Birds Photography PDF

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Introduction
A Journey of a Thousand Mile Begins With Single Step - Confucius
I started my blog Nature Photography Simplified with this very quote in my Coming Soon page on December 2013. I have
started my journey as a blogger with one article at a time. I know it is a long process to get noticed in this crowded internet,
but I am sure I will succeed if I take baby steps...yes, baby steps!
If I start beating up myself everyday to get thousands of visitors in a day, then I am sure to be frustrated. It may probably
force me to quit blogging too. But if I keep sharing very good content every time, then slowly and steadily I will be able to
build a loyal audience like you and you may spread this word far and wide to reach my goals faster!
Hold on...but why am I saying this to you? how does it ever make sense to you?
Believe me, it does! You are starting off on a thousand mile journey of becoming a great bird photographer...dont you? And
I am very happy that you have taken the first step by reading this ebook.
But remember, it is not different in your case. You have to take baby steps as well. You have to take it easy, one step at a
time. Understand each of these incredible tips one at a time and put them into practice. Make one wonderful bird
photograph at a time, then share it. Your friends and family members will start to notice your improvement and start
sharing your work! You will be on your way of becoming a great bird photographer slowly and steadily.
Good Luck and Happy Reading...
15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips
Page 1
Camera and Lenses
Bird photography is by far the most

expensive of all other photographic genres.
One of the most debated topics is about
camera and lenses.
The reason is simple, birds are almost
always very far, which dictates for telephoto
lenses, and hyperactive, which dictates for
faster AF performance. But everything
comes at a greater cost.
I would like to tell you that I got my first
and very favorite of my bird photograph,
Seagull Landing, with Nikon D60 and kit
lens Nikkor 18-55mm lens! Believe me...I
did.
Nikon D60, 55mm, f/9, 1/320 sec,

ISO 100
Seagull Landing on a Lamp Post
Page 2
Nikon D7000, 210mm, f/8, 1/1250 sec,

ISO 100
Wide Spread Wings of a Great Egret
I made plenty of successful photographs with my Nikkor

18-200mm lens as well for 4 straight years. I should
admit that I learnt most of the photographic concepts
with the lens alone.
Later I did use Nikkor 70-300mm lens and I was blown
away with its performance with D300s and
D7000. It was more than sufficient to get most of my

best photographs with that.
I have won several appreciation for the Great Egret
photograph I took with Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 70300mm lens.
Page 3
I have used Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 100-400mm lens for 1

year and had reasonable success it too. The left photograph of
Great Blue Heron with a fish is made with Canon.
Now, I own Nikon D7100 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens, after more
than 5 years of photography experience. I am definitely able to
make sharper and more detailed photographs now. Most of the
photographs in this ebook are taken with 300mm f/2.8 lens.
Whichever camera or lens I have used, it is always

been the patience, perseverance and the love of
photographing these beautiful creatures, which has
made it possible to capture beautiful moments.
Canon 5D Mark III, 400mm, f/5.6,

1/400 sec, ISO 3200
Great Blue Heron with Red Fish
Page 4
I want you to always remember these lines:
It is not just the lens or the Camera you use,

which makes you a good photographer. It is
the passion to capture those beautiful
creatures, that inner drive to go out and wait
for hours to get a live their life, is what makes
you a wonderful photographer
Start with a good entry level or semi-pro DSLR camera
and a decent telephoto lens like a 18-200mm or 70300mm lens preferably with VR (Vibration Reduction)
on Nikon lenses or IS (Image Stabilization) on Canon
lenses.
Start taking pictures of bigger and easier to approach
birds like Ducks, Geese, Seagulls, or Swans. Learn and
apply each and every concept that I describe in the rest
of this e-book. Master them all.
Create some kind of a bond with a bird by visiting it

often and just watching it without ever scaring it away.
It will open up a new possibility in your life to
communicate in silence!
I was fortunate to make bonds with a Juvenile Blue
Heron and a Green Heron. I have been watching them
for over 6 months and they have given me so much joy
that I cannot express.
Try it...You will know it!
There will be a time, when you realize that you are
passionate enough to pursue this hobby more seriously.
That is the time when you will consider buying more
expensive gears if necessary.
Page 5
Bird Photography Settings
There are many options to use for bird photography,

depending on the needs and what suits you the best.
the camera decide on rest of the settings like Shutter

Speed and ISO to get proper exposure.
I will try to explain some of the most widely used bird

photography settings here. These are the settings
which I use in my daily bird photography.
This is by far the most widely used mode in Bird

