Bird Photography
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The ideal solution to good bird photography? MARRY A RICH PERSON!!! In terms of equipment, my collection is often inadequate for bird photography. I get my share of good photos, but I also miss some opportunities because my equipment simply isn't "long" enough or fast enough. A word of warning...bird photography can be a VERY expensive hobby, especially if you hope to someday compete with professional bird photographers.
Given up yet? Don't!!! I have too many hobbies, and can't afford to spend all my "fun" money for a super long, high-quality lens. However, I still have a great time birding, and still manage to get some nice photos. I would KILL to have a 600mm, 4.0 lens, but unless some kind soul reading this donates the necessary $10,000, I'll get by with what I have. Patience and persistence is free, and can (often) compensate for equipment that is a little lacking.
What follows is my personal take on equipment and technique. I'll try to give both the "Ideal" solution and the "Practical" solution for each section. Given today's option of digital vs. film, I'll also try to make appropriate comments when necessary. This is my first attempt at writing on the topic, so I'm sure I'm missing some important points. Go ahead and let me know if you think there's something that needs to be addressed! I hope this is helpful.
I use a Canon camera body and lenses, but this page isn't meant to endorse any particular product. Nikon also makes wonderful products. Right off the bat, here's what I currently shoot with, and my take on them:
BODIES:
Canon 20D (New--March 2005) -- This is now my primary birding camera body, which I won in a photo contest!! The 300D is fine, but the 20D offers 8 megapixels instead of 6. For a bird photographer, the biggest advantage the 20D has over the 300D is frame rate, as it shoots at a much faster rate than the 300D, and has a much bigger image buffer. The feature set on the 20D is also much better than the 300D, autofocus is better, etc. etc. etc.
Canon 300D (Digital Rebel) -- The "cheapest" digital SLR, which was $899 new for me (they're a tad cheaper now). 6.3 Megapixels, good enough for GREAT quality 8 x 10's, and I often print 13 x 19's that look very, very good. A very serviceable body, and the 1.6x "cropping factor" is a godsend for a bird photographer who needs more length. The higher-priced DSLR bodies will provide faster frame rates, perhaps a bit quicker auto-focus, more customized functions, etc, but ask yourself if you NEED those functions before spending the extra dough. IT's MUCH BETTER to spend money on high-quality lenses than on a body, as it's the lens that determines how sharp you shot will be!!
LENSES:
1) Canon 400mm 5.6L -- My primary bird lens. Price? Around $1100. Keep in mind to get the Canon 600mm most birders use, you'd need an extra $8,000 laying around. ESPECIALLY considering the cropping factor of 1.6x of multiple Canon digital SLR's, the 400mm lens will be able to get you many great shots, and it's an EXTREMELY high-quality and VERY sharp lens.
2) Canon 70-200mm 4.0L -- One of the best bargains of the professional "L" series of Canon lenses. VERY sharp throughout the entire range, even when shot wide open. I HIGHLY recommend this lens, especially at the "bargain" price of between $500 and $600. It's obviously not as useful for bird photography, but at the longer end, can sometimes do very well for flight shots of bigger birds like wading birds and raptors.
3) Canon 50mm 1.8 -- The El Cheapo of the Canon Line, coming in at $75!! It's also very cheaply made (don't drop it)!! However...it's EXTREMELY sharp, and makes a great wider-angle lens. For the price, you might as well get one...and you will enjoy it.
4) Canon 17-40L -- High-quality "L" series, and with that 1.6x multiplication factor on the camera body, you NEED a lens this wide to have any kind of wide-angle capability with the 300D. Very sharp.
5) Canon 1.4x Teleconverter -- Read about teleconverters below. They "multiply" the effective focal length of your lens. My 400mm thus becomes a 560mm effective lens when I use it with my teleconverter.
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Camera Body -- Digital vs. Film - Ahhh...the $64 million question. Digital is definitely "in" right now, and even long-time photography magazines are becoming more and more digitally oriented. Is film dead? Not yet, but...in my personal opinion, digital offers SO many more advantages, and the disadvantages are becoming fewer and fewer as new developments occur. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Here's my own personal take on the use of a digital vs. a film camera body. Heck, I'm not even going to wait for my recommendation. GO DIGITAL!!! Read below why I think it's the best choice.
