to this thread any relevant resources you think would be helpful.
Please also add a quick post if you have an interest in bird photography or in seeing bird photography resources. You don't have to be skilled - I'm not! It's about helping members and guests develop in what is an incredibly exciting but desperately challenging area of photography.
My regards and thanks in anticipation, Jeff
Jeff, I hate to be picky, but I believe that it was me that posted that reference.
I have found that, often, the best way to find anything specific on bird photography, is to Google the specific topic as this often yields decent results.
Hope this helps a bit.
WesternGuy
(This post was last modified: Jun 21, 2014, 19:42 by WesternGuy.)
I am ver interested in bird photography tho' I havent been doing it that long
There are so many questions I need answers to, to get things right.
About shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
How do I get the right lighting and sharpness using a very fast shutter speed if the aperture is at its open limit without the grainyness?
(Jun 23, 2014, 09:51)johnytrout Wrote: I am ver interested in bird photography tho' I havent been doing it that long
There are so many questions I need answers to, to get things right.
About shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
How do I get the right lighting and sharpness using a very fast shutter speed if the aperture is at its open limit without the grainyness?
If you can supply some more detail, then maybe I can give you some suggestions based on what I do. It is very hard to generalize without knowing the situation. A lot depends on what your are actually shooting - birds in flight (BIFs), birds walking or running along a beach, or birds at rest. The other thing that comes into play here is the "darkness" or "lightness" of the bird relative to its background. For example if you are shooting a dark bird against a lighter background, then you have to allow for some exposure compensation if you are in anything other than Manual mode. In Av or Tv mode (Canon camera) (A and S for Nikon I believe), then an exposure compensation of +1 or +1 1/3 may be required to bring out the detail in the bird. This will blow out the sky, but it wasn't the subject of your composition, the bird was.
If you run out of possibilities with adjusting aperture, then all you can do is either increase the shutter speed, or increase the ISO. A lot of today's (last 2 to 3 years) DSLR cameras will shoot up to an ISO of 800 without any noise problems. If noise if a problem, then a "de-noise" software may be required.
I hope this helps a bit, but unless you can be a bit more specific, then it is a little difficult to make any sweeping generalizations.
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Jeff, I hate to be picky, but I believe that it was me that posted that reference.
WesternGuy
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Dear WesternGuy - my apologies for recording your name incorrectly and huge thanks for pointing us in the direction of Digital Bird Photography. That resource together with the other links you provided gives us a big push forward. It will be a bonus if we get some interesting exchanges on bird photography issues. Regards Jeff
Thanks for the prompt reply.
I want to photo birds clearly and in flight without the blurring of wings.
I have a Canon EOS 650D and use a 100 - 400 zoom to get close ups.
Larger birds such as waders and terns are not such a problem as the smaller ones
(Jun 23, 2014, 12:50)johnytrout Wrote: Thanks for the prompt reply.
I want to photo birds clearly and in flight without the blurring of wings.
I have a Canon EOS 650D and use a 100 - 400 zoom to get close ups.
Larger birds such as waders and terns are not such a problem as the smaller ones
Here is what I would try - Spot metering mode or partial if bird is just gliding along, AI Servo focus mode, focus mode at 6.5m to Infinity on the lens unless bird is closer than 6.5m, Stabilizer mode 1 for handheld. These are just my thoughts, feel free to experiment and use whatever works best for you.
I try to shoot in Shutter Priority mode (TV) and let the camera choose the aperture. Depending on the lighting conditions I would start with an ISO of 200 or even 400. I have never used a 650D (T4i), so I am not sure how well it will take to having higher ISOs (i.e., above 400 ISO) without giving you very noisy pictures, but I would urge you to try up to ISO 1600 if that is what it takes - you can always run it through noise removing software. Shutter speed can start at 1/500 second if the bird is just gliding along like herons, egrets and gulls sometimes do. If the bird is actively flapping its wings, then you may have to move to speeds as high as 1/2000 of a second. There are no general rules for shutter speed, but I try to keep mine above 1/1000 of a second and have been known to shoot some flying birds at 1/5000 sec if the day was bright and the bird was really moving.
