Wildlife Photography
Photographing Birds
There are many different ways to photograph birds. A bird photographer will need to use various types of photography as birds have erratic behavior patterns. The way birds live also varies and the photographer must take that into consideration as well. The size of the bird and the habitat it lives in determines what a photographer will need to successfully shoot film of birds.
For birds in flight at least a 400mm telephoto lens is needed. Lenses give the photographer a larger image size allowing the camera to be handheld while tracking flight patterns. If the photographer chooses to use a digital camera, it should have a zoom lens attachment. Film choice is important for photographing birds as color saturation and movement need to be taken into consideration. The low ISO films will allow for rich full colors, but I higher ISO film is need for darker areas and movement.
Photographers would do best to familiarize themselves with their subject. Observation of birds allows the bird photographer to get to know the habits of certain birds and capturing the image will be made easier if the photographer knows what to expect. Many bird photographers use photographic blinds. These blinds camouflage the photographer so his or her presence is less of an intrusion to the bird. Blinds can be made out of camouflage material and a prop to hold the material up. The photographer's car or house is also a blind. Anything disguise that the birds don't notice as different from their regular surrounding can be considered a blind.
Lens filter can be important because they keep the glare off of objects and the shine of the sun from ruining a shot. Also, some filters bring out details that would go unnoticed with the use of just a lens.