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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
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Shutter Speed
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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.
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Shoot In RAW
If you get the white balance wrong in the field then you
can correct it in the post.
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Light
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.
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The name of these categories is very much selfexplanatory. However, let us understand how each can
affect the bird photograph.
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.
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Rule of Thirds
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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
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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.
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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.
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Important Tips
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
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Red-headed Sparrow
15 Incredible Bird Photography Tips
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Important Tips
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Important Tips
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Important Tips
After an hour, the male arrived and took over the nest
while the female got ready to go!
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Important Tips
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Important Tips
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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
bird-in-flight
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Important Tips
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A Green Heron Leaning forward, while perching on a fence, to have a better look at its prey
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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
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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!
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.
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Noise Reduction
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Sharpening
This is the worst mistake committed by beginners and
intermediates!
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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.