Photography because of following reasons:
You can decide whether to blur the background

completely to achieve most sought after
Bokeh effect or to achieve deeper depth of
field by showing the bird and its habitat
As the birds are very active and always on move,

the light and the background changes drastically,
making it quite difficult to change the shutter
speed and/or ISO in fraction of seconds
Remember that, no matter which settings you use, the

photography composition and the concepts remain the
same.
Aperture Priority Mode

Aperture Priority mode enables the user to select the
Aperture to control the Depth of Field (DOF) and let
Page 6
Shutter Speed
conditions and aperture settings may not allow us to get

higher shutter speeds.
Remember that the shutter speed should be atleast (1 /

effective focal length) to avoid any kind of camera
shake.
If you are shooting at 300mm on a Crop factor camera
(1.5x) then the effective focal length is 450mm. It means
you need shutter speed of atleast 1/450th of a second to
reduce the camera shake.
Whereas, in case of Full Frame camera you can use
1/300th of a second.
VR or IS system compensates for any camera shake

normally due to slow shutter speeds. Depending on
whether you have VR/IS (first generation systems) or
VR-II/IS-II (second generation systems) you will get
close to 2 stops to 4 stops of exposure compensation.
Which means, if you are using VR/IS and if you are
shooting at 300mm in a cropped sensor, then you can
avoid camera shake with shutter speed of (1 /
(effective focal length /4)) which is 1/112.
Note: Each stop is typically multiple of 2.
VR (Vibration Reduction) / IS (Image

Stabilization)
Shoot in Burst or Continuous Mode
I strongly recommend you to go for a VR (Nikon) or an

IS (Canon) lens. It is not always possible to reduce the
camera shake in the field, since the lighting
This is a no-brainer I think. More frames per second you

have, the better it is. You do not want to miss that next
unexpected movement of the bird.
Page 7
Use the high continuous burst speed always.
Focusing modes
Use single point for perched or static birds. This will
allow you to focus on the bird which is off-centered and
get a composition in the field itself.
However, as you are aware, it is generally not easy to get
a bird to sit obediently. Especially true in case of small
birds. They will atleast be moving their head to check
their potential threats. Larger birds like Herons and
Egrets are generally not that threatened and can sit still
for a long period of time.
Most of the times you have to use cross-point focusing
points like 9- or 15- or 21-points. Or sometimes all point
focusing.
I would recommend you to use the cross-point focusing

points if you can, as they are very responsive and can
quickly achieve the focus.
In general, smaller the number of focusing points
greater will be the chance of achieving focus.
But dont stick to one or the other. Try using all the
focusing settings and check which one you are very
comfortable with and then stick to it.
As a general rule of thumb, use focusing

points which covers the entire body of the
bird and some surrounding space
This way you will ensure that you give enough focusing
points to the camera to achieve focus.
Page 8
Spot Metering Mode
Shoot In RAW
The spot metering mode will be the best bet in bird

photography since we want to perfectly expose for the
bird always as opposed to its background.
Always shoot in RAW mode. Apart from its obvious

advantage of having complete control over the
processing, this will allow you to keep Auto White
Balance in the field.
Of course, it is important to get the right exposure for

background too, but there may not be enough chances if
you miss the exposure on the bird.
If you get the white balance wrong in the field then you
can correct it in the post.
Spot metering will also be very helpful in

getting the right exposure for white birds like
Egrets and dark birds like Crow or Grackles
But if you are shooting in JPEG, then there is no way to

fix it or probably very hard if there is any latest software
to do so.
However, use evaluative or matrix metering for birds in

habitat since you are interested in the background too.
Try using all the other metering modes that you have
and see which suits the best for a given scenario.
Page 9
Light
If there is no light, then there is no photograph.
Photography is all about light

Light has quality and direction. Quality of light is as
important as the direction of the light.
Based on the geographical location, season and weather

conditions, you might have difference in the duration of
time you get soft light and hard light.
You may have more soft light during early spring, late
autumn and winter months. Or you may get soft and
well distributed lighting conditions during cloudy days.
Quality of Light
Quality of light can be broadly classified as Soft light
and Hard light.
Soft light is generally the early morning light, generally
2 hours post Sunrise and late afternoon light, generally 2
hours before Sunset.
As the name suggests, it is almost always required to go

with soft lighting for the bird photographs.
The soft light is more diffused and helps to

bring out the subtle and beautiful colors of
the bird, without casting any unwanted
shadows
Hard light is usually all other times of the day.