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DIGITAL BODY - I'm not talking about the cheaper "point-and-shoot" digital cameras that are extremely popular. One thing you'll immediately learn is that you can NEVER have a long enough lens, and most point-and-shoot cameras simply don't have the reach you're going to need when photographing birds. Point-and-shoot digital cameras often try to inflate their zoom potential by mentioning a "digital" or "software" zoom. Don't fall for it. A "digital" zoom is basically digitally blowing up a smaller image to a larger size. The results will never be as good as the equivalent "optical" zoom. Anyway...you'll likely want a digital SLR, the digital equivalent of standard film camera bodies that allow for the use of a wide variety of detachable lenses.
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FILM BODY
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THE IDEAL VERDICT - I've gone exclusively digital, and HIGHLY recommend it if you're trying to decide between film and digital. Save your money and make one, up-front larger investment in a digital SLR and lenses. Once you choose a product line, you'll be able to use those lenses for decades (if handled properly). If you go with film, you'll end up spending quite a bit on film and developing, costs that will eventually surpass the costs of initially purchasing a good digital SLR. If you ever want to get digital products out of a film camera body, keep in mind that you will also be spending quite a bit of time scanning and digitally manipulating your film products. | |||||||||||||||
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THE PRACTICAL VERDICT - When I first wanted to get into bird photography, I didn't have the money for a digital SLR, and didn't want to wait until I've saved up enough money for one. I decided to go ahead and purchase a film body, but made sure I purchased a body with lenses compatible with both film and digital SLR's. By doing so, I started building a collection of lenses that were also usable with digital SLR bodies. Now, I've purchased a digital SLR, and can keep on using those older lenses. Keep in mind that it's the lenses that are more important for getting sharp shots than the body you choose, so if you want to skimp, skimp on a body, not on lenses. |
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LENSES - I've already mentioned it several times...you can NEVER have a long enough lens when photographing birds. When people first get into bird photography, they tend to grossly underestimate the length they'll need (I sure did), generally because the long telephoto lenses are so much longer than lenses generally used for photographing people, landscapes, etc. Many birds are quite small, and to fill the photographic frame with the bird often requires a beast of a lens.
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FOCAL LENGTH - Focal length is measured in millimeters. The larger the number, the greater the magnification and the narrower the field of view. The focal length you'll require is dependent upon the types of shots you hope to get. If you're looking for "habitat" shots that show the bird in its natural surroundings, or if you're primarily photographing large birds, then you could possibly get by with a 200 mm lens. However, if you're looking for the "fill-the-frame" shots of small species of birds, even a 600 mm lens could be "short" quite a bit of the time. A word of warning...the longer telephoto lenses can cost as much as a good used car. A 600 mm prime lens is likely going to cost in the neighborhood of $8,000. Weight is another consideration, as that 600 mm lens may weigh as much as 20 pounds!!! Not exactly the type of lens you'll be carrying around while you hike!!
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SPEED/APERTURE - The aperture controls the amount of light that reaches the film (or digital sensor), and is controlled by the size of the opening through which the light passes. Aperture also controls the depth of field, the amount of depth that is "in focus". Typical lens aperatures are f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8.0, etc. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture. The wider the aperture, the "faster" your lens is, as it doesn't have to be open as long to collect the same amount of light as a more narrow aperture. When photographing birds, a fast lens is definitely an advantage. A faster lens allows the shutter speed to be much quicker, which reduces the chances that you'll get "motion blurring" of an active bird. It also gives you a better chance at getting a decent shot in low-light conditions. Buy the fastest lens that you can afford (smaller f/X numbers). Keep in mind that you definitely will pay to get a faster lens. A Canon 300mm f/4.0 lens will cost around $1100, while the 300mm f/2.8 lens will be closer to $4,000!!! Also keep in mind the weight factor. Just as longer focal lengths result in heavier lenses, faster speeds also generally come at the cost of higher weight.
