Tracking birds
of prey in flight
PHOTOGRAPH RAPTORS
SHARPLY WITH THESE TIPSPhotographing raptors can be tough as
they’re often airborne. Shooting up from
beneath a flying hawk brings with it
issues of focus, perspective and shadow.
My autofocus can struggle with birds
high in the sky, so I tend to use the
manual focus setting. But it can then
prove challenging to achieve sufficient
sharpness. If a raptor is diving against a
hill or mountainside there’s no time to
adjust the manual focus ring, so I’d
suggest using autofocus – you have to
concentrate or you’ll end up with a sharp
backdrop and a blurred bird. I try to
track the species with my lens and
anticipate its trajectory before using the
high-speed continuous release mode to
fire off the maximum number of images
while holding down the shutter button.Right: Kestrel, Cambridgeshire. Tracking
raptors can be hard, but your camera has
tools to help simplify the process.
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feature on the M40, visit the town of Watlington.
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to the photographer.
Make your own luck
Given how tricky it can be to photograph birds in
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of good for t u ne. You ca n, t hough, ma ke you r ow n
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enough your chances of a successful shot increase.
One of my favourite images is of the kestrel I
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The approach
Frustratingly, for all their fearsomeness, birds of
prey can be extremely shy. When I spot one on a
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however, try waiting patiently for the raptor or owl
to land on a tree or fence post and then advance with
care. It’s always a balance between getting within
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carefully make my approach, lest I miss out
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\Below: Red kite,
Rhayader. Put yourself
in the correct place to
photograph your
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we be, after all, without aspiration?
RAPTORS AND OWLS