Helpful tips for photographing birds

By Rex Dolby

It may not be too long before the birds start heading south, so I thought it’d be a good time to give some tips on photographing birds before they are gone.

Looking at equipment first, you’ll need to consider where you’ll be shooting.  That will help determine the lens power needed.  But to cover most situations, the biggest zoom lens with image stabilization you can afford will serve you well. On a tight budget? There are good used lenses for sale.

The speed of flight and wing beats will help in deciding the shutter speed the camera must be capable of delivering.  Look for one with 1/1000th of a second or higher settings. Because of varying weather conditions and locations, your camera must have a wide range of ISO (light sensitivity) settings, possibly 100-800 at least.  I’d suggest auto and manual focus settings also.

If you are shooting only for pleasure or possibly making an 8×10 print, an 8 mp (megapixel) image will do just fine.  However, if you are thinking of  a larger print, you’ll need 12 mp camera to produce the best 11×14 and 36 mp for a 16×20 print.

Finally, consider a tripod, monopod, and/or bean bag (a cornhole bag will work) to support your camera and lens system.

Do some research on the birds you want to shoot to learn where to find them and when they are most active.   Then actually observe them for patterns of behavior and flight so you can anticipate their movement and have more accurate camera settings.

Keep the sun and wind to your back. By shooting in the early morning or late afternoon you will be more likely to pick up the glint in the bird’s eye.  Since birds land facing into the wind, you’ll have them facing into the camera when you shoot.