How to photograph birds: Help!

Being a novice photographer eager to learn, I thought I would try my hand at shooting the winged ones, descendants of the dinosaurs. Armed with my trusty A700 Sony and my lenses (a 70-300 mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM and a 500 mm F8 REFLEX)I waited patiently for my first target to land in the magnificent oak tree that stood a short 60 feet from my patio window. (Since it is winter in Ohio, I choose to sit inside rather than freezing my buns off.) Well, finally, a noble blue jay (I think) landed on one of the branches and I went to work. As he jumped from one branch to another, up and down, over and back, pausing only to chirp now and again, I followed his every move. I was bound and determined to bring him into focus, but after a short period of time the only thing I accomplished was an elevated heart rate, headache, and dizziness.

So my question is: what is the secret to photographing birds? Should I buy a high speed camera? Develop ninja-like camera skills? Or use the force?

Please Help
Gary

Gary,

There is NO magic to help with bird photography, it takes skill, it takes patience, it takes enormous time in the field, it takes practice, hard work and determination.

First thing I would suggest is to get a bird guide, Jim DeWitt and Rich Ditch wrote and article about some here: http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles1009/jd1009-1.html

Read up on species in your local area, find out when they are there. Birds do migrate, some don't. Learn to recognize them. And better yet study their behavior because that can help you get some great action.

Learn ethics, know when you are getting too close by being aware of the bird's behavior, you can tell when you get too close because they get alarmed. Follow local, state and federal guidelines & rules about how close to approach and what land you need to stay off of. Don't mess with nesting birds.

I don't know anything about your camera but I am sure there might be bird photographers on NPN who are who can help you with that but I know that your 500mm F8 Reflex won't do as good a job at birds as a prime lens or a good zoom. With your 70-300mm you'll need to learn good stalking skills to get close enough to the birds or use a hide. Go to parks where birds are used to humans and you may be able to get closer to birds than an area where the birds do not have much human exposure.

Be prepared to be frustrated. Be prepared to miss many more shots than you get that are sharp.

Be prepared to sit for hours waiting for "the" shot.

I'm self taught so I can't speak about taking workshops but they do seem to help some people. Learn your camera & gear intimately, know when you are pushing it to its limits. You need to be able to change your settings very quickly as birds aren't high paid models, they are wild and move when ever they want.

Learn about exposure, white birds should look white and not muddy or gray in appearance. Black birds should look dark but not so dark as to not show any feather detail. If the techs aren't good and the exposure is bad nothing you do in photoshop is going to make a poor image great.

Be prepared to become addicted to birds.

Hi, I am Mia and I am a bird photography addict!

I'm sure others will add more, just my two cents.

One thing I forgot:

Be prepared for non-bird photographers to look at you like you have horns growing out of your head. They don't understand the language of bird photographers.

Oh wow Mia, lol, and you nailed it all right on the head!!!! I myself am hoping for some improvement in year two... in equipment and my "avianics"!!

Lots of good advice provided by Mia. One of the keys to making standout images is to photograph birds when the background is uncluttered by other twigs, leaves, tree limbs, etc. You have some control over that because you can move your position to eliminate distracting background elements that will compete with your subject for attention. I would highly recommend that you go to www.birdsasart.com, which is Arthur Morris' website (Artie is one of the gurus of bird photography and is know worldwide for his technical and teaching skills), and reading his "bulletins." There is a huge archive of bulletins for you to pour over and learn from one of of the all-time greats. He provides several images in each of his bulletins and always gives you the technical specifications of how and why he photographed the bird in question the way he did. You will learn tons of information, from which lenses to use for different situations to exposure theory. Also found on his website (in the Birds as Art "store" tab) are instructional CD's that he has put together. You can also buy a CD there authored by Alan Murphy called the "Guide to Songbird Setup Photography" which is a great way to learn how to attract birds to your backyard and photograph them in the closest thing to a "controlled" situation. See his absolutely stunning images--many of which he shot in his small yard, at www.alanmurphyphotography.com. You can also buy his CD there. Start with Arthur Morris' site and then when you are getting the hang of things order Alan's CD. Your results will improve dramatically once you have a solid understanding of exposure theory in changing conditions and the right lenses and, most importantly, get out in the field as often as possible and work hard on what you have learned. Bird photography is, as Mia said, very addicting as well as fairly expensive (learn all you can about prospective lenses before you buy--plenty of people on the web are happy to guide you to the right ones). Make sure you shoot from a solid tripod with a good head (either a very strong ball head or a gimbal-type head, such as a Wimberly head or a Mongoose head). Good luck!!!

More to what Mia said—because I am always learning something from her, and because I still "sin" in that light—resist, resist, resist the temptation to over process, or to try and correct your or the camera's error! Don't waste time putting a cherry on top. Chances are that if it ain't there to begin with, it won't be there at the end. Digits are free, but time is not.

Mia nailed it - not a thing I could add, except PATIENCE in very large letters.