Page 10
On the other hand, the hard light may cast unwanted

shadows on the body of the birds as it is usually very
directional. It is better to avoid it if possible.
The name of these categories is very much selfexplanatory. However, let us understand how each can
affect the bird photograph.
Bird photographers do not have to care too much about

hard light, since birds are very active during the early
morning and evening. Most of their activities seize
during the harsh sunlight when they normally take rest.
Front Lighting is when the bird is lit from the front,

which means that the Sun is behind you.
Direction of Light
Along with quality of light, bird photographers should
also consider the direction of the light.
The Sunlight is always directional. It can be broadly
classified as: Front lighting, Side lighting, and Back
lighting.
Front light is the best lighting condition in the bird

photography for obvious reasons that:
it does not cast the shadows,
it gives the catch light in the birds eye, and
it helps to bring out all the beautiful colors in the

birds feathers
Most of the photographs in this ebook are examples of
front lighting.
Page 11
Side Lighting is when the

bird is lit from the side. It is
generally not ideal for bird
photography since it will
cast the shadow on the
opposite side of the bird.
It is better to avoid this
lighting
condition
and
change your position until
the Sun is behind you or the
bird is front lit.
Green Heron distracted while fishing
Nikon D7100, 300mm, f/4,

1/1600 sec, ISO 400
Page 12
Nikon D300S, 195mm, f/5.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 200

River Tern or Common Tern in backlight
Back Lighting is when the Sun is behind the bird and

you are facing the Sun. Back lighting has a unique
characteristic of giving a rim light around the bird
which gives birds feathers a translucent quality and
also helps the bird to stand-out.
Backlit bird during Sunrise or Sunset will

almost always be most wanted bird
photographs due to its orange-reddish rim
light around the birds
Page 13
Rule of Thirds
The Rule of thirds is a guideline to compose a

photograph which is visually compelling.
The Rule of Thirds is probably the only

photography composition technique that is
necessary in Bird Photography
If you divide a photograph with 2 equally spaced vertical

and horizontal lines you will get 4 intersection points
and 9 equal parts.
It is the simplest composition technique to understand

and apply.
As per the statistical data, it is said that a photograph is

more compelling or visually interesting if the main
subject of interest, is placed on one of the 4 intersection
points.
The Rule of Thirds photography composition can be

applied to birds portraits, birds behavior, birds in
action, birds in flight or any other type of bird
photography.
In case if the main subject of interest is big enough, that

it cannot be placed on the intersection point, then you
can place the subject either on left or right third (vertical
line) OR top or bottom third (horizontal line).
Page 14
Composition Tips
- Place the main subject of interest (bird in
this case) on one of the 4 intersection points
- Place the vertical subjects, like bird walking
or perching, on either the left third or the
right third line (vertical lines)
- Place the horizontal subjects, like bird in
flight, on the top third line (horizontal line)
The Rule of Thirds Grid and the 4 Intersection Points
Page 15
Get Proper Exposure using Histogram
Histogram is a graphical representation of the

distribution of light and color components (RGB) of a
photograph. In the digital world, an image is made of a
collection of pixels and a pixel is made up of Red,
Green, and Blue (RGB) color components.
Same concept applies to RGB histograms, where each

histogram represents how Red, Green and Blue values
are distributed in a photograph.
You will find two types of histograms in modern DSLRs.

One which is represented in all white and a histogram
for each color component R, G, and B.
The white histogram represents the light distribution
across the photograph that is captured. It just plots a
graph by calculating how each light (or gray) value
ranging from 0 (darkest or black pixel) to 128 (mid value
or gray value) to 255 (brightest or white pixel).
Check this in-depth article on Histogram.
Histograms showing RGB Composite (white which represents Light

distribution), Red, Green and Blue components
Page 16
If the distribution in the histogram is towards the left

hand side of the graph, then the photograph is said to be
underexposed or is mostly dark.
On the other hand, if the distribution in the histogram is

towards the right hand side of the graph, then the
photograph is said to be overexposed or it is very
bright.
Great Egret Staring

Blue Heron in Flight

Page 17
You
must
have
realized
how
the
histogram should look
like for a proper
exposure. It has to
be distributed well
within the extreme left
or the extreme right
side.
The histogram showing proper exposure of a Belted Kingfisher photograph
Expose to the Right

It is usually better to avoid the distribution towards the
left hand side of the histogram. The chances are that you
will lose the fine details in the shadow regions.
To preserve the fine details, it is usually better to push

the histogram towards the right hand side without
overexposing the photograph.
Page 18
6 Its All in the Eye

