Wild Bird Photography

Photography Tips


When the bird is in shadows, its best to have the whole subject in the shadow, use slower shutter speed to use as low ISO as possible, increase aperture to allow more light, I usually remove the extender to get better image quality
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Shutter Speed : 1/320
Aperture : 2.8
ISO : 12800
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 300.0 mm
Flash : 0
Singing Quail, Punta Laguna, Solidaridad, Mexico - November 2015
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Fast birds needs fastest shutter speed possible, Image Stabilizer is on, sometimes removing extender to get the best focus possible. Taking lot of shots helps to improve probability to get focused shot.
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 80D
Shutter Speed : 1/2000
Aperture : 7.1
ISO : 320
Lens Model : EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Focal Length : 100.0 mm
Flash : 0
Forster Tern, Bayland Nature Preserve, Palo Alto, California - April 2017
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Dusk, dawn and night shots require flash, regardless of how far the bird is, I take few test shots to different subject to verify the best flash setting before seeing the bird
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS-1D X
Shutter Speed : 1/640
Aperture : 5.6
ISO : 800
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 300.0 mm
Flash : 1
Eurasian Nightjar, Rust de Winter Nature Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa - January 2016
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Bright harsh light can produce unpleasant shots especially if there are shadows, the contrast is so strong, the dark areas have no details, try to underexpose to recover the dark areas and not loose the bright area details, in most cases, the photo would need some post processing
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Shutter Speed : 1/1000
Aperture : 4.0
ISO : 100
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM +1.4x III
Focal Length : 420.0 mm
Flash : 0
Great Egret, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kasese, Uganda - July 2018
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If the light is soft, which is usually morning or evening, always use angle with 90 degree to the sun, touch of soft shadow makes the shot more dynamic
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Shutter Speed : 1/800
Aperture : 2.8
ISO : 100
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 300.0 mm
Flash : 0
Red-legged Seriema, Pedra da Babilonia, Nova Friburgo, Brazil - January 2017
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Foggy weather is the toughest to photograph in, usually the subjects are very soft and light is detracted away from the sensor, remove the extender, reduce shutter speed and decrease the aperture to reduce the ISO, this way, post processing is possible.
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Shutter Speed : 1/1250
Aperture : 2.8
ISO : 100
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 300.0 mm
Flash : 0
White-tailed Tyrannulet, Inca Trail, Yanacocha Reserve, Ecuador - August 2015
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If a dark colored bird is perched against overcast background, use spot meter to maximize the bird details when capturing the shot.
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Shutter Speed : 1/320
Aperture : 6.3
ISO : 400
Lens Model : EF400mm f/2.8L USM
Focal Length : 400.0 mm
Flash : 0
American Crow, Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View, California - February 2012
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Shy birds that hide inside trees and bushes are very tricky, focusing is tough because of obstacles, if the bird stop moving, I try to change the angle constantly until I see the best opening, sometimes it is better to use manual focus
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Shutter Speed : 1/640
Aperture : 2.8
ISO : 8000
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 300.0 mm
Flash : 0
White-bibbed Antbird, Macae de Cima, Nova Friburgo, Brazil - January 2017
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Taking shots with moving birds and blurring wings is rewarding, a slow shutter speed is required, between 1/150 and 1/400, a stabilized lens helps keep the bird face sharp
Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Shutter Speed : 1/200
Aperture : 3.2
ISO : 400
Lens Model : EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 300.0 mm
Flash : 1
Sword-billed Hummingbird, Observatorio de Colibries, La Calera, Colombia - November 2017
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