I think photographing birds has become a stand-alone hobby, distinct from traditional birdwatching.
Perhaps I’m splitting hairs, but birders tend to identify a bird first, and photograph later. Many people now photograph first and identify later, often taking the photo home so that they can identify the species at their leisure.
To each his own. Bird photography is merely a subset of wildlife photography. Maybe the biggest difference is that nobody has to take a photo home to identify a deer. I applaud all engagement with wildlife. That’s what Mainers do. National surveys, such as those conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, shows that Maine people are near the top of every list when it comes to hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.
So why not bird photography?
Getting started with bird photography is easy. Gaining expertise is hard. For those who want to improve quickly, there’s no substitute for experience and education. Consider attending a beginner-level, in-person photography workshop. You’ll also find plenty of expert advice online. If you want to take good bird photographs, you’ll first need to master basic photography. There’s a lot to learn about exposures, apertures, shutter speeds, and ISO. Good luck with that.
Professional-quality photographs require high-end DSLR cameras and the newer mirrorless cameras, each equipped with a long, expensive lens. Fortunately, plenty of cheaper cameras will work quite well for amateur enthusiasts.
Bridge cameras, also called superzoom cameras, can zoom in for close-up photos of distant birds. They may not produce an image you’d want to hang on the wall or print in a calendar, but they’re good enough to amaze your friends and family.
Here are a few more suggestions on how to get started with just basic camera gear.
Practice on big, easy targets, such as ducks, loons, gulls, and herons. Next, choose targets that will let you get close-up shots, like robins, chickadees, nuthatches, and swallows. Hummingbirds at the feeder are fearless.
After practicing on the big and close birds, move onto the smaller ones. It’s strange how the cutest birds are hardest to photograph. Colorful warblers often perch high in the tree, obscured by foliage. But not all of them. Common yellowthroats, American redstarts, and yellow warblers are regularly spotted at eye level. Black-and-white and chestnut-sided warblers also perch low enough for a good photo.
If you’re lucky enough to notice a Baltimore oriole or scarlet tanager, they will often stay in one exposed spot long enough for an impressive photo. Both will come into close view while feeding on an orange left out for them.
Don’t overlook blue jays. They’re pretty and colorful, yet we take them for granted. Take lots of photos. Delete the bad ones. In fact, make it a habit to delete the bad ones ASAP. It’s too easy to fill up a disc with unworthy megabytes, if it’s a chore you put off.
It’s difficult to find a bird in a tree, let alone focus on it and snap the shutter. Be patient, and practice doing that for as long as it takes. Eventually you’ll be ready to work on additional skills.
For instance, you will come to hate a bright overcast sky. When shooting up into a tree, the camera will automatically set the exposure for the brightness of the sky, not the darkness of the bird. The bird will be underexposed, the photo useless. Conversely, when shooting a bright bird against a dark background, the bird is often so overexposed that all details are lost. Expect annoyance.
Composition matters. Adequate photos fill the frame with the bird. Good photos capture the bird in action — perhaps singing, eating a bug, or flying. Great photos set the bird off-center, using the background to set the scene and give a sense of action. I’ve been photographing birds for years, and I’m still mastering the art of composition.
Fortunately, there’s Adobe Photoshop. It’s the standard for photograph editing software, although there are plenty of alternatives, some of them free. A little enlargement, cropping, and color correction can rescue a doubtful photo. Anyone serious about showing off their bird photographs will dive into the software sooner or later.
I’ve provided some basics, which anyone can start practicing right away. If you get hooked, you’ll know when it’s time to upgrade your equipment and skills. But even if it’s just a little amateur shooting, bird photography can make a great hobby. It’s a fun new way to interact with wildlife.
