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    Guide to Photographing Birds
    Guide to Photographing Birds
    Guide to Photographing Birds
    Ebook213 pages1 hour

    Guide to Photographing Birds

    By Harold Stiver

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A Systematic Guide for Beginner and Intermediate Bird Photographers

    The Equipment Section Includes information on:
    Camera Bodies, Lenses, Tripod, Flash. Memory Cards
    A Suggested Starter Kit
    Digiscoping
    Remote Photography
    Wi-Fi and Tethered Controllers, Photo Traps

    The Settings Section covers:
    Shutter Speed, Depth of Field, ISO Setting; Mode, Exposure Compensation, Focusing
    Long Lens Technique
    Faster Shutter Speeds, Use Image Stabilization, When using a tripod, go heavy and solid., Monopod , Activating the Shutter, Shielding from Wind, Shooting Handheld, Panning, Feathering Focus

    Fieldcraft has a look at:
    Where to Find Birds
    Backyard Birds, Captive Birds, Migration, Breeding Birds, Raptors, Shorebirds, Seabirds, Waterfowl, Gulls
    Pick the Right Time
    Bad Weather is Good
    Protection, Rain, Snow, Wind, Frost
    Using Recordings and Other Sounds, Using Blinds or Hides, Stationary Blinds, The Mobile Blind, Bean Bag, Window Mount, Tripod
    Setups for Photography
    Attracting Birds
    In Flight
    Good Equipment. Fast Shutter Speed, Depth of Field, Continuous AF, Feathering Focus, AF Sensor Selection, Continuous Burst, Lens Limiting, Pre-focus, Handholding, Acquiring Your Target, Tripod, Purposed Blur, Lighting and Flash, Practice Exercises, Panning, Takeoff and Landing, Diving, Flying with Prey
    Working Your Subject

    Composition looks at:
    Don't Centre the Subject, Look into Space, Rule of Thirds, Size of Subject in Frame, Don't Clip Body Parts Even if they are not seen, Break the Guidelines
    Causes of Poor Images
    1. Poor Focusing Blur, 2. Camera Shake Blur, 3. Subject Motion Blur, 4. Too Much Contrast, 5. Lens Flare, 6. Chromatic Aberration, 7. Noise, 8. Color Correction Needed, 9. Incorrect Exposure, 10. Sensor Dust

    Image processing considers:
    RAW vs JPG, Workflow, Download, Sort and Cull, Load for Editing, Cleanup, Exposure and Color Correction, Sharpening, Output, Automation, Storage and Backup

    Selling Your Images covers:
    Display and Basic marketing of Your Work, Blog, Online Gallery, Social Media, Putting it All Together, Where to Sell Images, Magazines and brochures, Selling Prints, Stock Sites, Expanding Your Stock selection

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarold Stiver
    Release dateJan 1, 2014
    ISBN9781927835159
    Guide to Photographing Birds
    Author

    Harold Stiver

    Harold Stiver was a partner in a financial services company who lives with his wife Elaine in Paris, Ontario. He has two daughters and three grandchildren who he spoils relentlessly. He has long had a fascination with the natural world and has traveled widely exploring and photographing it. You can see more of his images at https://haroldstiver.smugmug.com/. He is the author of a series of eBook Guides for Photographers and Explorers covering subjects like Waterfalls, Old Mills and Covered Bridges. They are available at Smashwords and other popular distributors.

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      Book preview

      Guide to Photographing Birds - Harold Stiver

      Guide to

      Photographing

      Birds

      Harold Stiver

      Copyright Statement

      Guide to Photographing Birds

      Published by Harold Stiver at Smashwords

      Copyright 2014

      Harold Stiver

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author, except by the reviewer who may quote brief passages.

      Version 1.0

      ISBN #978-1-927835-15-9

      Photo Credits

      All photographs are the work of the author, Harold Stiver for which he holds the copyright and reserves all rights.

      Other Books by Harold Stiver

      Unless noted, there are Print and eBook editions available for the following.

      Birding Guide to Orkney

      Ontario's Old Mills

      Ontario's Waterfalls

      Connecticut Covered Bridges (eBook)

      Delaware's Covered Bridges (eBook)

      Indiana Covered Bridges

      Maine Covered Bridges (eBook)

      Maryland's Covered Bridges (eBook)

      Massachusetts Covered Bridges (eBook)

      Michigan Covered Bridges (eBook)

      New England Covered Bridges

      New Hampshire Covered Bridges

      New York Covered Bridges

      Ohio's Covered Bridges

      The Covered Bridges of Kentucky (eBook)

      The Covered Bridges of Kentucky and Tennessee

      The Covered Bridges of the Mid-Atlantic

      The Covered Bridges of Tennessee (eBook)