Have you ever wondered why some photographs of
beautiful birds seem to lack the charm? Everything
seems to be correct in such photographs but something
important will be missing.
But how about the catch light? The light indicates life.
Without the light in the eyes, the bird looks boring or
lifeless. It is always very important to get the catchlight
in the birds eye.
That important thing is:
The birds eye is not in focus
There is no catch light in the birds eye
Catchlight simply means a spark in the eye. It can be

produced by any light source like Sunlight, reflected
light, flash light, etc.
Birds look charming and lively only when their eye is in

sharp focus and there is a catch light in their eye.
Since birds are found outdoors, it is not tough to get the

catch light in their eyes. As you already are aware, you
will always have to try to photograph a bird in the front
lighting, which will make sure that there is catchlight in
the birds eye!
When you look at the photograph of a bird, your eye

goes straight into the eye of the bird. It acts as an
anchor point for your eyes to rest, after scanning the
entire photograph. We always strive to make an eye
connection with the bird. So, it is very important to get
the birds eye in sharp focus.
Page 19
Canon 5D Mark III, 400mm,

f/8, 1/640 sec, ISO 1600
Peacocks Portrait
Page 20
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
The peacock was probably few feet away from me in this

instance. It was actually perched on a fence making it
easier for me to try out few compositions.
- If the bird is perched or static, then choose

single point focus and focus specifically on the
Since the subject distance was quite less I had to choose

a smaller aperture leading to greater DOF that gets the
birds entire body in focus of course with the sharp eye
and catch light.
eye
- If the bird is in action or in flight, then choose
an aperture value of f/5.6 or f/8 to make sure
that eye is always in focus
- Check for the catch light in the eye. Make sure
the bird is front lit
- Use Rule of Thirds by placing the birds eye on
or close to one of the 4 intersection points
Page 21
Shoot at Birds Eye Level
A most common mistake among the beginners is that

they photograph the bird from their eye level!
Most of the birds are very small and stands only a few
inches to a few feet on the ground. If you take
photographs from your eye level then you are looking
down towards the bird. This makes the bird to look
dwarf or intimidated in the photograph.
Instead, if you photograph the bird from

birds eye level, then you will be able to
transport the viewer in to birds world!
This is the most important factor in bird photography. It
is about birds and their life. You should strive to portray
that in the best possible way!
Initially you may feel bit uncomfortable sitting down or

lying down in the outdoors. Every bird photographer
would have faced this when they started taking an eye
level shot.
To be honest, I am really very shy when I am outdoors
while taking bird photographs. I usually photograph
birds in my apartment complex where the lakes are
surrounded by apartments.
I will be photographing birds in some crazy styles sitting
down or lying down or sitting for hours sometimes.
Sometimes I think what might people think about all
this...but then...very thought of getting that next
beautiful photograph makes me forget everything!
Page 22
If you pre-visualize how you want to photograph the

bird, then you will be so involved in watching the bird
that you might not notice what is happening around
you! You will be amazed how involved you are in
photography. This will be an indication that you are
becoming more passionate.
The most important advantage of shooting

at eye level is that you will get a beautiful
bokeh effect in most of the cases. Which is
probably another driving factor for bird
photographers to photograph at birds eye
level
Page 23
Nikon D7100, 300mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 100
Red-headed Sparrow
Page 24
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
This beautiful red-headed sparrow was having its

breakfast one day as I was on my everyday morning
photoshoot.
- Always try to get an eye level shot of the bird

to create an intimate photograph
It was like a red dot in the green playground. As usual I

was standing still for few minutes until the bird started
ignoring me and continued to enjoy its breakfast.
I lied down to get an eye level shot with focusing points
set to 9-points and focused on the upper part of the body
to get the bird in sharp focus. Used the maximum
aperture to throw both foreground and background outof-focus by making the bird standout.
- If possible, try to use single point to get perfect

focus on bird.
- If you have to use more focus points because
bird is moving, then try to focus on the upper
body of the bird
- Use maximum aperture to throw everything
out of focus except the bird
Page 25
8 Fill the Frame

One of the most widely used composition in bird
photography is to fill the frame with the bird. Which
means, the bird takes anywhere between 50% to 80% of
the frame giving very little amount of space for the
background.
This is one of the reasons why the background is almost
always blurred to give emphasis only to the bird.
You do not always need a long telephoto lens to do this.
A decent telephoto lens like 70-300mm will be more
than enough to begin with.
Consider using far end of the telephoto, like 300mm and
maintain the subject distance such a way that you can
fill the bird in the frame.
The pleasing blur or the famous Bokeh effect is

achieved based on the below factors:
The longer the focal length of the lens, greater is

the bokeh effect or more blurred the background
is
The bigger the aperture opening (maximum

aperture), more the blur is
The shorter the subject distance (i.e., distance

from the camera to the bird), greater is the blur
The longer the distance between subject and its

background, greater the blur
Now you must have realized that longer focal length
alone cannot give you a pleasing blur effect. It
definitely increases your chance to get better pleasing
bokeh, but that alone is not the deciding factor.
Page 26
Remember to pay closer attention to the

background and the distance between the
bird and the background. You can get away
with beautiful bokeh effect if the bird is far
away from the background and you are closer
to the bird
It may not be possible to always fill the frame with the
bird, but you can do it in the post. Just make sure you
give enough space around the bird so that you can
compose it with Rule of Thirds.
Page 27
Nikon D7100, 300mm, f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO 640
Juvenile Blue Heron with a Fish