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"PRIME" vs. ZOOM LENSES - "Prime" lenses refer to those which have one, unadjustable focal length. "Zoom" lenses typically have a continuous range of usable focal length between two end marks. Zoom lenses have the advantage of offering much greater flexibility. One zoom lens can be used for a wide variety of situations. Prime lenses generally offer the advantage of greater sharpness and less distortion. Using a 75mm-300mm zoom at the 300mm length generally won't get you as sharp an image as a good 300mm prime lens, and unfortunately for those doing bird photography, zoom lenses tend to be the "softest" at the longer focal lengths. Primes also generally allow the use of teleconverters to extend effective focal length, something that often isn't possible with zoom lenses.
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TELECONVERTERS - Teleconverters are basically little extenders which fit between your lens and the camera body. The result is an increase in your effective focal length. Teleconverters generally come in 2 magnification factors, 1.4X and 2.0X. Using a 1.4X with a 300mm lens will give you an effective focal length of 420mm, while a 2.0X will give you can effective focal length of 600mm. Teleconverters sound like a GREAT idea for bird photographers, as you're always wanting more length. Given a good, prime lens and a good, compatible teleconverter, you WILL have an excellent combination for bird photography. Keep in mind 2 things, however. Adding a teleconverter will have an affect on sharpness and distortion. The higher quality converters minimize this somewhat, but you will still suffer a bit of loss in your sharpness. Teleconverters also make your lens slower, with a 1 f-stop decrease with a 1.4X teleconverter and a 2-stop decrease with a 2.0X teleconverter. If you use a 2.0X teleconverter with a f/5.6 lens, you will end up with a VERY slow f/11 lens that will be quite unusable for most birding situations. Teleconverters will be the most effective if you have a fast lens to begin with, and if you're using the teleconverter made by the manufacturer of your lens. A Canon lens, for example, will probably work best with the Canon teleconverters.
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MIRROR LENSES - If you're anything like me, you'll probably wonder about the "Mirror" (also refered to as "Reflex") lenses that are offered. A quick search for 600mm lenses on E-Bay, for example, might give you several of the $10,000 prime lenses, but you may also run across an amazingly cheap $200 600mm mirror lens. These lenses use reflective mirrors to effectively increase focal length. They're incredibly small and light for the effective focal length, and INCREDIBLY cheap compared to the standard lenses of the same focal length. The BIG, BIG, BIG tradeoff? The image quality is often very, very poor. Mirror lenses also often result in these little ring-shaped image artifacts that really detract from the photos you shoot.
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TRIPODS/SUPPORT - Camera shake caused by your own twitchiness, the wind, internal vibration, etc. can make your once-in-a-lifetime shot blurry and slightly out-of-focus. Hand-holding a camera is the most convenient method of taking a shot, but can have consequences with regards to image sharpness. This is ESPECIALLY true in bird photography, where you are generally using very long focal lengths. Hand-holding becomes less and less desirable as focal length increases, as the effects of camera shake are much more noticeable at higher lengths. A simple rule of thumb is this: Only hand-hold a shot if the shutter speed is faster than your lens' focal length. For example...with a 300mm lens, hand-holding will generally work if your shutter speed is 500th of a second, but you're likely to get some blurring if you attempt to hand-hold it with a shutter speed of 100th of a second. So what are your options?
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Camera Stocks - Camera stocks are somewhat similar to gun stocks, and provide additional stability while still "hand-holding" your camera. I must admit I've never tried them, so can't give a lot of insight. | |
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Monopod - A monopod is simply a one-legged version of a tripod. While it isn't able to fully support your camera, using a monopod will provide additional stability. They are lighter weight than tripods, and can be a good option when hiking, or for capturing shots that don't allow for a complete tripod setup. | |
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Tripod - A good sturdy tripod is truly wonderful in stabilizing your camera and giving you sharp, clear photos. When using extremely long focal lengths (such as the 600mm), use of a tripod is pretty much mandatory. A wide variety of tripods are available, with a wide variety of locking mechanisms. The cheaper, lighter models often don't have enough mass to prevent camera shake caused by the wind or other sources. Consistent use of a good, heavy tripod is one of the best ways to improve your image quality. | |
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Other Support methods - There are many other things you can do to improve your camera's stability when taking a shot. When birding, you may often find yourself taking shots out of a car window. Specialized window braces are available which will help you stabilize your camera in these situations. Something as simple as a bean bag placed on the window frame can help immensely when shooting from a car. | |
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"Image Stabilization" - I believe it was Canon that first introduced the concept of Image Stabilization (IS) to its lens line. Image stabilization uses software in the lens itself to compensate for camera shake. The result is that you can effectively hand-hold shots with an IS lens that you would have to use a tripod for with other lenses. Most claims I've seen is that it allows you to hand-hold at one or two stops higher than you normally would. Because the subject in bird photography tends to move around a lot, hand-holding is often the only way you can quickly get the shot. Use of an IS lens in such situations is very helpful. |
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FLASH/LIGHTING - This is pretty obvious, but when doing bird photography, you're going to be doing your shooting out-of-doors. All nature photographers have a strong bias for using natural, or ambient, light. Most bird photographs also use ambient light. There are definitely situations, however, where the use of a flash will greatly improve your bird photos. Low-light situations, such as in taking a shot of an Brown Thrasher in heavy forest understory, photographing nocturnal species, or taking a shot when the subject is between the camera and the primary light source...all are wonderful situations in which to use a flash. You will generally use flash in two ways..."total" flash or "fill" flash.
