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Special Lighting Considerations for Birding Photography

Birds are most active early in the morning and at dusk. Lighting is one of the most significant factors to keep in mind for bird
photography. In most cases you will be too far away from your subject for a flash to do much good. Stabilizing the camera and using relatively fast film will help you to control your lighting but be prepared for the fact that you will have only a few "sweet spot" minutes when the light is good enough for fast shutter speeds before the birds disappear again or before you lose the light altogether in the evenings.

Blind Photography

Blind photography is a staple of professional bird photography. By hiding yourself in a blind you will stand a better chance of photographing nesting or feeding birds without scaring them away. In many cases blinds have to be installed near the birds for an adequate period of time before the photographic session so that the creatures will get used to the blind and not be wary of it.

Digital Bird Photography - An Innovation

Digital camera bird photography has become increasingly popular with bird enthusiasts as the capability of the equipment has risen to the part of traditional film cameras. Digital cameras enable the user to transfer pictures to a computer for further modifications, to review images in the field and delete poor images, and to shoot a much greater number of images than what would be economically feasible when using film.

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To get successful, high quality digital images of birds you will need at least a prosumer (professional-consumer) level camera or a digital SLR. The latter is the best choice since it offers all the functionality of settings and interchangeability of lenses present in conventional cameras. At minimum for birding photography you will want to select a 5 megapixel digital camera.

If you can afford more megapixels, by all means shoot for a higher number. Doing so will allow you to make use of the "poor man's zoom" and get even closer to your avian subjects in post production by cropping the extremely large images rather than reducing them to achieve conventional photographic print sizes.

Online Resources for Tips/ Tricks on Photographing Birds

A number of bird photography resources are available online including:
  • bobatkins.com/photograhy/digital/index.html
  • www.all-birds.com/camera-store.htm
  • www.gigrin.co.uk/and/wildlifephotographers.html
  • www.fotofanatic.com
  • www.photos-of-the-year.com/digital-photography-contest
These sites and other online sources provide recommendations and reviews on cameras for bird photography, information on how to photograph birds, and even bird photography contests. Taking up bird photography is an excellent extension of an existing bird watching hobby and one that will give you a lasting, visual record of your "life list" of bird sightings.

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