If you've ever struggled taking pictures of birds, then use these tips so you can create a bird photo shoot in your backyard and know the proper camera settings to use. By applying these bird photography tips, you'll be able to start getting bird photos like you've always wished you could take.
One of the most popular aspects of animal photography is bird photography. Taking perfect wild bird pictures can be tricky,
but you can create some great photo opportunities right in your own backyard.
How to Set Up Your Backyard Photo Shoot
The biggest challenge isn't actually attracting birds to your yard. Once feeders are out and discovered, word will get around fast! The biggest challenge with bird photography is getting the birds to perch where you want them. So before setting up your feeding stations and birdbaths, consider the locations carefully.
Choose locations that won't make the birds easy prey for cats and other predators, and at the same time that will provide you with the opportunity to photograph them with nice backgrounds and good angles.
Remember that if you set feeders out in the winter only give them quality seed so your feathery friends aren't filling up on food (like bread) that won't provide them the energy needed to keep warm at night.
Birdbaths also provide good photo ops, and birdhouses will help encourage birds to hang out in your yard.
If you are trying to attract certain bird species, check with The Audubon Society to see what types of seeds or plants are best for them. You can also find good tips at the National Wildlife Federation's "Gardening for Wildlife" pages.
Don't limit your photographs to the bird feeders and baths either. You can also take photos of them perching on tree limbs and fences nearby, so when you have your camera in hand, scout out these areas too.
Camera Settings
Have you ever noticed that birds are constantly moving? When eating, their little heads are bobbing up and down, and when they are on the ground they are always looking this way and that for predators. The best setting for bird photography will be a high shutter speed, so use Sports mode or set your shutter speed to at least 1/250.
If you have an optical zoom on your compact digital or have a telephoto lens on your SLR, this will make taking bird photos a lot easier. An optical zoom of 6x, depending on the camera, can give you about the same magnification as a 200mm lens, meaning a photograph taken from about 10 feet away could look like a close up.
Some of the "bridge cameras" offer zooms from 10-20 feet but not all produce quality results so do a little investigating before purchasing. When using a high range zoom, you should also consider using a tripod or other camera stabilizer.
Given a big enough lens, you can also get some great photos of birds in flight or perched high in the tree tops too. Professional nature photographers often use a 600 lens to get photos with good detail.
Telephoto lenses of this size are very expensive, but there is another way, brought to us from birders. It is called digiscoping. With this method, you combine the birder's spotting scope with a digital camera. Here is one of many good articles online introducing the digiscoping method to bird photographers: Birdwatchers Digest: Photography.
When taking birds in flight, blue skies are always best. And the bluest sky of the day is usually the hour after dawn. Also, look for times of the day when you have flocks of birds around your house or flying over. Or, if you're looking to take pictures of birds of prey like osprey, go to a lake or river early in the morning or evening when they fish. This is also a good time for soft, even and warm lighting.
Hopefully by using these tips, you'll attract more birds to your yard and be able to capture some great bird photos that you'll be proud to display.