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Total Flash - Total flash is used when both the subject and the background need to be illuminated in order to get the shot. This is typically the case in any low-light situation, either because of time of day, or because of location (as with the forest understory example above). Most 35mm SLR's offer electronic through-the-lens (TTL) flash systems, which have internal flash meters in your camera that determines the appropriate flash based on your current aperture and shutter speed settings. | |
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Fill Flash - Fill flash is used to augment ambient light by filling in the shadows or for lighting a back-lit subject. For example, let's say you're shooting a gull sitting on a post. The gull is backlit by the sun. Shooting without a flash will result in a photo showing the bird as a dark shadow, revealing only it's outline. By providing light to a backlit subject, you "fill-in" the details of the subject itself. Fill-flash is also useful when taking photos of birds in vegetation canopies, as the fill-flash will fill in the shadows. |
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FILM - Obviously, if you've chosen the digital route, you can skip this section! If you've chosen a film camera body, you'll probably be overwhelmed by your choices in film products. Every photographer has his or her own favorite films, and heated arguments can be found in many locations on the web regarding film choice. I'll keep it simple, and break it down into two simple topics:
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SLIDE vs. PRINT FILM - Your first choice will be selecting between slide film or print film. Which product is most appropriate for you is dependent on your goals. I'll give you advantages and disadvantages to both.
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Print Film
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FILM SPEED - An inverse relationship generally exists between film speed and sharpness. Slow films can offer wonderful sharpness and clarity, but are sometimes inappropriate for bird photography. Fast films allow you to "freeze" the action of a bird in motion, but it may come at the cost of a high graininess. Film speed is expressed by an ISO number, generally ranging from 25 up to 800 or more. The higher the number, the faster the speed. Most slide film is at ISO 50 to 100...relatively slow. Print film can be found at any speed from 100 to 800 or more. My
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Well, this is going to be a relatively short section!! I've been doing this for a year and a half, and am definitely still learning myself. As I photographer, I still have a LOT to learn (hey, just being honest!!). Most of my "tips" below deal with putting yourself into a position to get a good photograph. I'll leave the photography lessons to somebody else. Here are a few tidbits, and hopefully you can learn a few tricks for getting good bird photos.
Birding first, photography second - First and foremost, keep in mind that you should always be a birder first, and a photographer second. What does this mean? The best way to be a good bird photographer is to be knowledgeable about birds and birding. The creation of this website, for example, has made me a better bird photographer. Why? Because by creating the individual species pages, I've been forced to learn about the different species of birds. In so doing, it's helped me to understand bird behavior, which has in turn made me a better photographer. I would almost suggest going out several times without a camera before trying to photograph birds. Take the time to learn the species in your area, their favorite haunts, what time of year to expect them, etc. Take the time to read through your birding field guides and other books...they're actually interesting reading and will help you to understand the species. Most importantly, get your butt out into the field!!! Nothing is a better teacher than personal experience.
