LOOK FOR NEW ANGLES
Birds are being photographed more than ever before.
The advance of digital cameras has fundamentally changed photography; for example, bird photographers easily take 10 times as many pictures as they did with film cameras. The expense of buying and developing film used to be a limiting factor, whereas now, after the initial and undeniably hefty investment, photography costs practically nothing. Taking hundreds of frames in a good situation is not a problem anymore, nor does it matter if the chances of success are slim.
It is easier to get good shots with a digital camera than with a film camera. The results can be checked instantly on the preview screen, and any changes needed to improve the shot can be made on the spot and the picture can be taken again. Small errors in exposure can be fixed afterwards in image editing software, in stark contrast to the finality of pressing the shutter release of a film camera, where nothing could be done to alter the result afterwards—at least not without a time-consuming and possibly expensive scanning process that inevitably resulted in worse picture quality. The best digital cameras allow ISO values that were never possible before without loss of image quality. All of this has made it easier for people to take pictures of birds, and the number of new photographers has risen exponentially in the past 10 years.
Thousands of enthusiastic photographers roam far and wide with cutting-edge equipment. Sparing no time, effort, or wear and tear on their shutter release, they strive for good images. As a result we are inundated with an unprecedented number of high-quality bird photos that are published on websites that anyone can set up.
Take time to explore the current inventory and quality of bird photography on the Internet. The best material is just a mouse click away. You can browse any picture library that is dedicated to wildlife photography and the hundreds of websites created by active hobbyists and professional photographers. In just a few hours it becomes crystal clear that practically every species is covered with technically good, basic portraits that are usually taken with a long telephoto lens in typical midday light. Every once in a while you will come across delightfully unique and spectacular bird photos.
Set Your Sights High
People who are new to bird photography take great pleasure in sharp images of a familiar species spotted in familiar settings. A little further down the road their appetites grow, and they begin to want more range and variety, either for their own pleasure or to reach a wider audience. Adding a little extra to a photo, like the light of a beautiful evening, dramatic backlight, or an interesting background, can elevate a picture from mediocre to intriguing. A presentation based on a series of good but basic portraits will soon begin to bore both the photographer and the audience. A presentation improves rapidly when it is spiced with elements like backlight, landscape, action, super closeups, rain, creative framing, and so on.
A Siberian Jay in a winter wonderland (Perisoreus infaustus)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 24mm f/1.4, 1/250 second, f/11.0, ISO 800, prefocus, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head, remote control. Kuusamo, Finland, February 2010.
If you want to get your photos in magazines or books on a regular basis, your material should be extensive and original. Technically flawless quality is a starting point—your creative skill and talent will set you apart from others.
Getting your work accepted by the best nature photo agencies is not easy. An agency might ask you to submit a portfolio of 100 photos so they can evaluate whether your material would add any essential or new value to their collection. On top of having a varied and individual set of photos, success in international photo competitions or some other form of acclaim can help an agency make a decision in your favor.
The following examples outline various angles to approach bird photography.
Taking a good photo of a bird in a landscape is harder than one would think. The basic idea is to shoot with a short focal length to get a full landscape, the bird’s habitat, or perhaps its feeding ground. A visually pleasing background is easily achieved in a closeup, but it gets remarkably more difficult in wide landscapes. The challenge is further amplified with efforts to include a cautious bird in the frame; they are not easily approached at the best of times, let alone with a short lens.
I used a 24mm lens and remote control to capture a Siberian Jay in its wintery woodland home. Having placed the camera at an ideal distance from a branch where I had sprinkled some raisins, I framed the image and prefocused my camera. Then, stepping back with the remote control ready, I waited for the birds to arrive and discover the feast.
A 24mm lens has a good depth of field, even with the widest aperture, but if you want to have both the bird big in the picture and your background sharp, you need to stop down to gain the necessary depth of field.
I spent a full day with this project (January days in the north are short) and got a few shots with all the elements I had hoped for.
Some birds are not bothered by people and thus are easy to work with because they mostly ignore humans and provide good opportunities to try shots of birds in a landscape. Big seabird colonies have tens of thousands of birds, and short focal lengths are best for highlighting the size of the huge flocks.
The photo of the flock of flying Common Murres was taken in optimal conditions with a 24mm lens. The birds were flying toward me, into a headwind, directly above my head, with the closest bird nearly touching my hood as they passed the nesting cliff, and the sunlight was coming from behind me. The snow was reflecting light back into the air, which softened the already hard midmorning light.
I find a 70–200mm zoom lens handy and versatile for taking photos of birds in a landscape. You can be farther from the subjects than with a wide-angle lens, and the zoom offers more opportunities for framing the picture.
The Smew photo is an excellent example of a 70–200mm zoom at work. The pair is perching on spring ice by a small opening in the water, waiting for the ice to melt on their nesting lake. The birds are within a few yards of each other, yet by zooming the lens to a focal length of 85mm the photographer captured the birds, the opposite shoreline, and the mist rising from the icy lake into the spring-heated air.
In portraits, the background also plays an important role. Portraits are normally taken with a telephoto lens to get the subject sharply in focus, while the background is blurred into a uniform canvas. More often than not, the best background is darker than the subject because it allows the subject to stand out in the picture.
