First Published April 17th 2018
It’s warming up a little, and everything is starting to spring into life again.
This is a little bit about how i shoot birds, what kit i use and how i get on with shooting different birds.
There are a few points here which will hopefully help you get some great shots.
Lets start with Kit.
You honestly don’t need all that much to start doing this. A good APS-C sensor camera and up to a 300mm lens will put you in a good position to start shooting birds and wildlife in general.
I started with a little D3200 and a 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 kit lens. I was happy with this setup for a while as i just started pointing and shooting. Its only when i started understanding my camera, and what i wanted out of it, that i needed to change up what i was doing and the kit i was using.
Here are some of the first shots i ever took of birds with a DSLR. These were all Auto mode with no idea what i was doing, just ‘spray and pray’
I haven’t even got the settings for half of these first shots, but as you can see, an entry level camera and a telephoto lens can get achieve good results.
A pretty relaxed bird that’s used to humans, so you can get a little closer.
The composition for me is not great and the background isn’t either. This is from a few years ago.
At RSPB Titchwell Marsh. Entry level kit getting the shots. You can probably see that the foreground is more in focus due to Depth of Field the camera selected in auto to get the shot exposed how it wanted.
The subject was further away in this shot , so the foreground blurred nicely.
Things to think about.
There are lots of things that need to come together for a great shot. A lot more than what i’m listing below, but one thing at a time.
Light
It is best to shoot Early Morning or Late Afternoon. Generally a nice soft light rather than harsh midday sun. You’ll also get nice catchlights when shooting at these times as well.
More or less straight out the camera. D750 with Sigma 150-600@500mm
f6.0, 1/1000th, ISO560. Nice little catchlight and a strong off-centre composition. A clean background helps bring the scene to life.
These little things are extraordinarily fast so a high shutter speed and a slightly higher ISO to compensate. You can user exposure compensation as well.
Composing your shot
Using the Rule of Thirds to place your subject off centre and having a complimentary background.
A Pied Wagtail following me around a local park. D750, Sigma 150-600@600mm
f6.3, 1/500th, ISO3200. It was very early in the morning, and i was shooting other wildlife as well. It is good to know your settings to stay versatile.
Knowledge of Bird Activities
Just knowing what times they mate, when they are most active helps a lot with getting some fantastic shots.
Reed Bunting collecting for her nest. The light was absolutely perfect this day and really helped with the whole scene. D750, Sigma 150-600@600mm. f6.3, ISO1250 Shutter 1/1250th.
Starting out with your first bird shots.
It’s always good to start with more approachable birds like Herons, Mallards, Geese, Swans etc… The less skittish of our winged friends. These sort of birds will just help you start out with composition, focus and general skills.
These Swans don’t care too much about humans being around, until they nest that is, then keep your distance.
Know your settings. Because of their fast movements and tendencies i always start out with a high shutter speed, slightly higher iso, and the widest fstop possible. I’ll highlight in some of the following images my settings and a few things to lookout for.
Aim for the Eye if possible and hopefully, with the right light and positioning of yourself and the bird, you’ll get nice catchlights. Prefocussing is something that can be useful as well, if you know where the birds will generally land.
Try and get on the same level as the bird.
The aspect is more pleasing, and you’ll get nice bokeh and eye contact.
A good Tripod, Monopod or base.
This Award Winning Shot of a Reed Bunting was from a hide, with a good solid window ledge to use as a base. D750 with Sigma 150-600mm@600mm. f6.3, 1/1000th and ISO720.
Photos with habitat.
Showing the habitat of a bird works on a lot of levels. This is a Glossy Ibis at Watermead Nature Reserve. D750, Sigma 150-600mm@600mm. f6.3, 1/800th, ISO1100. I don’t mind pushing the ISO on this camera, as i know it produces fantastic results even higher up.
Patience and Persistence.
Being that little closer, and spending a lot of time very still produces awesome shots. Sitting in a hide or tent for lengthy periods does reap rewards.
D750 150-600mm@550mm. f6.3, 1/800th, iso3200. This was under a lot of shade, hence bumping the ISO. Think i spent about half an hour in the same position watching these birds coming to a feeding stump.
Shutter speed faster than focal length.
As a general rule i would keep the shutter faster than the focal length like many of these shots. But sometimes it can be ok to go the other way. Practice is what you need to do.
Upgrading your gear.
This will happen. Where i would go first. Get some good glass with a wide focal range. I use a Sigma 150-600 and a full frame Nikon Camera. My Kit list is below, with links to where you can buy them as well.
Nikon D7200 APS-C camera A great camera for starting with with bird photography
Starter Telephoto Lens up to 300mm(420mm on a APS-C body)
Nikon D750 Full Frame Camera What i use now.
Sigma 150-600 with 1.4 teleconverter kit a good lens and teleconverter for wildlife.
A good quality Tripod These are cheap and cheerful, but hugely solid. What i use for my astrophotography as well.
A fast memory card I always have a couple of these in my kit bag as well.
I now have a store for Prints and anything else. Look at the top of the page and click on Shop. If you want to email me for a custom order, or something not in the shop drop me an email.
As always, have fun, stay safe, and enjoy shooting.
Any suggestions for future blog posts, drop me an email. I will at some point be going into more detail on future posts.
you can see more of my work at
https://www.instagram.com/garethnormanlandscapes/
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