Page 28
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
This is the Juvenile Blue Heron I spoke about. It took

me several months to get this beautiful photograph.
It is a very tough life for the Juvenile Blue Herons and
the Great Egrets as any other predators. If they do not
learn to fish properly, then there is no survival.
I am very glad that this blue heron went on to become a
very skilled fisher! and hopefully will survive for many
more years to come.
- If the background is not that great, then try to

fill the frame just with the bird
- Try to use maximum aperture to throw the
background out of focus
- Try to get an birds eye level shot
In this photograph, the blue heron was probably 15 feet

away from me which made it easy to fill the frame just
with the bird and its prey.
Page 29
Show Bird in its Habitat
Several times you can make a bird photograph more

compelling by including birds habitat.
In such scenarios, the bird acts as a main point of
interest covering 25% to 50% of the frame and its
habitat (or background) acts as a secondary point of
interest.
You have to pay more attention here because you want
give only small portion to the bird as oppose to its
habitat. Which means, you need to compose the
photograph with much greater attention.
Just by including its habitat does not make the
photograph any better rather it will make it worse if you
do not compose it properly.
How do you compose it then? Follow either or all of

these to get compelling photographs:
Make the habitat slightly blurred by choosing the

right aperture value. For instance, if f/16 brings
both the bird and its background in clear focus,
then try using f/11 or f/8 until the background
becomes slightly blurry
Wait for the perfect light conditions, when the

bird is slightly better lit than its habitat. This will
usually yield amazing results
If you cannot do either of the above, then use

wise judgement to include only portion of the
habitat which is not asking for too much
attention
Essentially, your focus should be to make sure that bird
is quite visible and well focused compared to its
habitat.
Page 30
Canon 5D Mark III, 400mm, f/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 1250
Blue Heron pair in their Natural Habitat

Page 31
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
On this occasion, there were several blue heron families

building their nest for the breeding season. I was
photographing their flight for almost 2 hours but could
not get a family photograph.
- Use minimum aperture values like f/8 or f/11

to get both bird and its habitat in focus
The female in the photograph (standing) was in the nest

peeping its neck outside waiting for the male. I was
keeping an eye to see if the male arrives.
- Wait for perfect lighting conditions to make
After an hour, the male arrived and took over the nest
while the female got ready to go!
- If the birds habitat is too intrusive, try to
With beautiful sunset light illuminating the subtle

feathers of the birds, I had a chance to take couple of
memorable photos.
playing around with aperture setting
the bird pop-up
throw the background a bit out-of-focus by
Page 32
10 Capture Birds in Action

Birds are always on the move and ever active subjects
which makes it challenging to photograph them. More
challenge it is to photograph, more interested we will be
to photograph them, since we love challenges!
Though birds in action may also comprise of birds
behavior and flight, I have kept them as separate topics
to have a more focused discussion.
All the composition principles have to be followed for

birds in action also. Remember that:
Even if the action is great, but the

composition is not good, then photograph
will fail to impress the viewer
Here is simple difference between action and behavior:

Behavior is reflex of the bird due to external stimuli
and Action is the activity of the bird done consciously.
Bird in action is always preferable to a bird perching or
sitting quietly. Aim for photographing the bird in action
like preening, walking, turning around, hanging upside
down, etc.
Page 33
Nikon D7100, 300mm, f/4, 1/800

sec, ISO 400
Juvenile Great Egrets in Action
Page 34
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
As said, Egret is my favorite bird and I never get tired of

taking their photographs.
Fortunately, there were atleast 20 juvenile egrets in a
small pond! for few days giving me enough
opportunities to make some wonderful photographs.
This ballet action shot of two Juvenile Egrets came after
3 visits each of atleast 2 hour duration. These kind of
actions are very rare and definitely the one we should
always look forward to.
Aperture Priority, Spot Metering, and an aperture of f/4
did the trick of capturing this moment in a split second.
Because the birds were atleast 25 feet far, aperture of f/4
was more than enough to keep them in focus.
- Make sure you get shutter speed of atleast (1 /

effective focal length)
- Keep track of the bird and its movement
- Half press the shutter to lock the focus when
you see a slight movement in the bird
- Once bird makes a move, track it for few split
seconds and take multiple shots the moment
focus is locked
Page 35
11 Show Birds Behavior

