How to Take Great Bird Pictures

Bird photography is one of the most popular, and challenging, types of animal photography. It can be difficult to take perfect photos of birds in the wild, so look to your own backyard for those great photo ops.

Creating a Backyard Bird Photo Shoot

Location, location, location! The biggest challenge you will have in setting up your backyard photo shoots is to get the birds where you want them. Once you put out feeders, birds will come, so make sure those feeders are in areas that provide a place for the birds to perch to stay a while and also provide a beautiful setting for your photo. Also be sure to consider an area where the birds are protected from predators.

Be kind to your feathered friends and provide quality seed in the winter so they are getting the nourishment they need for energy to stay warm at night.

Birdbaths can provide hours of entertainment and are great for photo ops. Birdhouses encourage birds to take up residency in your yard, expanding your photo opportunities.

Not sure what species are native to your area? Maybe you are lucky to live in a bird flyway and will get a great variety of birds passing through. The Audubon Society has lots of information about bird habitat and migration. You can also find out from them what types of seeds or plants (if birds won't take their meals at feeders) are best. You can also find good tips at the National Wildlife Federation's "Gardening for Wildlife" pages.

Birds won’t just be at feeders and baths so branch out in your bird photography. Scan your entire yard to find birds perched in trees, on fences, in your garden or tucked into a nest in a tree. And, be sure to have your camera in hand as you scout out your backyard. Bird photography can be a challenge but it is also very rewarding. Once you start your bird photography, you will have a greater appreciation for your backyard.


How to Adjust Your Camera for Bird Photos

If you have tried your hand at bird photography, I bet you have discovered that birds are in almost constant motion. Their heads bob up and down when eating and they are always looking side to side for predators. The best setting for your bird pictures will be a high shutter speed. Use Sports mode or set your shutter speed to at least 1/250.

If you have an optical zoom on your compact digital (or a telephoto lens on an SLR), bird photography will be a lot easier. An optical zoom of 6x, depending on the camera, can give you about the same magnification as a 200mm lens, meaning a photograph taken from about 10 feet away could look like a close up.

Some of the so called "bridge cameras" offer zooms from 10 to 20 feet, but not all produce quality results. Be sure to check around before purchasing. A tripod or other camera stabilizer may be needed when using the high range zooms. Speaking of zooms, always go for optical.

You can take some wonderful pictures of birds in flight or perched high in a tree if you have a long enough lens. Professional nature photographers often use a 600 lens to capture images with good detail of birds in flight or far away.

Telephoto lenses of this size are very expensive, but birders do have another way. It's called digiscoping. With this method, you combine the birder's spotting scope with a digital camera. You can find a good article about digiscoping by searching online for the "Birdwatchers Digest: Photography."

Blue skies are best for pictures of birds in flight. The hour after dawn is often the bluest sky of the day. Be aware of any times of the day when you may have flocks of birds that regularly fly over your yard. If birds of prey are your photographic choice, visit a lake or river early in the evening when they fish. This is also a great time for natural lighting as it will add a soft, even and warm touch to your photograph.

Are you ready to incorporate these tips and try your hand at bird photography? Hopefully with these tips you will have success attracting birds into your yard and the satisfaction of capturing them in beautiful framed photos you will be proud to display and share with others.