Please tell me how to take decent pics of birds(feathered variety) in the bush

[tckadventures]

Sorry no pics :cry: just a question about photographing birds. Birds like trees right, well in that situation Camera light is low. How do I prepare to take decent pics of birds in thier natural habitat without scarring them with the flash or unnatuaral lighting. I have sat for many hours under the cover of trees and bushes but have only really a couple of decent pics to talk about and those tend to be shot with the sunlight directly on them not lighting them up from behind. I would be grateful for any comments or hits that I can take with me out into the bush next time.:lol:

Sorry just realised i was in the wrong section:o

[tckadventures]

Just a question about photographing birds. Birds like trees right, well in that situation Camera light is low. How do I prepare to take decent pics of birds in thier natural habitat without scarring them with the flash or unnatuaral lighting. I have sat for many hours under the cover of trees and bushes but have only really a couple of decent pics to talk about and those tend to be shot with the sunlight directly on them not lighting them up from behind. I would be grateful for any comments or hits that I can take with me out into the bush next time.:lol:

[weemannie]

You could try luring them to a sunnier part of the tree.

Put some fat on the far side of a branch out of sight of the camera, or drill some holes in the top of the branch and fill them with seed or peanuts. Once the birds get used to the free lunch, it should give you the opportunity to get some shots.

Not the easiest subjects! :D

Good luck

[einsteinsauntie]

Hi, I have the same problems as you and would like to know the answers! So far my most successful shots have been water birds which tend to be slower moving and others near a water source. Most of the time it takes me too long to focus & the birds are gone! Hope someone has some bright ideas.


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/suemac/Animals/Topknot.jpg)

[allanc]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=69891

[Paul A]

Years ago as a field biologist I helped Crawford Greenwalt shoot pics of hummingbirds. My job was to help catch the little birds using mist nets and other tecniques. He would place them in a cloth enclosure with trip lights and a camera set up. These were published in National Geographic. I also caught birds for John Dunning, for his book "Portraits of Tropical Birds" who also used a cloth enclosure. Both got perfect shots, otherwise its awfully tough. Patience, luck and long lenses!!

[Biko]

Long lens as possible and you will still want for more. Make sure camera is set properly, good speed, A1 servo and focus point.

wear earth colours or similar to habitat, buy camouflage scrim for covering that black and white lens. stand beside something such as bush tree to break up your size, and check that you can pan around with minimal disturbance. Keep the camera as near to your eye as possible and check around with both eyes open, if you see a bird don't make big moves, let it settle and slowly move camera to position.

Some birds have a habit of visiting same place such as a branch and often can turn up at same time each day etc.

Stalking is difficult move too much they will just keep putting the same obligatory distance between you.

In some countries birds are protected by law and it is illegal to go near or disturb them if on private or secure land, worth checking where you can go as their protection is more important than any photo.

[kawter2]

1.)shoot M mode, the BKG is going to make your meter wacky

2.) meter a grey card or some mid shaded dirt where the light is falling in a similar way that is it is on your subject.

3.) Use an ISO highe enoug to get you about 1/400th shutter speed

4.)If you want, shoow raw so you can recover about a stop on either side

[Paul A]

When in the field wear colors that blend in, greens,& browns are good; bright colors scare birds away. Try and find a place where birds might come to feed, some birds like fruit for instance and feed on wild fruit. If you see a bird and need it to turn around you can try making a "bird" distress call by kissing the back of your hand; this makes birds nervous but they often turn around to see what's up.

[kawter2]

Sorry, I completly misread this thread.. thought about deleting, but maybee it will help someone else looking for technical help

[jrh312]

If the birds you happen to be looking for are owls and you're decent with mouth calls (and careful during the mating season....which is right now for a lot of them) it's actually not that difficult to lure them to a particular branch to make your shots better.

[tckadventures]

Thanks for the hints, I know they can be a hard subject, i dont really know why I enjoy doing it so much, maybe it is the intense pleasure i get when I finally do gete that decent pic. The ones I feed are much easier to get close to!

[tckadventures]

Years ago as a field biologist I helped Crawford Greenwalt shoot pics of hummingbirds. My job was to help catch the little birds using mist nets and other tecniques. He would place them in a cloth enclosure with trip lights and a camera set up. These were published in National Geographic. I also caught birds for John Dunning, for his book "Portraits of Tropical Birds" who also used a cloth enclosure. Both got perfect shots, otherwise its awfully tough. Patience, luck and long lenses!!

No wonder the average amateur photographer has no hope of getting those exquisite pictures.

Thanks for all the other information as well, I do wear the camouflaged gear so I am on the right track I suppose, but the next thing to get is the 400 lens as the 300 just doesn't do what I want. (this hobby is an expensive one when you get hooked isn't it????:)) But hey what the hell!!!!:lol:

[tupe]

Someone may have already said this - take lots of pictures. Especially when they are in a tree or hiding in shrubbery. Leaves and branches tend to fool the autofocus. If you can manually focus on them before they move again, great. Otherwise I usually get one out of 4 or 5 shots in focus if I'm lucky.

[Andy_T]

Easy.

Spend lots of cash on fast long lenses.

Best regards,
Andy

[MarkoPolo]

Don't give up! You can do well with a 400mm lens. I got inspired reading Arthur Morris's book on bird photography and I get his e-mails from birds as art.com. Using feeders at more reasonable hieghts will let you get some great shots. It ain't easy, but you will get better with practice.

[robertwgross]

I shoot lots of bird photos, from across the stream, which is a varying long distance. I use focal lengths from 400 to 800mm. First, I try to be on the correct side of the stream, depending on the sun angle. Then, if it is still too much in the shadows, I use a big flash unit for fill. I use a tripod nearly all of the time.

Learn to walk very quietly, and very slowly.

---Bob Gross---

[tckadventures]

Thanks, once again it looks like persevance is a major factor in getting any good nature pic. I thought maybe it was just me. I seem to click away (thankfully on a digital) and be lucky if I manage to get one decent photo out of a 100 that are just crap. But having low light and moving objects really make it a lot harder. I have set out the bird feeder at home and will try to practice there as it is also located under a large gum tree and feeding time tends to be in te shadows, ha typical hey I just cant seem to win!!!

[robertwgross]

There is one county park that has a stream and many ponds. Friends told me that they had seen many wading birds there, so I went for a look, even though I didn't know what to expect. For my first visit, I saw the stream and the ponds, and then only a few common ducks. For my second visit, I saw the same stuff, but then I spotted a piece of wood sticking up on the opposite stream bank. When I looked more closely with a long lens, I found that it was a green heron with its head pointed straight up. So, I started shooting. Now, about fifty visits later, I know where each of the herons will perch and hunt. I know where they hide. I know which hours of the day have the best light. I know exactly what kind of camera gear to carry.

It takes a while to learn it all there.

Yesterday, there was a pair of adult Canada geese with their clutch of eleven little chicks. I must have fired off ninety shots.

---Bob Gross---