Birds behavior probably requires more patience from us
than any other type of bird photography.
Why? Because the birds are always on watch. They
watch us and our steps much more carefully than we
watch them!
Once they know that you are behind them to
photograph, they are very much alert and watching you.
They think you are a potential threat to them, which
makes them to be on their toes.
It can take from few minutes to hours to days to really
get the bird feel comfortable and be on its own up to
some extent. Once it starts to ignore you or starts to get
comfortable with your presence, you will get to observe
its actual behavior.
The secret is...be patient and you will be

rewarded with never before seen behavior of
the birds, sometimes scary and sometimes
funny!
Most bird photographers live for those moments when
something crazy happens... and they seize that
opportunity to proudly show it to the world.
Remember to keep an eye on the composition. Since you
are not sure when do you get that once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity, remember to have enough space around
the bird to allow for any sudden movements. You can
always do the required composition in the post.
Page 36
Nikon D7100, 300mm, f/4, 1/320

sec, ISO 100
Green Heron Standing Tall!

Page 37
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
Another favorite buddy of mine in the recent past is

Green Heron. I have taken numerous photographs of
this green heron and I am very thankful to the bird for
all those poses.
Generally, green heron stands with head retracted,
making its neck almost invisible. It only extends to the
full extent when leaning forward for fishing..
This instance was different. It was standing still with it
s neck stretched completely and observing with utter
attention. It was very clear to me that it is sensing
some impending danger, though I couldnt see its usual
predator in the area, a falcon.
I lied down to get an eye level photograph and also to
give a sense of its real height!
- Do research and get to know its common

behaviors!
- Be patient and stay still and far from the bird
until the bird ignores you and be on its own
- Wait for the subtle signs of the birds
- If you are attentive, you will get an indication
that something is going to happen, and
probably thats the moment you were waiting
for!
Page 38
12 Capture the Magnificent Flight

Birds in flight are the most exciting and probably the
most challenging task a bird photographer faces. It is the
most popular type of bird photography who does not
want to see birds in flight? Everyone is interested to see
birds in flight.
Most of the birds, especially the big birds, are

reasonably slow in flight and have a known flight
characteristics. The more you spend time observing the
birds in flight, the more you will be aware of their flight
path, their takeoff and landing techniques.
The longer the lens better it is for sure. However,

remember that the high-end lenses are very heavy and
potentially require expensive tripod gears and a wellbuilt personality. Despite that, it does not guarantee any
better results unless you have required skills to track the
bird with those heavy lenses.
Most of the times, it boils down to how prepared are you

and how knowledgeable are you about the birds flight
characteristics.
Think about carrying those heavy lenses for hours, even

worst if have to carry those tripods! It is not easy. It
requires a lot of patience, perseverance and of course
passion.
Camera and lens comes into play only when

you are well equipped with the knowledge of
birds flight characteristics!
Spend most of your time knowing about the bird and
enjoying the bird in the field. You will start making most
beautiful and appreciable flight photographs that will
get noticed.
Page 39
I have taken my most notable bird photographs with 18200mm and 70-300mm lenses. Because of just one
reason...I love birds and their magnificent flight.
Just follow these steps to get the best flight photographs.
1.
Track the bird by focusing on the bird by halfpressing the shutter button
2.
Track until the focus is achieved
3.
If possible, wait until you get reasonably good
background
4.
Take burst of shots
The secret is in waiting for the focus to lock

and then waiting for the bird to appear in the
desired background and then going for burst
of shots
By doing this, you will see your
photographs stand-out in the crowd!
bird-in-flight
It is very important to allow the lens to achieve

focus. If you just start clicking from the beginning till
the end, then chances are that you will get frustrating
results.
Page 40

Sandhill Crane Pair in flight on a Beautiful Autumn Morning
Page 41
Behind the Scenes
Important Tips
I cannot express how delighted I was when I first saw

Sandhill Cranes pair dancing in the Sunset, way back in
March 2013.
- Make sure you get shutter speed of atleast (1 /

effective focal length)
It took me several months to really get to photograph

these birds. The longing for the bird for several months,
made me visualize a lot about how I will photograph
them, if I see them.
- Use the lower aperture values like f/5.6 or f/8
When I finally got to photograph them, I made sure to

turn my visualization into reality.
- Track the bird atleast for sometime to let the
I love this photograph of Sandhill Cranes pair in the

beautiful autumn morning and their synchronous wings
position. By using the autumn colors in the background,
I emphasized the story a bit more.
- Take multiple shots
to make sure entire bird is in focus
focus lock on the bird
Page 42
13 Background Makes the Picture