Water is a playful element and provides many opportunities for taking pictures with a more personal touch. I once got the chance to shoot Red Phalaropes in good settings for several hours. At first I took traditional closeups with the blue sky or some darker land formation reflecting in the surface of the shallow water. Then I noticed that the reflection from my travel partner’s bright red coat was creating interesting patterns in the small irregular ripples across the water. I positioned myself to better get the red into the picture so it entirely framed the bird.
Common Murres over their nesting cliffs (Uria aalge)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 24mm f/1.4, 1/2000 second, f/4.5, ISO 250, continuous focus with 45 focusing points, handheld camera. Vardø, Norway, April 2009.
Smews on spring ice (Mergellus albellus)
Nikon D300S, 70–200mm f/2.8, 1/500 second, 86mm, f/9.0, ISO 800, one-shot focus with a central focusing point, ground pod, Manfrotto 501 video head, blind. Kuusamo, Finland, May 2010.
Red Phalarope with a red reflection (Phalaropus fulicarius)
Canon EOS-1D Mark II, 500mm f/4.0, 1/200 second, f/14, ISO 250, one-shot focus, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head. Iceland, June 2006.
A tight crop that partially shows the subject and unusual light can transform a basic portrait. The Cinereous Vulture is backlit by the soft rays of the evening sun and is framed with a beautiful golden rim of light. The dark uniform background further emphasizes the effect.
If your subject is engaged in some activity, it will immediately raise the impact of your photo. It may not end up being used in a field guide, but it will more likely find its way into other publications, like magazines and books, than a bird that is just sitting there.
As usual, at the end of the summer I was photographing migrating birds.
The southern and southwestern areas of the Finnish archipelago are along the migration routes, and birds stop on the islands to rest and feed before continuing their journeys. This time I was working on Utö Island when a young Spotted Redshank landed on the shore right in front of my blind. It foraged for a while, and then it started to preen. After cleaning its feathers thoroughly, it stretched its wings. Because I had witnessed this behavior before and knew what to expect, I turned my camera upright in anticipation of just this type of action. Being ready is important because the moment is brief.
Maybe closest to my own heart is taking action shots of birds. Flying, feeding, displaying, mating, fighting, and other forms of action are an essential part of a bird’s life. Successfully taking action shots of birds is still a challenge, even with the most current professional camera bodies. Automatic focusing has advanced by leaps and bounds since the early days, but flying birds, especially against a background other than a uniform blue sky, are clearly still a problem.
Cinereous Vulture edged in gold (Aegypius monachus)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 800mm f/5.6 plus 1.4x extender, 1/160 second, f/8, ISO 800, one-shot focus, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head, blind. Spain, December 2009.
I categorize action shots into three types:
1. Photos where movement is totally frozen
2. Photos with the head and body sharp, and the wings show movement
3. Photos that aim for a more artistic impression by showing the whole bird in a flurry of movement
I prefer photos of birds that are at least partially in sharp focus. Over the years I have seen really great shots belonging to the third category. Although I can appreciate them, it is not a trend that I follow in my own work.
The lighting conditions were excellent when I was taking the Bohemian Waxwing photo, allowing me to use a very short exposure time and completely freeze the bird’s movement all the way to the wing tips. Light was reflecting off the snow and projecting back up toward the bird’s underside, which helped even out the powerful spring light. Complete with the rowan tree in the background, empty of berries, I knew I had taken a powerful photo. Despite many attempts over the years, I have never taken a better shot of a Bohemian Waxwing in flight.
Spotted Redshank stretching (Tringa erythropus)
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 800mm f/5.6 plus 1.4x extender, 1/1000 second, f/8, ISO 800, one-shot focus, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 501 video head, blind. Parainen, Finland, August 2009.
Bohemian Waxwing in flight (Bombycilla garrulus)
Canon EOS-1D, 300mm f/2.8, 1/5000 second, f/3.5, ISO 200, continuous focus with 45 focusing points, handheld camera. Helsinki, Finland, March 2003.
The exposure time in the Black Grouse photo was fast enough to freeze the bird’s head and body, yet slow enough to leave some movement in the wings. The light hitting the tip of the right wing emphasizes the effect.
Barnacle Geese are a fairly new sight in the southern Finnish landscape. Their population has quickly grown in the past 10 years, and in its immediate surroundings Helsinki now has thousands of Barnacle Geese in the autumn, feeding on the fields and fattening themselves for the upcoming migration.
The geese continue eating for about half an hour after sunset before they lift off and head toward their roosting sites on the Gulf of Finland. I wanted to capture the atmosphere of that moment—the fading daylight and the rising moon with hundreds of geese flying low on fast wings—without attempting to freeze a single bird.
Birds can be photographed in many different ways. It is possible to take unique shots of even the most common and most frequently photographed species as long as you don’t settle for a basic portrait. Don’t be afraid to take risks and do things differently; give your creativity a chance.
Black Grouse taking off (Tetrao tetrix)
Canon EOS-1D, 300mm f/2.8, 1/500 second, f/2.8, ISO 200, continuous focus with 45 focusing points, blind, beanbag. Liminka, Finland, April 2003.
Barnacle Geese on an evening flight (Branta leucopsis)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 35mm f/2.0, 1/50 second, f/2.0, ISO 3200, prefocus, handheld camera. Helsinki, Finland, October 2008.