      Vermont's Covered Bridges

      The Covered Bridges of Virginia (eBook)

      The Covered Bridges of Virginia and West Virginia

      The Covered Bridges of West Virginia (eBook)

      Index

      Copyright Statement

      Photo Credits

      Other Books by Harold Stiver

      Introduction

      Equipment to Use

      Camera Bodies, Lenses, Tripod, Flash. Memory Cards

      A Starter Kit

      Digiscoping

      Camera settings

      Shutter Speed, Depth of Field, ISO Setting; Mode, Exposure Compensation, Focusing

      Long Lens Technique

      Faster Shutter Speeds, Use Image Stabilization, When using a tripod, go heavy and solid., Monopod , Activating the Shutter, Shielding from Wind, Shooting Handheld, Panning, Feathering Focus

      Where to Find Birds

      Backyard Birds, Captive Birds, Migration, Breeding Birds, Raptors, Shorebirds, Seabirds, Waterfowl, Gulls

      Pick the Right Time

      Bad Weather is Good

      Protection, Rain, Snow, Wind, Frost

      Fieldcraft

      Using Recordings and Other Sounds, Using Blinds or Hides, Stationary Blinds, The Mobile Blind, Bean Bag, Window Mount, Tripod

      Setups for Photography

      Attracting Birds

      Remote Photography

      Wi-Fi and Tethered Controllers, Photo Traps

      In Flight

      Good Equipment. Fast Shutter Speed, Depth of Field, Continuous AF, Feathering Focus, AF Sensor Selection, Continuous Burst, Lens Limiting, Pre-focus, Handholding, Acquiring Your Target, Tripod, Purposed Blur, Lighting and Flash, Practice Exercises, Panning, Takeoff and Landing, Diving, Flying with Prey

      Working Your Subject

      Composition

      Don't Centre the Subject, Look into Space, Rule of Thirds, Size of Subject in Frame, Don't Clip Body Parts Even if they are not seen, Break the Guidelines

      Causes of Poor Images

      1. Poor Focusing Blur, 2. Camera Shake Blur, 3. Subject Motion Blur, 4. Too Much Contrast, 5. Lens Flare, 6. Chromatic Aberration, 7. Noise, 8. Color Correction Needed, 9. Incorrect Exposure, 10. Sensor Dust

      Image Processing

      RAW vs JPG, Workflow, Download, Sort and Cull, Load for Editing, Cleanup, Exposure and Color Correction, Sharpening, Output, Automation, Storage and Backup

      Selling Your Images

      Display and Basic marketing of Your Work, Blog, Online Gallery, Social Media, Putting it All Together, Where to Sell Images, Magazines and brochures, Selling Prints, Stock Sites, Expanding Your Stock selection

      Video

      Camera Shake, Cropping, Exposure, Editing Software

      Ethics

      Resources

      Glossary

      Introduction

      Some of the most beautiful and interesting nature images are of birds and it is no surprise that photographers want to explore that area. However, they are often disappointed with their initial results. The subjects look small in the image, poorly lit and a bit boring. I want the information in this book to get you past that to the beautiful images you will be proud of.

      Birds can be the most frustrating of targets. When they are seen, they are often very wary and not easy to get close to. Even after getting an image, the results may be unsatisfying. Don't give up!! This book will give you the tips and techniques that will let you get close to these elusive subjects.

      However before we get to that, we will talk about camera equipment and settings.

      And before we finish we will pass on some ideas about processing your images to bring out their best.

      So lets get started!!

      Equipment to use

      The first thing to understand about equipment is that you don't need to have the latest and most expensive gear there is to obtain good bird images. Of course, better equipment will make it easier for you but a lot of excellent images have been made using methods like digiscoping where a Point and Shoot digital camera is used in connection with a spotting scope. More about this later.

      Most photographers are going to use DSLR cameras which involve separate camera bodies and lens.

      Camera Bodies

      Even the lowest line of current camera bodies will provide photographers with an excellent tool at a reasonable price. The Canon Rebel T3 is less than $500. Other popular brands like Nikon have similar equipment with excellent value. From there you will arrange all the way up to professional camera bodies like the Canon 1D or the Nixon D3x at over $6,000. The higher quality body will do things like take 10 frames per second as opposed to 3, do a better evaluation of the correct exposure better, and have a faster and more accurate focusing systems. It also will shoot HD video which can be very useful.

      A large number of bird photographers use either Canon or Nikon equipment. As of 2013 the following prices applied to DSLR Camera Bodies:

      Economy

      Canon Rebel T3 $500

      Nikon D5100 $600

      Professional

      Canon 1D $6,800

      Nikon D3x $6,700

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