N-Photo - The Nikon Magazine - UK (2019-12)

Focus on the eye

IT CAN BE CHALLENGING TO GET SHARP

SHOTS OF OUR AVIAN FRIENDS, BUT IT’S BEST

ALWAYS TO AIM FOR THAT ONE SPOT...

Birds, including garden favourites such as robins and

blackbirds, are challenging to photograph because they

are so often on the move. Even when they are perched

they can move their heads, or ruffle their feathers

indiscriminately with zero regard for your photo. The

key is to focus on the eye. If the eye is sharp, almost any

softness elsewhere is forgivable – and sometimes even

desirable. I take multiple shots to increase my chances

of an in-focus image. The bird doesn’t always have to be

looking directly at my lens, but the photograph tends to be

more engaging if we seem to have its attention. Ideally the

light will be catching the eye too, because this helps draw

us in to the crucial point of the picture that captures

personality and intimacy.

Left: Goldfinch, Oxfordshire. This colourful bird stands out nice

and sharp against a soft background.

far and wide, from my bedroom window in central


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Capture everyday beauty
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refuge in our towns and cities and treating us to
their comings and goings in our backyards. Both
town and country gardens are visited by grey
herons, woodpeckers (green and great spotted),

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everyday beauty of our most common bird life.
Take the magpie, glossy in blacks, blues and greens.
Or the starling, iridescent in rainbow colours as it
catches the sun. Our cameras can reveal
unexpected treats to our unsuspecting human eye.
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• and the trick is to picture them with all three hues
  
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  much patience, involved in capturing a strong
  image, but you can work to make circumstances
  turn in your favour. I try to position myself, quietly,
  to avoid the sun shining from behind the bird and
  creating a silhouette – although a backlit subject
  edged in a golden light can also yield rewarding
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The story of birds

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began to appreciate birds of every shape, size and

story. Birds aren’t only aesthetically alluring, they’re

incredible achievers too. Take the willow warbler

• it is l itt le more t ha n 10c m long, but when it

Above left: Great

spotted woodpecker,

mid Wales. An example

of where focusing on

the eye lends you all the

sharpness you need.

Left: Starling, London.

A common sight in the

UK, however your

camera sensor will pick

up details you’re likely

to m i s s a t fi r s t gla n c e.

GARDEN BIRDS