Let us consider the fact that you learnt all the above
concepts thoroughly and ready to apply in the field. If
you fail to get the perfect background, then it can ruin
your photograph.
No matter how you compose, what was the lighting, or
what were the settings used, if the background is messy
or cluttered then your bird photograph is ruined.
I am covering this topic so late in this ebook to make
sure that you wont forget when you go to the field.
Most of the great bird photographs will almost always
have a clear or complementing background.
Well known bird photographers always try to get the

pleasing background which complements the bird or
which helps the bird to stand-out in the photograph.
It is the background, not the subject, which

gives the wow factor to the bird photograph
You can check it yourself by browsing your favorite bird
photographs. Most of your favorite ones should be
having a clean, complementing and out-of-focus
background. Isnt it? If you imagine the same bird in a
messy or cluttered background, then probably it wouldn
t have been your favorite.
Even when bird is shown in its habitat, the background
has to be complementing the bird.
Page 43
Nikon D7100, 300mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100
A Green Heron Leaning forward, while perching on a fence, to have a better look at its prey
Page 44
Behind the Scenes

As I said, this green heron has given me tremendous
opportunities to photograph. And this photograph is by
far my best.
This green heron was relentlessly fishing on that day. It
was my first photographic outing with 300mm f/2.8
lens. I was extremely happy as I was photographing with
my new lens.
After an hour, the green heron began to perch on the
fence to take a better look at its prey from above. I put
my lens on the fence to get an eye level shot and was
waiting for some good photographs.
Little did I expect the green heron to come so close to
me and then lean forward before plunging into the water
giving me a wonderful photograph to cherish for a very
long time...
Important Tips
- Always strive for out-of-focus background
choosing a maximum aperture value like f/2.8,
f/4 or f/5.6
- Try to avoid plain background like white or
pale blue. Wait for bird to assume a different
position until you get a desirable background
which complements the bird
- Remember that background makes or breaks
the picture
Page 45
14 Practice Makes Perfect

No matter how much you know about any subject, you
will only master it by practice.
Practice every tip to the best possible extent. Make them
your second nature. You will see yourself using the
camera as an extension to your eye. Your reflexes will
develop really well over time.
Its all about your reflexes when it comes to

capturing the birds behavior, birds in action,
and in flight
You will be rewarded with excellent results despite
the fact that there are plenty of other photographers
next to you failing to see the opportunity when it strikes!
One of my most appreciated bird photographs, Great

Egret with its widespread Wings in the beginning of
this ebook, was taken in a spur of the moment on a
photography trip with friends.
To my surprise, I was
photograph while my
completely. My passion
always keeps me on
opportunities.
the only person to get that

friends missed the action
towards those white beauties
my toes to grab that rare
You can concentrate on the moves of the bird and seize

those rare opportunities only if you have practiced the
techniques to an extent to make them your second
nature.
Page 46
Above all, I personally feel that my passion towards

birds is increasing day by day as the years pass by.
Several times I just go out in the early

morning and spend an hour or so just
watching the Mallard Ducks, Canada Geese
and Seagulls
It is quite amazing to see how beautiful these common
birds are and is very interesting to understand their
behavior which may lead to some extraordinary
photographs.
Page 47
Juvenile Great Egrets Fighting for the Fish
Page 48
Behind the Scenes

Important Tips
I dont want to repeat how much I love Egrets.
I always wanted to photograph an egret flying away with
a fish in its beak. It is not a good idea though... because
they generally dont!
- No matter what equipment you have, it all
But on this occasion, the pond was filled with Juvenile

egrets and there was a lot of competition going on.
- You should know, in a split second, what
I was pretty sure I will be able to get a decent

photograph with an Egret flying away with a fish. But, as
always, luck favors the prepared. I got lucky with an
Egret flying away with a fish and another chasing it!
boils down to practice
settings work the best for a given situation

- Try capturing photographs of the same bird
hundreds of times and you will improve your
skills
I made sure that Egrets are properly exposed using spot

metering.
Page 49
15 Post Processing
Post processing is abused to a large extent after the
DSLRs are getting into everyones hands.
Any photo taken in RAW needs to be processed for sure,
since you cannot see a RAW image, but the idea is to
process it in a way to make it closer to reality!
A RAW image by nature is flat, lacking

contrast and the colors. The goal of post
processing is to bring back the contrast and
the colors that were present in the actual
scene
Sometimes it is fine to make it a little bit more to give
POP to an image. However, it should not be overdone to
an extent that it looks unnatural.
Recompose
Most of the bird photographs cannot be composed
perfectly in the field. In such cases, it is necessary to
recompose an image in post.
Use Rule of Thirds composition guidelines to make a
compelling photograph. If it does not work out, then
compose it in a way which makes the photograph
compelling.
But avoid the 9 composition mistakes.
Adjust Color and Contrast

