Photographing Birds, Challenges and Tips to overcome them

1/2000, f/5.6, focal length 250 mm, Focus mode AI Servo ISO automatic

Ok, so you wanted to take a few snaps of birds in flight but came away disappointed and disheartened. You used a tripod and even your zoom lens but then the eyes of the birds were blurred. Perhaps the greatest and most important factor is light. Many a time, photographing birds in flight can be a challenge especially when the lighting changes every minute. Moreover, the angle of the sun can affect the quality of the photograph. In the mornings, when the sun is rising, you might be able to get better snaps of birds that are flying rather than those that are on the ground. This is something that I learned, the setting of a shutter speed of 1/2000, f/7.1 and an AI Servo focus option gave me dark photographs of birds that were on the ground. The same setting worked fine when the birds were flying! A few examples of slightly darker photographs is given below.

Shutter speed 1/2500, f/5.6, focal length 250mm, ISO Auto, focus mode AI Servo

Shutter speed 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO Auto, Focal length 250mm, focus mode AI Servo

I use a Canon 1300D with a 55-250 mm lens. I don't generally carry a tripod as I feel carrying a tripod hampers movement. I like panning the camera to catch birds in flight. Moreover, I feel more comfortable shooting snaps as single shots and not in bursts. Somehow, it requires one to be more alert and one needs to be able to anticipate the bird's movement. Some of the most pleasing sequences of flight come through panning the camera to follow the bird's flight path.

Shutter speed 1/2000, f/7.1, focal length 250mm, ISO auto, focus mode AI Servo

Shutter speed 1/2000, f/7.1, focal length 250mm, ISO auto, focus mode AI Servo

However, some of the snaps that are most pleasing ones are the distant shots of birds in flight where you to look more closely in order to identify some of its features. In the case of the Black Ibis, it was on zooming in that I could make out its beak. This, of course, is a personal observation!

Shutter speed 1/2000 f/7.1, focal length 25mm, ISO auto, focus mode AI Servo

Shutter speed 1/2000 f/7.1, focal length 25mm, ISO auto, focus mode AI Servo

Sometimes you might have to be stuck with a fast shutter speed and yet decide to take a snap of landing birds. In the case of the white heron with the fish in its beak, I decided to shoot without making a change in the shutter speed. The result was good, probably because I had allowed the camera to decide on the ISO. The only thing that I tweaked was the zoom.

Shutter speed 1/2000, f/7.1, focal length 146 mm, focus mode AI Servo

Shutter speed 1/2000, f/7.1, focal length 208 mm, focus mode AI Servo

Shutter speed 1/2000, f/7.1, focal length 225 mm, Focus mode AI Servo

For still photographs of birds perched on branches or sitting on the ground, it is often OK to have a smaller f-stop number and you could also reduce the shutter speed to anything from 1/200 to 1/800. Also, you could turn to the Single shot focus mode. Here I would like to add that selecting a focus point in the camera could prove a boon. For the photographs of the white-throated kingfisher, I also used a fill-in flash especially because of the poor lighting, and to give the eyes a glint.

Shutter speed 1/200, f/9, focal length 250mm, forced flash, focus mode single shot

Shutter speed 1/200, f/9, focal length 250mm, forced flash, focus mode single shot

Not all birds in flight come up well, unfortunately! Those that are still and unmoving, though ready to take off can be eye-catching too! This black cormorant gave me one of the best stance I have observed so far! The webbed feet along with its bad hair day look seemed to attract me the most!

Shutter speed1/640, f/5.6, ISO Auto, Focus mode single shot

There is something that is graceful about the movement of birds in flight, somewhat like dances gliding on the dance floor. I have posted a photograph below the values of which, I would like you to guess.

The photographs were taken at the Sultanpur National Park close to Gurugram one fine Saturday morning after the fog had lifted up somewhat.

Note: The Auto ISO was limited to an upper limit of 800.

Shutter Speed, 1/2500, Aperture f/5.6, focal length 179 mm