I propose that aperture, the size of the hole where light is entering the camera, is the least important setting for this type of photography. Having a big opening lets lots of light in, which is great if you are only opening the shutter for a very short moment of time. However, there are some …
Of all the camera settings, shutter speed is probably the most important when you are zoomed in. Normally, when I’m photographing birds, I use shutter priority, meaning I set the shutter speed I want/need and let the camera adjust the aperture to get the right exposure. The shutter speed is the amount of time the …
The zooming is an important part of bird photography, and this week in the Bird Watch column and here on the blog, we take a look at how to get the best photos when you are using your zoom.
I would say it’s a rare problem, but sometimes you can be too close! In this photo of a Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, I was focused on getting sharp detail in her face and didn’t even realize her legs and tail were being cut off. It seems like a silly mistake, but it’s rare that a …
It’s an obvious tip, but it works. If you are having trouble getting close enough to little birds, try taking photos of big birds, like pelicans, frigatebirds and egrets. You can take photographs from five times as far when you’re photographing a bird that’s five times as big as another bird. This is probably one …
Even though getting close to birds usually requires being as inconspicuous and unthreatening as possible, sometimes curiosity can work in your favor. This juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron definitely noticed me, and was scoping me out pretty intently. For the photographer, this is a much better situation that a bird flying away immediately, but it is …
There are many different reasons why you might want to photograph a group of birds. Sometimes you just can’t get close enough to make a compelling photo of a single bird, but you can get something good by featuring multiple birds in the same photo. Four Short-billed Dowitchers make for a nice photo even at …
The first column in the Bird Shots series for Bird Watch SXM in The Daily Herald’s Weekender focuses on getting close to birds. As you can see in this photo, nature often provides an impromptu bird blind at the right moment. In this case, it was a group of trees. Partially hidden, it was possible …
For the Bird Watch SXM column in The Daily Herald’s Weekender, I am starting a series on bird photography. The first article came out today and I will try to post some additional tips on the blog here between articles. Also, if you don’t get The Daily Herald, there is a mostly complete archive of …