Photographing the birds

Bird photographs are notoriously difficult to take. Although you love seeing the birds hopping about at your backyard feeder or are thrilled with the sight of a Bald Eagle perched on a snag at the refuge, you're not happy with the photographs that you take. Here are some tips for taking better bird photos.

First of all, make sure you get close enough to the bird so that it is not just a teeny speck in your photograph. But how the heck do you get close without scaring the birds? One solution is to use a blind where you can sit and photograph the birds without them knowing you are so close. Obviously, your house is a huge blind. Is there a shed or garage window near the feeders? If you feel that the birds will see movement in the windows, keep the draperies just open enough for your camera.

Be sure the windows are kept clean. And if you still are not quite close enough to that feeder, try moving the feeder closer to your "blind." Another existing blind is your car. Many birds are used to seeing cars and will allow one to get much closer than they would let a person on foot. One photographer I know will position his car near a shallow pond filled with waterfowl. He'll drape a towel over most of the window, leaving just enough uncovered for his camera.

Have a tent in the attic collecting dust? Use it as a photography blind but be sure to set it up at least a day or two before you're planning to take the perfect photograph so the birds will get used to it. Or there are various portable photography blinds that you can build. Check the blue box to the right for link to free plans.

When photographing birds in a blind (other than your house), go into the blind and expect to be there quite awhile. Bring plenty of film, your camera, notepaper and pencil, as well as perhaps a drink and snack. Remember you might be there for a hour or two.

Being cautious creatures, the birds will flee as they spy you going into it. You'll have to wait a bit for them to forget your presence or for other birds to move into the area, foraging for food. I've heard of a trick: get a friend to go with you to the blind. After a minute or two, have the friend leave and go home. The birds, or at least some of them, will assume that the blind is empty.

The Equipment

When taking photographs of birds, be sure to consider the type and speed of the film you will be using.

Depending how you will be using the photographs, you can use either slide or print film. It is much easier to get additional prints for your friends and family from print film negatives vs. slides. Slides will give you a wonderful color saturation, more so than print film. Use the slowest speed film you can manage and still get the type of images you want. Faster film is great for lower light situations as well as for freezing action, such as birds flying or moving around quite a bit. But the faster film will more grainy photographs that are less sharp and have less color saturation. Use the longest lens you have or can afford to get the bird as large as possible in the photograph.

Digital cameras have been on the market for several years now. If you are considering getting a digital camera to photograph birds, get one that has the longest zoom length as possible. Teleconverters are available for these digital cameras as well. I prefer using digital cameras for shooting birds for two purposes, one you have access to unlimited media at the fraction of actual cost of films and other stuff and it gives you excellent control on speed and DOF as well. You can change the ISO speed within seconds in low light condition or if you want to capture the action of birds at a faster speed.

Secondly, most of the digital cameras are available in crop factor ratio which means they multiply the focal length of your lens with the crop factor ratio. e.g, Canon has 1.6 crop factor ratio in its 20D, 10D, 30D and 350D cameras and hence using a 400 mm lens it actually gives you a 400*1.6= 640 mm focal length that is an excellent focal length for shooting birds. You can get a teleconverter to extend the focal length for less money usually than buying an additional lens. Try to use a tripod to get sharper photos. If you're without a tripod, try resting the camera on a window sill, car door, or other stable object. If your existing lens just doesn't get the birds close enough, try placing your focused camera on a ledge nearby where you expect the birds to come. Focus it, adjust the settings then leave it there. Watch from afar. When you think you have the perfect photo, use a remote control to trigger the shutter. Digital cameras are a great way to shoot wildlife birds, because you can try and get the results intantly and hence can keep on trying. Similarly most of the cheap lenses now are available in cameras to the focal length of 300 mm and that is an excellent range when multiplied by the digital camera crop factor to shoot the birds.

Digital camcorders are also an option. You can slowly play the movies, freeze a frame and print off that one image onto paper or display it on the web.