Sandy

Gary--You have plenty of camera and lens for the job. You have one of the only 500mm autofocus reflex lenses in existence. Its lightweight mobility can be a great asset in the field, and it gets good reviews for sharpness. The a700 camera also reviews well. I have used the a100 and a900 with great results. You do not need a "higher speed" camera. So you're starting off well with your equipment.

It sounds like you are trying to shoot distant birds through your patio window. Despite the brutal winter, shooting through the window glass can cause problems. And 60 feet away is not very close, so take the advice of the others here and bring the birds closer to you, or go out and get closer to the birds.

Light: Choose your light well. If the day is clear, shoot in the morning or late afternoon from a position where you can get good frontal lighting or good back lighting. Harsh overhead light is unlikely to produce a good image. Bright hazy days can produce very nice diffuse lighting.

Shutter speed: The faster your bird target is moving, the higher the shutter speed you will need to avoid motion blur. For fast moving birds try for 1/2000th or faster. This will mean boosting your ISO accordingly. (Use software processing to deal with the noise.) For stationary birds, you can use a lower shutter speed (and lower ISO), but pay attention to movement--most birds are always twitching something.

Use a tripod: Even with the a700's stabilized sensor, hand-holding a telephoto lens is likely to introduce blur from your own jiggling, so stabilize with a tripod.

Focus: If you are shooting distant birds in a tree, the camera is likely to lock in on the hard-edged branches that may not be in the same plane of focus as the bird. Besides using spot or local focus, follow the advice above and try to get your bird more isolated from the background.

Then practice, practice, practice.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
--John

A few more thoughts about starting bird photography (ok, more than a few):

If you want to get that "low angle" bird photographers so often talk about be prepared to get dirty, learn how to belly crawl through mud, sand, grass, bird poop and things you don't even want to think about. And when there is an algae bloom in the shallow water get some nose plugs or a portable oxygen tank. Think of sand crawling as a free or low cost dermabrasion. Get your tetanus shots updated.

If you are shooting up at birds invest in a heating pad because your shoulders will scream at you. Or buy into a local massage parlor.

Look before you sit, fire ants aren't fun.

Get long johns, great gloves, heat packs and the warmest coats you can get if you are going to photograph in cold weather or you might freeze something off. Remember to wear sun protective clothing in the summer or you might toast your buns.. or something else.

Get a bumper sticker that says "Caution, Frequent Stops - Bird Photographer on Board" or be prepared to get rear-ended. Realize that non bird photographers don't know why we drive erratically at times, they just think we are insane.

Buy cases of insect repellent. In some locations you may need pepper spray and not just for 4 legged animals.

If you hear someone say "I'd kill for that lens"... run like the wind.

Carry something to snack on or your stomach grumbling will scare off the birds.

You have to be able to tell the difference between a domestic chicken & a grouse.

Know the color a bird actually is for post processing later, a kestrel; for instance, shouldn't look like it lives at a nuclear power plant by glowing too bright or is too colorful to be natural & realistic.

Get it right in the camera to save time on postprocessing later. Review each of your images prior to deleting and ask yourself "What could I have done to make this image better?" Learn to develop a love/hate relationship with culling.

I shoot most of the time without a tripod, handhold my 70-300mm VR, my 80-400mm VR, most of the time I am resting my 200-400mm VR on my noodle or shooting handheld in bursts. Perhaps less than 5% of my images are taken using a tripod. I know plenty of bird photographers who shoot handheld and get sharp images. Tripods can be handy though if you don't have IS or VR or if you expect to be on the birds a long time.

Be aware that you may have to sell your first born to be able to pay for "that" lens. Just kidding... well maybe not.

For me a large part of the joy I get photographing birds is being out in nature with them rather than sitting in a lounge chair in a back yard sipping a cold one. Immersing myself in the bird's world.

Be considerate of other bird photographers when you approach them while they are on birds. I've spent long periods of time getting close to my subjects just to have some rude person walk up quickly to "grab a shot" who flush the birds I have so patiently approached. Most bird photographers are great people and don't mind if you approach in a slow way and don't flush the birds. Ask them, with a quiet voice.

Don't jump in front of another photographer to get your shot. Or be prepared... for anything. Just saying...

You can probably learn from CD's or from bulletins but they are no substitute for "Practice, practice, practice".

Be aware that light can be your enemy or your friend when it comes to bird photography. Learn to work with it rather than fight it.

If you don't have patience bird photography might not be for you.

So, do you still wanna be a bird photographer?

Hi Gary - You've got some great tips already (and some funny ones too). While everything that's been said is right on the money, thinking about it all at once might be overwhelming. So my tip is to just start with some simple goals and go from there.

For example, buy a feeder and place it within 20 ft of your patio window, and then just begin watching the birds. If you watch closely, you will probably notice that they approach from a particular direction. Find a suitable branch and set it up as a perch on that side of the feeder. They will likely land on the perch and you can get natural looking shots where the feeder isn't even in the frame. And now that you're getting decent views of the birds, you can start to notice the species that are regulars. One of the best ways to advance your birding skills is to get to know the common species. Soon, when something different shows up, you'll know it immediately. Keep a field guide handy is great.