Hummingbirds are different - something I have never had the occasion to try - we do not get many of them in my part of the country.
I am not sure where you live, but if you have a marsh or seashore that you can visit, you can probably find lots of birds to practice on. Try shooting birds that are flying on a left to right/right to left path as they are easier to follow (pan with them in flight) than those that are coming straight at you or flying away from you. This is a form of photography that takes a lot of practice, so don't be disappointed if the first few times you try this you have little success. Experience is the best teacher in this type of photography. Also don't forget about exposure compensation for the mix of bird colour and background if you shoot in Tv mode. If you shoot in manual, then you can compensate by simply changing one of the exposure elements - ISO, shutter speed and aperture.
Hope this helps. Any further questions, please post back and I will try to give you my best answer. I would encourage others to share their experience as well.
WesternGuy
(This post was last modified: Jun 23, 2014, 13:28 by WesternGuy.)
(Jun 23, 2014, 12:27)Freeman Wrote: ...
Dear WesternGuy - my apologies for recording your name incorrectly and huge thanks for pointing us in the direction of Digital Bird Photography. That resource together with the other links you provided gives us a big push forward. It will be a bonus if we get some interesting exchanges on bird photography issues. Regards Jeff
Hey Jeff, no problem. I am always happy to pass on my experience in this area to others. While I, by no means consider my self an "advanced" bird photographer, I have been actively shooting birds for about 5 years and have had the good fortune of attending one of Arthur Morris' Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs). I have learned a lot from Art - he probably helped me improve my skills by quite a bit. The rest I learned from reading, visiting web sites and good old trial and error (lots of errors), so my personal philosophy is that if I can help others by passing on what I have learned, then I am only too happy to do so.
Hey Jeff, no problem. I am always happy to pass on my experience in this area to others. While I, by no means consider my self an "advanced" bird photographer, I have been actively shooting birds for about 5 years and have had the good fortune of attending one of Arthur Morris' Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs). I have learned a lot from Art - he probably helped me improve my skills by quite a bit. The rest I learned from reading, visiting web sites and good old trial and error (lots of errors), so my personal philosophy is that if I can help others by passing on what I have learned, then I am only too happy to do so.
WesternGuy
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That's excellent WesternGuy and thanks for already sharing the benefit of your years of experience and training in reply JohnyTrout's question. I look forward to plenty more.
How would you feel if we start a separate thread for bird photography questions? This would help keep the bird resource thread specific, simple and very easily accessible. I have a feeling that the new thread could quite easily widen. I am finding there are countless complexities in snapping birds, just as JohnyTrout has.
Hey Jeff, no problem. I am always happy to pass on my experience in this area to others. While I, by no means consider my self an "advanced" bird photographer, I have been actively shooting birds for about 5 years and have had the good fortune of attending one of Arthur Morris' Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs). I have learned a lot from Art - he probably helped me improve my skills by quite a bit. The rest I learned from reading, visiting web sites and good old trial and error (lots of errors), so my personal philosophy is that if I can help others by passing on what I have learned, then I am only too happy to do so.
WesternGuy
[/quote]
That's excellent WesternGuy and thanks for already sharing the benefit of your years of experience and training in reply JohnyTrout's question. I look forward to plenty more.
How would you feel if we start a separate thread for bird photography questions? This would help keep the bird resource thread specific, simple and very easily accessible. I have a feeling that the new thread could quite easily widen. I am finding there are countless complexities in snapping birds, just as JohnyTrout has.
Regards, Jeff
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A bird-photography specific thread would be great. I would hope we could encourage folks to submit photos and the technical details of how they took their image. I would assume that someone would be available to would moderate such a thread.
