What I wish I knew when I first started Bird Photography

Comments · 187

• CH

  @chiaratalia_wild · 3 years ago · pinned

  If you could tell something to yourself when you first started bird or wildlife photography, what would you say? Let me know in the comments! 👇

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• GI

  @GiuseppeGessa · 3 years ago

  For some kind of birds, birds of prey in general, I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning, because I want to go in the spot before them, and because I don't want to be seen 😁

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• YO

  @youritguy1 · 2 years ago

  I stumbled upon your channel today and wholeheartedly concur with your views on social media. It often gives the impression that one must possess top-notch equipment, capture flawless shots consistently, and adhere strictly to all the rules. Personally, I relish the simple joy of taking photos. It's a delightful learning journey for me, pushing me to familiarize myself further with my camera. I'll certainly be tuning into your videos from now on. Keep up the commendable work, and thank you for sharing your insights.

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• WA

  @waegnw1793 · 3 years ago

  One option not mentioned here (in this video) for bird photography is to bring the birds to you instead of you driving a long distance to get to where the birds might normally “hang out”. &nbsp;If you live in an urban environment, try putting out a bird feeder (or 2) to entice birds to your backyard. &nbsp;The longer you install and maintain these feeders, the more birds that will learn about where to come for a free meal. &nbsp;Of course, taking pictures of a bird sitting on (or clinging to) a commercial bird feeder is not going to produce the most amazing photos of that particular bird. &nbsp;To avoid this downfall, one just needs to do a bit of planning. &nbsp;Some possibilities include:<br><br>(1) Place the feeder near a relatively small tree. &nbsp;Birds usually like to fly to a perch near the feeding area to &quot;check out the surroundings&quot; before continuing to fly (the remaining short distance) to the feeder (or feeding area). &nbsp;Take the photo once the bird has landed in the tree, and before it goes to the feeding area. &nbsp;With a bit of practice in composing the shot, a person who later views the photo will swear that it must have been taken in the &quot;wilds&quot; of an expansive national park.<br><br>(2) The above technique can be refined even further. &nbsp;To entice the birds into a &quot;tree&quot; type environment for your photo(s), one can essentially make their own tree. &nbsp;Do this by finding a relatively small tree branch with smaller branches extending from it. &nbsp;Stand this tree branch upright near the feeding area and anchor the base to the ground. &nbsp;This can be done by digging out a small hole in the ground and placing the tree limb base in it. &nbsp;If the branch is still too &quot;wobbly&quot;, dig the hole deeper and/or add some rocks at the base of the branch to help with the anchoring. &nbsp;Once in place, this tree branch will provide a perch for the birds to come to before proceeding to the feeder (or feeding area). &nbsp;One could also (possibly) use a xmas tree stand to anchor the branch in one location.<br><br>(3) The technique in number 2 (above) can be enhanced in the following way. &nbsp;If the tree branch is sufficiently large enough, one can drill (and/or cut) out a concave/hollow area (i.e., a hole) on the branch in an area that will not show in the photos. &nbsp;Place some bird seed into this hole to attract more birds to the tree branch to feed. &nbsp;It might take a few days, but eventually the birds will recognize the fact that there is food to be had at the tree branch without proceeding to the feeder. &nbsp;As the birds come to feed at the tree branch, watch to see if they have a favorite/convenient landing spot as they arrive. &nbsp;If so, put the camera on a tripod, adjust your camera settings as desired, and focus on this spot on the branch. &nbsp;When a bird (worthy of a photograph) does arrive, some minor adjustments to the focus may/will be needed, but for the most part you are completely ready to take the photograph without wasting a moment; a moment in which the bird might change position, or fly away.<br><br>I hope these suggestions prove useful to the viewers of this video. &nbsp;Thanks for reading my long comment.

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• LA

  @LangdaleCottageChapelStile · 3 years ago

  Excellent video, all things I wish i had known when I started. My advice to myself when starting out is to photograph EVERY bird, not just the &apos;exciting&apos; or rare ones. Firstly you get more practice so when the &apos;exciting&apos; bird turns up you know what to do, and I would rather have a good photo of a common bird than a poor photo of a glamorous bird. You shouldn&apos;t rely on the rarity or exoticness of the bird to make your photo interesting.

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• NE

  @neilcole3406 · 3 years ago

  Small in the frame is the new bird on a stick!

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• JE

  @Jes1FromFL · 1 year ago

  I actually exclusively take photos for social media. For me, I see no reason to keep my photos to myself, and the sole reason I photograph is to share, primarily on social media.

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• CL

  @ClownTown15000 · 7 months ago

  Way better to bird on blow. &nbsp;Took me a while to learn that.

  2

• MH

  @Mhill042 · 2 years ago (edited)

  As someone that is in the same position as you were; brand new to photography and no experience, these tips are invaluable! &nbsp;I had the exact problem of feeling like I wasn&apos;t close enough. &nbsp;I cannot wait to try some farther away shots!

  3

• BR

  @brianmattor9601 · 3 years ago (edited)

  As a photographer for now 50 years everything she sed is 100% correct. and adding a couple more... <br>People that go out more and work it get better shots. <br>Pants with bult in kneepads are awesome!<br>When &nbsp;scouting high trees = not so good; low trees = awesome &nbsp;<br>Get a used semipro DSLR like a D7100 instead of cheap mirrorless cameras the lag the cheap mirrorless will drive you nuts.

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• NO

  @Notsure4256 · 1 year ago

  I started photography 6 months ago. I shoot with a cannon 7d mk2 and a tamron 200-500mm. It&apos;s an older lens but does a bit better than a kit lens

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• FR

  @Froggywentawandering · 3 years ago

  Things I do now that I wish I knew back at the beginning : <br>1: learn bird behaviour - the &quot;dip&quot; in body before they take off or how some species clearly don&apos;t like each other and will chase / attack / harass , there&apos;s so much of this behaviour to learn but it&apos;s good for predicting movements for action shots :) <br>2: don&apos;t pack up in harsh light - &nbsp;head into the forests when the light is harsh , &nbsp;always some nice sunbeams shining thru the trees to photograph ;) <br>3: definitely don&apos;t be afraid to get dirty and get down on the belly to get those low level shots ! I always laugh at my friends saying &quot; oh he&apos;s in sniper mode again &quot; when I hit the deck to get a shot lol <br>4: Have fun and don&apos;t get hung up on craving likes and shares, do it for yourself - always :)

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