Adjust the color and contrast as needed to increase the
dynamic range and get back the colors.
Page 50
Resize the Image
Noise Reduction
This is probably not followed by many beginners. You

have to resize the image first, based on whether you
intend to share it in the web or display it or print it.
Noise reduction should be done with care. If you reduce

the noise too much, then it will soften all the subtle
features in the birds feathers.
Because, image looks oversharpened when it is

resized to a smaller size. So, if you sharpen it before
resizing, then the sharpening artefacts will make the
image unusable.
Birds feathers being the most attractive ones, it should

always be preserved.
On the other hand, an advantage of resizing is that

sometimes you might get away with a slight blur that
you see in a bigger image! Which is definitely more
desirable.
This is a very common mistake I see in many

photographs. The photographs with too
much noise reduction look like a wax statue of
the bird
While reducing the noise, make sure you do it
selectively. Apply noise reduction to the entire image,
then use layers and masks to undo noise reduction on
the bird to bring back the birds features.
Page 51
Sharpening
This is the worst mistake committed by beginners and
intermediates!
Oversharpening kills the image completely

in bird photography
The feathers, the subtle textures, the features of the bird
are the most important elements of a bird photograph.
They are generally very soft in reality.
When you oversharpen the photograph, all these subtle
features of the bird will become very rough and halos
will show up around the edges.
This is one of the major differences between a great
looking bird photograph versus an odd looking bird
photograph.
Sharpening should be done with extra care. Most of the

times, sharpening is necessary only for the bird since
most of the photographs are filling the frame with the
bird.
While sharpening the bird alone, remember to sharpen
just enough so that just the bird as a whole looks sharper
in the picture but all the subtle features are still
smoother.
In other words, if the image looks blurry to

your eyes, then only sharpen it!
Check all the images in this ebook to understand how
the images have just enough sharpness. Several times, I
keep it a little less sharp to keep that smooth roll-off of
the edges.
Page 52
About Me
My name is Prathap and its me in the photograph.
I am a Project Manager in a Software Company by Profession and a
Photographer by Passion. I started photography from 1997 with pointand-shoot cameras and mobile cameras, all borrowed from my friends.
I started photography quite religiously from 2008 when I first bought
my DSLR. Then on everything changed in my life, rather DSLR became
my life. Even today I will hear complaints from people closest to my
heart that I am mad. I agree with them completely, but I say it a bit
differently...I call myself Passionate.
Send your valuable feedback to:

prathap@naturephotographysimplified.com
Want to see my passion? Connect with me now!

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Camera and Lenses

Bird photography is by far the most

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

Nikon D60, 55mm, f/9, 1/320 sec,

Nikon D7000, 210mm, f/8, 1/1250 sec,

Wide Spread Wings of a Great Egret

I made plenty of successful photographs with my Nikkor

D7000. It was more than sufficient to get most of my

I have used Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 100-400mm lens for 1

Whichever camera or lens I have used, it is always

Canon 5D Mark III, 400mm, f/5.6,

I want you to always remember these lines:

It is not just the lens or the Camera you use,

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

Create some kind of a bond with a bird by visiting it

Bird Photography Settings

There are many options to use for bird photography,

the camera decide on rest of the settings like Shutter

I will try to explain some of the most widely used bird

This is by far the most widely used mode in Bird

You can decide whether to blur the background

As the birds are very active and always on move,

Remember that, no matter which settings you use, the

Aperture Priority Mode

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

conditions and aperture settings may not allow us to get

Remember that the shutter speed should be atleast (1 /

VR or IS system compensates for any camera shake

VR (Vibration Reduction) / IS (Image

Shoot in Burst or Continuous Mode

I strongly recommend you to go for a VR (Nikon) or an

This is a no-brainer I think. More frames per second you

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

Use the high continuous burst speed always.

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

I would recommend you to use the cross-point focusing

As a general rule of thumb, use focusing

Spot Metering Mode

The spot metering mode will be the best bet in bird

Always shoot in RAW mode. Apart from its obvious

Of course, it is important to get the right exposure for

Spot metering will also be very helpful in

But if you are shooting in JPEG, then there is no way to

However, use evaluative or matrix metering for birds in

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

If there is no light, then there is no photograph.

Photography is all about light

Based on the geographical location, season and weather

As the name suggests, it is almost always required to go

The soft light is more diffused and helps to

Hard light is usually all other times of the day.

On the other hand, the hard light may cast unwanted

Bird photographers do not have to care too much about

Front Lighting is when the bird is lit from the front,

15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips

Front light is the best lighting condition in the bird

it does not cast the shadows,

it gives the catch light in the birds eye, and

it helps to bring out all the beautiful colors in the

Side Lighting is when the