Keep a Low Profile - This goes along with the previous theme in being a birder first and a photographer second. There will be many times where you have the opportunity to put yourself in a position to get a great bird photo, but only at the expense of trampling habitat and scaring off every living thing within a quarter mile. Any action which helps to degrade habitat, endanger birds an other animals, or go against established laws is an action you shouldn't be taking. Taking photographs of nesting birds is the type of activity that is most likely to get you into trouble. The last thing a nesting bird needs is some dude with a camera sticking his nose around the nest site. Here are some general things to avoid when photographing birds:
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Don't upset the birds. Avoid nest photography unless you can be absolutely sure you're not causing harm to the parents or their chicks. Sure, it's tempting to try and get that great shot of a mother feeding her chicks or incubating eggs. However, that's generally very difficult to do without upsetting the birds themselves. Don't approach a nest site unless you can do it in a way that won't upset the birds, and NEVER alter habitat (clearing brush from around a nest, etc.) in order to get a clearer picture. Remember...Birds First, Photography Second. | |
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Don't approach endangered or threatened species for the purposes of photographing them. Unless you have a good telephoto lens and can photograph them from a good distance, you shouldn't attempt to photograph endangered species. Just a few people disturbing an endangered species can have a severe impact on that species' chances for survival. | |
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Some people use tapes of bird calls to coax certain species closer to the photographer. These can either be courtship calls for certain species in attempt to attract that species, or tapes of predators, which can arouse a defense instinct in many birds. Using taped calls not only temporarily disturbs the birds, but repeated use of a predators call could cause a species to vacate the area. |
Getting Close - Even with a long telephoto lens, it is often still necessary to get very close to the subject, especially if that subject is a 4 1/2" wren or other small bird. How does one do this? I'll say it once again...Patience and persistence is free, and can (often) compensate for equipment that is a little lacking. Even if you DO have very good equipment, you still won't get many great bird photos without patience and persistence. There are three methods I can think of for getting close enough to get that great shot:
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Stalking - Many species of birds simply do not tolerate the presence of human beings very well. It's a very rare situation where you can walk right up to wild bird and take a photo from a fairly close distance. So...can you approach (stalk) a wild bird for the purpose of taking it's photo? Yes, you can. Patience and a calm demeanor will go a long way when stalking a bird. More often than not, the bird you're stalking will take off before you get the shot. Some things to keep in mind or try when stalking:
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Hiding (using blinds) - The "best of the best" of your photographs are generally going to come when you're using some form of concealment. To get photos of a naturally acting bird, nothing beats taking its photo from a blind, where it is totally unaware of your presence. Not only will you be able to capture natural behavior, but the use of a blind generally allows you to get much closer than you ever could by stalking.
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Remote Triggering - Can't get yourself close to the birds? Well, keep in mind that it's not YOU that has to be close to the bird, it's the camera itself. Remote triggering of your camera often allows you to photograph natural behavior that you'd never be able to photograph if you were actually present. Remotely triggering your camera could mean using a corded shutter release, an infrared cordless shutter release, or a remote triggering mechanism that automatically fires when motion is detected in a camera's viewing frame. I've often used my corded shutter release and a 40-foot extension cord to capture birds at feeders. My shorter lens, a 28-105mm zoom, is truly a great lens and provides very sharp photos, but is generally much too short to use for bird photography. It works great, however, when using this remote triggering method. I simply set my tripod and camera up right next to a feeder or other location, attached the corded release, back off a ways, and wait for the birds to arrive. They become used to the presence of the camera very quickly, and even the sound of the shutter firing doesn't affect them very much. |
BE PREPARED!!! - Always being prepared will help to ensure that you don't miss that shot-of-a-lifetime. You can generally be assured, for example, that your only chance to get a great photo of a species will be when you're not paying attention, you don't have the right equipment for the situation, or you simply don't have your equipment with you. Even the simple drive to work in the morning can give you opportunities to get some great shots. I work at the EROS Data Center, which is 10 miles or so outside of town, so my drive to work is probably different than most people's. However, I have learned to bring my camera to work each day, because I just never know when I might see the Wild Turkeys along the Big Sioux River doing their mating dance, a huge flock of Snow Geese in a corn field during their migration north, or a Bald Eagle sitting on a dead tree along the river, waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting prey. You never know when that great shot might turn up.
Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl
This page was last edited on 11/17/06