How Bird Photography Works

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, personal preference should dictate your choice of cameras, but Canon and Nikon cameras are consistently noted as favorites among professional bird photographers. The best type of camera to use is a DSLR, which stands for digital single lens reflex. The SLR format means compatibility and adaptability -- you have more control over the settings, and there's a wide variety of interchangeable lenses available.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing your camera and lens:

Capturing a moving image, such as a bird in flight, takes more savvy than capturing a stationary one. Cameras rely on light making an impression on the receiving surface, and the longer you keep the camera open, the more light will enter through the shutter. If the camera lets in too much light, the image becomes washed out, but if the camera lets in too little light, the image is too dark.

Besides the speed of the shutter opening and closing, the amount of light that enters the camera is also dependent on how big the opening is -- this is called aperture. By creating different combinations of shutter speed and aperture, you determine how much light gets into the camera and for how long. When photographing a still image in low light, you may want a slow shutter speed and large aperture, but when photographing a fast-moving subject like a bird against a bright sky, the shutter speed needs to be quick. Keep reading for more bird photography tips.

Most of us who photograph family and friends with our digital cameras rely on automatic settings to achieve success. With bird photography, however, one must learn how to manipulate a camera manually, knowing where the controls are while one's eye remains on the viewfinder. To get the best shot of a bird, several factors must work together. You need a good camera, a steady hand or tripod and good light. Ideally, your camera will sit steady on a tripod, but you can also use your car window, covered with a small sandbag, as a surface to rest the lens. Even when all other factors are favorable to good bird photography, a shaky hand or a small movement of the camera can render your images fuzzy and out-of-focus.

For those with an artistic eye, the composition of a photograph comes easily. These folks just instinctively know that photographing a bird with a red chest near a bush with red berries will help bring out the colors on the bird. But the rest of us may have to work to develop an artist's eye. The first step in doing this is to study good bird photography. Look closely at superior photos that appeal to you and ask yourself the following questions: What is it about this photo that I like? What is the foreground like? What is the background like? What is the relationship between the two? By closely studying such photographs, you can start to internalize the sensibility that will show up in your own photos. When you study these bird photos, also pay close attention to the light -- the light should be even and soft, not harsh. This means there aren't any dark shadows or intensely bright areas of contrast.

So how do you get the best light when you're out in nature and can't control the environment? The secret is to do your photography in the early morning or late afternoon. The times most-often noted by professional photographers as ideal are within two hours after sunrise and within two hours before sunset -- this is when the angle and intensity of the light is just right to bring out the texture and colors of your subjects. The worst time to photograph birds is noon, when the sun is overhead, unless it's a cloudy or overcast day.

You have the right equipment, an understanding of composition and a good idea of how to get the best light. But none of this matters if your subject spots you and darts away when you approach. To avoid this, you can try using a blind. In bird photography, a blind is something you hide behind so that skittish birds won't see you and fly away. There are three types of blinds: natural blinds, manufactured blinds and homemade blinds.

Natural blinds include trees, bushes, tall grasses and even your car. Manufactured blinds are found at sporting goods stores and are used by both bird hunters and bird photographers. Most will be tent-like structures with camouflaged colors and an opening for your camera lens. Homemade blinds can be a cardboard box or even simply a blanket on a clothesline with a hole for the lens. For more comfort, consider using a picture window covered up except for the lens opening. However, for this method to work, you need to attract birds to your yard. Keep reading to learn how to do this.

Part of the appeal of being a bird photographer lies in the opportunity to head out of town on "hunting" expeditions. You see new parts of the state or country and more fully appreciate the natural world we live in. However, staying home and photographing birds also has its benefits. The trick, of course, is getting the birds to come to you.

To attract birds, you just need to understand their basic needs: food, water and shelter. By simply filling your yard with birdfeeders, plants that produce fruit and berries, birdhouses and birdbaths, you're creating a haven for the birds in your area. Fill feeders with seed, regularly pour clean water into birdbaths, and keep the yard free of predators -- especially your pet cat -- and you'll have plenty of wildlife to photograph.

Your backyard birding can provide a place to hone your skills before heading out on weekend expeditions, and you can learn how your camera works, observe how certain birds behave and practice capturing different images. When you're ready for a birding expedition, you want to go where the birds are. According to The Nature Conservancy, these are the top 10 birding hotspots in North America:

[source: The Nature Conservancy]

You can also check out the Top 200 American Birding Spots to find the best birding areas in your state. For beginners, though, joining birding organizations and attending outings is a shortcut to learning everything from scratch.

See the links on the following page to learn more about bird photography.