1. Use a fast shutter speed for bird photography
Bird photography relies on taking lots of photos. Trial and error is also key here. If your camera has a continuous mode, use this. This means you’ll be able to take more pictures in the same amount of time. Do this, and you’ll be sure to capture the best moment from your subject.
Birds, by their very nature are speedy, so to capture them in action it’s vital you’re using a quick shutter speed. If it’s not a totally sunny day, you might find that raising your ISO can help to achieve an even quicker shutter speed than your camera would otherwise let you.
2. Keep the eyes in focus
If you either can’t or don’t have a fast enough shutter speed to make everything crisp it’s vital to make the eyes perfectly sharp.
When you half press on your camera’s shutter you will see your camera highlight the focus point it is using. Try and align this focus point with the eye of the bird. This will help you to keep the eyes sharp!
3. What strikes you about the bird?
Is it the colours, patterns on the birds’ feathers? Whatever it might be, see if you can make this the prominent feature in your image.
Using a small aperture (ie a low f number) can help to blur the background like on this robin here! Be cautious of the fact this is still dependent on how far away the bird is from you. The closer the bird is to you, the more effective this trick will be! Remember that colours can also be enhanced when you’re editing the photos – keep thinking about what makes your photo special. Editing can help bring this out of your photo.
4. Experiment with different angles and positions.
Bird photography, much like any photography can be spiced up with experimenting with your angles.
You might want to take a picture of a bird in flight or sat perched somewhere. See if you can vary the birds’ position in your photos. You might be surprised at what difference you can create just by changing your angles.
If you’d like to start taking photos, try exploring your local area. Alternatively, you could take a look at a local nature reserve or zoo. If you’d like to see more of my photos click here.