I snapped this one of a crow just before it landed on a bough in Jersey a few days ago.
Since I have been a member here, I have learned not to crop too tight and also to leave a bit of space as to the direction of flight. So my previous pics will look a tad too cropped. Not sure if this link will work for you but here goes
A bird-photography specific thread would be great. I would hope we could encourage folks to submit photos and the technical details of how they took their image. I would assume that someone would be available to would moderate such a thread.
WesternGuy
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Hi WesternGuy, I took the plunge and started two new threads for sharing our photos and sharing our questions and answers. Hope you approve. Could you upload one or two example shots? Regards Jeff
(Jun 23, 2014, 15:52)johnytrout Wrote: I snapped this one of a crow just before it landed on a bough in Jersey a few days ago.
Since I have been a member here, I have learned not to crop too tight and also to leave a bit of space as to the direction of flight. So my previous pics will look a tad too cropped. Not sure if this link will work for you but here goes
This is a very nice. The only thing I would do is to crop a little off the right side so the bird and its perch-to-be is on the right third of the image.
Birds are my favorite subjects to photograph. I'd like to contribute to this thread by including links to my galleries that include mostly images of birds I've photographed over the years and also links to my bird photography hints & tips that have led to consistent results I'm very pleased with. While my hints & tips were created primarily for users of the Canon SX50, they may prove helpful to any user of long zoom cameras.
I always have a solid game plan when I use my camera and know exactly the type of shot I'm after, which is a portrait style capture of a bird. While I greatly admire and appreciate birds-in-flight photographs, I prefer capturing fine detail with very close proximity subjects displaying an interesting "expression" or pose. Because of this specific preference I'm able to continually refine my technique and improve my skills. Simple consistency over time.
Tony I can't thank you enough for sharing this wonderful resource, both the photographs and the process description. I will no doubt return to it many times and I doubt if I will be the only one. How do you manage to get so close to the subjects, other than as you say, visiting places where birds are many and accustomed to humankind? Regards and thanks again, Jeff
(Aug 15, 2014, 15:40)Freeman Wrote: Tony I can't thank you enough for sharing this wonderful resource, both the photographs and the process description. I will no doubt return to it many times and I doubt if I will be the only one. How do you manage to get so close to the subjects, other than as you say, visiting places where birds are many and accustomed to humankind? Regards and thanks again, Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I'm so pleased this information might prove beneficial to you and others. Besides what I've mentioned about scouting out favorable locations, I always approach my subjects in a slow, yet natural manner. For example, I don't change my posture or behavior in any odd way such as suddenly crouching down and slowly "creeping up" on the subject similar to a cheetah stalking its prey! Since the birds I photograph are very much aware of my presence I try to initially avoid direct eye contact and stand very still until the bird "feels more at ease," then make small advancements until I'm within my preferred range, which is being close enough to "fill the frame" with my subject. The Great Blue Heron shots near the last few pages of my Canon SX50 Gallery were captured from approximately 6-8 feet away! To be sure, the principal reason behind my purchase of this camera was its 1200mm equivalent zoom! Therefore, I can easily be within 10-15 feet from most of my subjects and still fill the frame for a portrait capture without the need to crop the image in post. Clearly, not every photo in my galleries were taken from such a close proximity.
Also, since I strongly favor portrait orientation of my images I can hold the camera in that position with the articulated LCD screen held completely still in one palm and move the actual camera body with my other hand to compose and take the shot! This negates the need to even raise the camera up to eye level, which might spook the bird with my arm movements. I therefore, look down over the LCD screen, which is held around waist level allowing my shoulders to fully relax, as well. I believe that many photographers don't realize how close they can actually get to these birds, and merely assume they won't be able to do so. Like I said in my links, some birds, like humans, will simply be more approachable than others so I take what they give me and hopefully the next one will allow me to approach quite closely.
Hope this helps!
Tony
"My wife & I make the perfect point-and-shoot photography team. She points and I shoot!"