One last suggestion is to visit the Instruction section of NPN. There are a number of well-written articles that are nice 'bite-size' pieces that you can read as time permits. There is a whole section on Bird Photography. As everyone says, be patient - with the birds and with yourself. In no time you'll start to see improvement.

Mia, has pretty much summed it up. But I will belabor a few points.

Don't depend on CDs or DVDs or books or anything to make you a better bird photographer. Use them as resources, yes, but if you want the shot, the real shot, of birds doing what they do naturally, it takes a ton of time and practice and being in the field.

Get to know your camera like you know nothing else. Eat with it, sleep with it, talk to it, whatever it takes until you almost forget you have it in your hands. Sound obsessive? Well you are right. It is, I am.

As far as tripods go, leave it at home or in the car if you can. My suggestion is, if you can hand hold, do it. A couple very good bird photographers gave me that tip when I first started and I am so glad I listened to them. No tripod = FREEDOM! There is no substitute for the freedom it gives you when the time comes to make the shot. Don't be discouraged if you are not good at hand holding right away with a long lens, nobody is. Build up the strength you need to hold the lens you will use and practice, practice, practice. If you just can't hand hold then I suggest you use a monopod.

For practice, go to places close to were you live that have lots of birds. Who cares what species (crows, starlings, pigeons, robins, etc), and shoot, shoot, shoot. Look at your images and learn from them. You won't be sorry you did all that work as your images will get better and better the more and harder you work. Good luck and I pity you.

Start saving your money. Once you get the bug, you will want to buy the lens that cost about the same amount as a small child.

Gary, I started shooting birds last May. And I see that you did one great thing to get started. You asked this question. I am reading all the replies from these excellant photographers and the input is fantastic.

I will add one thing that has helped me a lot. Post your shots with as many specifics to conditions, situation and above all the camera settings. Then the photographers here will critique you shot and you will learn. I express how much these folks have helped me. I continue to go over my old shots and read their comments. Mia suggested that self critique is helpful and I am trying that now.

NPN photographers are fantastic.

LOL to Mia's second post!
All Sad, but true..
Sandy

A few more from the Bird Photographers Handbook:

The accuracy of a weather forecast for good light varies with the distance you need to drive in the dark to get to your planned birding destination in time for early light - the further you drive the more likely you'll have clouds or fog and poor light. Anything over an hour and it's guaranteed.

There will often be a "cloud from hell" that, despite clear skies otherwise, will position itself between you and the sun. For hours.

When you FINALLY get close to the subject bird it will have invariably chosen a perch or position with a distracting twig or grass clump between you and the bird. And it will STAY there.

The "cleanness" of your view of the bird is inversely proportional to the attractiveness of the perch.

If you get multiple shots of a cooperative bird up close in good light and he/she gives you one fleeting but stunning pose, that will be the shot where there is no catchlight. Or the nictitating membrane is showing. Or you've temporarily lost sharp focus. Or you clipped a body part. Or your card or buffer filled up.

I could go on...

LOL Ron D!

WOW!!!
Thank You to everyone who replied to my inquiry. The amount of knowledge, experience, and suggestions found in your feedback was overwhelming. Mia, a special thanks to you. Your descriptions of birding were quite vivid and colorful. I am amazed at the effort that was put into responding to my question. If I had known that NPN photographers were so willing to share their world so freely without asking for anything in return, I would have joined six months ago. Again, thank you.

Gary

PS: I just have one more question. What does LOL mean?

Gary, LOL means laughing out loud

It is always my pleasure to help members who are serious about their photography and with this post I had fun doing it too!

Gary,

Are you anywhere near Port Clinton or Toledo? The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge has a photo blind that is great right now. A few hours in there and you will get a chance to shoot a lot of birds very close in the snow. I was there a few days ago playing with cardinals and Blue Jays in a white background.
Give them a call and see if you can blow a few hours there.
The person to contact is Rebeca Hinkle on (419) 898-0014.

Cheers,
Iain Campbell

Iain,

Thanks for the info. I live about 3 hours away from that area. Sounds like a perfect opportunity. I'll give Rebeca a call and schedule some time.

Gary

Hi Gary,
I think it is useful to have some default settings to use when just starting to photograph birds. For example if you are used to photographing landscapes the aperture, iso etc are going to be very different for birds. When I am teaching people new to bird photography I generally have them start out at something like iso 400 (this changes depending on the camera they are using), Aperture priority, use evaluative or matrix metering and use an F-stop of about 2/3 of a stop down from wide open - which would be F 7.1 with your zoom lens at 300mm. You can then adjust from there to match the conditions (for example increase your iso if you need more shutter speed for a flying bird) That way they can focus on the tough part of photographing birds - tracking them and getting close to them. Some of this may have been covered already and I can see you have received some good advice. Have fun!!

Hello Nate,

I really appreciate the information. I also picked up a tidbit from a Michael Freeman book. He suggested that beginners would benefit from photographing larger birds since they flew slower and therefore, were easier to track. Anything that helps and I need a lot of it. Thanks again.

Gary

Patience and lots and lots of hard work>