Bird photography with flash?

Sadly my interest for bird photography arrived with the worst weather we have seen in years. With over the double amount of rain normal, and over 2 months of cloudy, windy, stormy and rainy weather, the sessions behind the camera has been few and without much success. Im using a Sigma 120-300mm F/2.8. Sadly tho, even shooting wide open and with ISO setting at 400 im lacking enough to light to get good images. The small sparrowsized birds im shooting is simply to fast to frezze most of the time.

Having read alot on the subject lately tho, it seems many people are using flash for bird photos. Im using a Canon 350D with a Canon 580EX flash. Problems is that the birds are usually just a few feet away from me when im shooting them, and the flash (mounted on the camera) seems to frighten them away. Im sitting inside a Ameristep Doghouse TCS, and the birds often get within the minimum focus distance of my lense. Without the flash I can photograp them for ages without disturbing them, but with the flahs they normaly fly away the second I take my first shoot. And a sparrow has proven to be atleast as fast as my flash, normaly resulting in a image where you see the bird fly of and out of the photo. Artistic at times, but not what im aiming for. Im a complete amature when it comes to using flash, so im just mounting it on the camera and leaving everything up to the automatics of the camera. Im using Aperture setting on the camera.

Could anyone sheed some light on the issue (pun intented). Am I simly to close to the birds to use flash succesfully? I would really appriciate it if someone could give me a few hints on how to use flash successfully in this settings.

kind regards,
Bjørn Olav

My experience with flash is that it is the poppping sound that frightens the birds and not the light. It might help to move back some to reduce the amount of noise the birds hear. Try that to see if it helps.

I do almost all my shooting with flash and haven't had this problem. I think perhaps moving back a bit is the answer. Are you using a Better Beamer? I ask because this focusses the flash beam and means the flash doesn't have to put out nearly as much light to illuminate the subject. As a result the flash is much quieter and your batteries will last a great deal longer.

Hope this helps Bjorn

Bjorn, if moving back isn't something you're able to do to get the results you want, you might also simply use the pop-up fill flash the camera is equipped with. At that distance it probably will put out very little power, and may be quite a lot less obtrusive going off. The lens/hood may be high enough, however, that it'll obscure the flash's light, so you'd have to experiment. Most pop-up flashes don't rise overly high, though I believe one of the upgrades from the Rebel (300D) to the Rebel XT (350D) was a fill flash that popped up a bit higher.

If you're set up near a feeding station or other bird attraction and it's convenient for you, you might consider setting up supplemental lighting and allowing the birds to become accustomed to the lights. Most species will over time.

I don't mean to offend, but I typically shoot a slow telephoto zoom, the Canon 100-400L image stabilizer, which only opens to f5.6 at 400mm, and is just a little soft wide open at 400mm, so I shoot it a lot at f7.1 and f8. That's far slower than your fast setup, and I usually don't have problems with shutter speeds too slow to get a sharp bird, even on cloudy days when I set iso at 400, and it sounds like your setup would encourage a tripod, which I don't use. Your lens (no IS) on a tripod should be able to outdo mine (IS) on a monopod.

It's never my inclination to question a person's technique, but I find mine slips regularly if I'm not paying close attention, so I figure it's possible others' techniques might sometimes need a little firming up, as well.

And certainly there are other factors. To some degree it's a timing issue, because getting sharp images of small birds with their rapid twitches and movements can be a challenge. I've been a birder for more than 30 years, so that knowledge of species habits helps. Even with that, on cloudy days with my slow-Betty lens I have a LOT of discards I delete upon review. Fps rate also is an issue, and I'm shooting 5 to 8.5 max fps, depending on the body, whereas the 350D is max 3 fps, if I remember correctly. A faster fps rate means in increased chance of catching the bird as it pauses.

If any of this helps, cool. If you feel tread upon, I'm sorry, didn't mean it that way.

Thanks for all your input guys! And thansk for your advice Steve. Im sure your on to something, but this is Norway during winter, and sadly we get close to no sunlight this time of year. There's a reason your have to drive around with your headlight on the car even during summers here

I use a tripod for all my shots, but im sure my technique has a LONG way to as I have only been into natur photography for a few months now. Currently trying to work my way true about 20 books on the subject now, and I hope this will improve. Sadly tho, seems a underwater housing is the only way to go for some hands on practice at this time

I hope it will snow soon, as this tends to lighten up the sky, and the snow should work as a great reflector as well.

Since you mentioned that you're leaving everything on automatic, you might also try turning down the flash power. The 580EX has this ability, and I think you can do flash exposure compensation on the 350D as well which does about the same thing. Turning down the power would reduce noise as well as the light output. Even the lowest output might still give enough fill light as short distances, or provide a good catch-light in the eyes.

Bjorn, thanks for helping me understand better. When you say dark, you don't mean cloudy, you mean DARK!