Birds tend to ignore you when they
are very hungry. It is very easy to
photograph them in action at these
times. But care should be taken not to
disturb them. Maintain considerable
distance between you and them.Capturing bird’s behaviour is tougher!
They become alert the moment you are in
their sight. An alert bird is ready to take-
off anytime. So, you have to be patient.You can observe the bird’s
behaviour only when they on their
own. They have to be comfortable in
your presence. There are few ways
to make the bird comfortable:- Go early in the morning when birds
are actively feeding. - Hide behind a bush or tree and move
slowly. - Sit or lie down quietly. Wait patiently
until the bird ignores you. - Visit the location several days until
the bird becomes comfortable with
your presence.
Remember to learn about the birds
that you are photographing. Study
their behaviour while you are waiting.
The more you understand the bird, thebetter your photographs will be.- Birds in Flight
Birds fly and that’s what set them
apart. Isn’t it?
The most interesting part of bird
photography is capturing their
magnificent flight. This is a tricky
aspect for beginners and pros alike. It is
not easy to take flight photographs that
will wow the viewers.The success of birds-in-flight photography
largely depends on the bird as well as the
technique that one employs.Smaller birds have erratic flight
behaviors. It becomes quite difficult
to track them since they are too small
in the frame. Larger birds normally
follow a pattern. You can guess what
happens next. It becomes easier to
track them.If you want to be a successful birds-in-
flight photographer, you should start
with the larger and slow moving birds.
Learn all the field techniques to capture
perfect photographs of these birds.Once you are confident with the
techniques, you can venture on to the
smaller birds.Here are some simple tips to capture
birds-in-flight photographs:- Learn about the birds’ flight patterns.
- Know their landing and take-off patterns.
- Spend enough time in the field
observing them. - Wait for some cues to anticipate the
next action. For instance, many birds
defecate before taking off, some birds
run to gain momentum, etc. - If there is more than one bird, it is
almost always the case that if one flies
the rest will follow. - Track the bird for a while and let the
camera achieve focus. - Wait for the best background.
- Take the shots in a continuous burst.
- Use Aperture Priority or Shutter
Priority mode to keep things simple. - Go for ISO 400 so that you get
reasonably fast shutter speeds and
without any digital noise. - Make sure to get the wings in upwards
position as much as possible.
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Smart Photography December 2015LEARNING^