I'm doing this as a favor...Advice please?

[FlikChick]

So my mom has 7 birds. Ya. that's not even all the animals.

BUT shes always asking me for pictures of them, I've taken some but the parakeets are fast little suckers. I only have 2 lenses,ones a 50mm1.8,other 17-85mm, but either way the photos come out lil blurred. and when they start flying around it's hard to get them. I'm not a wildlife shooter so watching national geographic didn't help,lol.

Any tips for my flappy friends?

[canonloader]

If they are in cages, then the lens needs to be right up against the wire, or it will show. If they have favorite perches, I would set the camera on a tripod, aimed and focused on the perch where they will sit, then use a remote cord to trigger the shutter when they are in the right spot. That will allow them to calm down cause you won't be very close like if you were holding the camera and moving around. And don't use flash. They don't like it any more than we do. If you need to, use a few other lights near the perch and they can get use to that. Might be even easier to get her to let one sit on her finger.

[jgrussell]

Definitely use the perch idea Mitch outlined. You'll find it's much easier than trying to chase them down or catch them in flight.

[artyman]

Another option if they are in an aviary is to set up on a tripod inside focussed on a favourite perch or area and fire it remotely.