Does anyone have any tips on how to photograph birds? Today while on a hike I saw chickadees, robins, and a hawk, but I couldn’t get very good pictures of them since they blended into the background, plus they kept moving. Since most of them were up in a tree, they were backlit against the sky so that didn’t help either.
Thanks!
Without knowing what kind of camera you’re using, it’s difficult to provide specific advice.
Sorry didn’t think about that. I don’t have anything fancy, just my good old iphone :)
Thanks. Honesly, it’s just not easy to take satisfying bird photos with a smartphone camera, in my experience. They’re really not designed for it, they’re for taking photos of humans, pets, food, and landscapes. Depending on your budget you might consider carrying a bridge camera. See past discussions:
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/bird-photography-with-bridge-cameras/28482
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-do-yall-use-to-take-pictures-for-observations/41372
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/good-cameras-for-nature-shots/1064
You can always record bird calls (if they’re vocalizing) with the app.
Thanks! I took a couple recordings of bird calls and posted them today. Phone is great for plants, but not birds I guess.
Another option that helps me (occasionally) is using a telescope lens that clips onto your phone camera. It’s a much smaller investment than buying an actual camera and has defenitely allowed me to get some observations that otherwise would have been impossible, but obviously you’re still dependent on a bird sticking around for long enough for you to attach and aim the camera. I got a cheap macro & telelens set and have found it very worthwhile
Thank you! I’ll have to look into that
Practice practice practice. The iPhone just doesn’t do distance well. Don’t expect much. And you will be surprise how well the avian id people identify from blobby unfocused birds! I have a few, out of the many frames and hundreds of deletions.
I really enjoy bird photography because it is a challenge. Very much like hunting in that you don’t always get a clear shot and very often the animal gets away. It requires patience and stealth. I decided years ago that just seeing a bird with binoculars wasn’t very satisfying, I wanted to capture it in a photo. So I invested in all the equipment including SLR cameras and telephoto lenses. I don’t regret it, it’s made my birding experiences much more enjoyable. However I realize not everyone can afford that. I certainly couldn’t in my younger days.
I like the food part. Not something I do, but yeah I can see that. A pic of the Thanksgiving Day turkey could be considered a bird photo I suppose.
I do use my iPhone for plants and small not-very-mobile animals. But almost never for birds.
Phones will rarely cut it for birds unless you come across one who’s very obliging and willing to get up close and personal. I don’t know what the later Canon Powershot models are like, but I picked up a secondhand Canon Powershot SX530 for the equivalent of about $150. It won’t get you those crisp magazine shots of birds but it’s in an entirely different league to using my phone (and the zoom is something else)
This was a photo I took of a Yellow-throated Longclaw that was about 20 metres away
I realize trying to take photos of birds, especially small birds, takes luck, patience, energy and a good zoom lens. I have noticed that, as my health is declining, I don’t have the energy or patience anymore to really concentrate on getting these birds, so I am more dependent on luck. One thing that I have learned, and seem to do more naturally now, is plan my walks so that I get decent sun angle and I am not shooting into the light. The other thing I have noticed is that birds sense when I am looking at them. I can approach them fairly close if I don’t look toward them, or, especially, point my camera at them, but once I do, they fly for cover. And, somehow, they sense when I am in the process of pressing the button and fly and I get a picture of the limb with no bird. Don’t get discouraged, keep trying. FYI, I use a Panasonic FZ60 bridge camera which has a zoom of 24x and an electronic zoom of 96x.
When birds are overhead and all you can see is a dark shape, I don’t think there’s much you can do to get a good photo regardless of camera type. For flying critters including butterflies and moths, I use the “burst” or “sports” mode on my DSLR and can almost always get 1 or 2 shots in sharp focus. On the other hand, the DSLR is not nearly as handy, especially on short hikes.
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