Top Tips ebook. Photographing. Birds

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1 Top Tips ebook Photographing Birds

2 50 YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHING AUSTRALIA Photographing Australia can be a very addictive pastime one that can provide a dedicated photographer with a lifelong interest, an interest that can provide considerable pleasure. Today s imaging world has many facets all the way from the initial capture through the processing of the images and then ultimately to the many opportunities afforded for sharing both on and off-line. These many activities are shared in depth throughout the Nature Connect website so please visit and join the many conversations. Because there are so many kinds of landscape, species of animals and plants, not to mention the myriad of human activities and challenges afforded in our culture and built environment. You will soon discover there are just as many things to learn about how to approach and photograph them interweaving your own personal interpretations as you go. Even now, in my fifty-first year photographing Australia, I find something new presents itself every day. Regardless of whether your camera is an DSLR or a compact camera, or what lenses you have, the three factors that are most important when photographing are content, mood and design (CMD). The content of a photograph refers to the subject and what makes it unique. Are there elements that, if included or even excluded in a composition, will make a picture even more powerful? Mood is a combination of lighting and the effects you have used to create an image, such as selective focus, filtering, shutter speed, fill-in flash and so on. Design is multifaceted, involving composition, angle of view and colour. Every time you approach a subject, try to consider CMD as time passes you will find that you will be functioning on these three factors subconsciously. Of course in today s digital post production world the effects employed at the point of capture can be altered digitally, but many other effects can also be added. So, since the advance of digital imaging, there has never been such a wide range of opportunities for creative expression. This array can easily overwhelm a newcomer. But as I teach in my classes, it is best to take small steps working with simple formulas as you progress. In this Photo Tip Guide I have created an introduction that is merely a taster of what the main website offers, with some of the tips relevant in the main subjects. All the content in this guide is based on imaging at the point of capture, not post production. As you will soon learn the more attention to detail applied at capture (when you press the shutter) the smoother the digital processing outcome will be. I hope you find this guide useful and that you feel inspired to explore the website further through each of the categories found in both The Nature Centre and The Photography Centre. You may even choose to join me at one of a number of Photography Events across Australia and on occasions overseas to some very special destinations. Most importantly I invite you to stay connected and join in the conversation where we can grow and learn together. Steve Parish Photograph: Lake Eyre South Australia

3 Australian Light Misty soft light is perfect for photographing inside a deep, dark forest. Working with Australia s many types of natural light is a challenge for all photographers. It can cause aggravation if you allow it to, particularly when all the elements of a stunning picture are in front of you. All except the right light! I spend a lot of time sky-watching because the sky conditions play an important role in all natural light photography, especially if the sky itself is to be included in the photograph. Over many years I have learnt to accept what is - the conditions are just what they are. If it is raining, it is not a bad day, it is simply raining. I can grab a umbrella and shoot wet leaves, or I can choose to wait until it stops raining. It is as simple as that. Pessimism never turned a grey sky blue! If the sky is featureless, then it may be necessary to crop much of it out, by composing the image to include more foreground, although empty space can create a great photograph. You will find that while there are few immutable rules in photography, there are equal-opposites to most rules of thumb. In Australia, from the extreme tropical north to the cool temperate south, there is a vast array of weather conditions. Light is directly affected by the weather, which, in turn, is influenced by topography, latitude and longitude, and season. Over the many years during which I have worked with natural light, I have learned to broaden my preparedness to work with varying light conditions. I discovered that different subjects are best shot in different lights, and that angle of view, choice of ISO, lens selection, perspective, sometimes filters and so on, all play a role in enhancing bad light; not to mention what can be done to turn a sows ear into a silk purse in post production. Different kinds of weather suit different kinds of photographic subjects. Overcast weather, that doesn t throw dense shadows, is ideal for photographing in the forest. On a bright sunny day, you might change your plans and head for the coast or a more open environment. If, having arrived at the coast, you find, before you can un-bag your camera, that clouds have sprung up and the sky is overcast after all, go wandering the streets of the coastal towns. There s no point in shaking your fist at the sky. Turn the negative to positive and you ll get some great shots, even if they weren t what you originally planned.

4 Photographing Birds Birds are usually wary creatures, quickly responding to even the slightest hint of danger. So you need to be always at a high state of preparedness with you equipment. All species, particularly solitary individuals, will have their comfort zone. Whatever the species, you will need to immerse yourself in the bird s natural environment. So, whether that environment is mud flats, mangroves, freshwater paperback swamps, or arid land scrub it is best to be alone, as still as possible and in a calm state; this of course is relevant with all work with wild animals. Apart from the owls and some birds-of-prey, birds are active during the day. Photo Tips A DSLR is the best camera for bird photography, preferably with a motor drive and adjustable metering and focus systems. Lenses from mm are ideal. I use a mm zoom with a 2x converter for close work with small bush birds in and among shrubs, with an automatic flash for fill-in if necessary. For water birds and sea birds, and large shy birds of prey I usually work with a 500mm lens and use a 2x tele-converter bringing the focal length up to 1000mm when needed. Canon have a nice zoom telephoto lens with a built in 1.4x converter. A tripod and or monopod will be essential, especially in low light when a slower shutter speed may be necessary, although with longer lenses I work my ISO ratings, at full aperture, so as to acquire shutter speeds faster than 500th sec. Above top left and clockwise: Feeding Crimson Rosella, DSLR, 180mm, f5.6, ISO 3200, 1/1000s ; Cautious Combcrested Jacana, DSLR, 1000mm, f16, ISO 800, 1/800s; DSLR, Hunting Egret digital, 400mm, f5.6, ISO 3200, 1/1000s.

5 Photo Tips Sea birds are abundant residents of Australia s coastal environments. It is important not to disturb these animals during their nesting season because, if you scare away the parent birds, you may endanger the chicks or the eggs by leaving them open to predators. Give rookeries a wide berth observe and photograph them only from a safe distance with a long telephoto lens. On rare occasions, where birds are repeatedly breeding in close proximity to humans, as was the case with the Trophic Birds opposite, it may be possible to work relatively close without disturbance. Birds of prey, parrots and small wrens, warblers, finches and so on, are very sensitive around their nesting areas and may desert their chicks if disturbed. I tend to concentrate on their many other fascinating behaviours and keep away from nests. If nesting birds are your objective, work from a hide, or blind, and find out as much as you can about the birds behaviour before you start. Water birds, if disturbed during nesting, may also desert their chicks. Like sea birds, they may nest in large colonies. Again, learn as much as you can before going near a colony. If there are marauding gulls around, stay well away. Opposite above top left and clockwise: Hovering Red-tailed Trophic Bird SLR, 400mm, f2.8, ASA 100, 1/1000s ; Redtailed Trophic Bird with chick, DSLR, 400mm, f5.6, ASA100, 1/250s; feeding Osprey digital, DSLR, 400mm, f8, ISO 1600, 1/800s; bathing male Royal Spoonbill, DSLR, 500mm, f8. ISO 1600, 1/1600s; Jacana in flight, SLR, 500mm, f5.6, ASA 100, 1/1000s; feeding Musk Lorikeet, DSLR, 340mm, f8, ISO 3200, 1/500s flash fill.

6 Steve Parish - Nature Connect Photography Seminars, Workshops and Photo Tours Who are these workshops for? Lovers of nature and photography wishing to refine and grow their skills, and discover ways to ignite their passion and share their work for love or money. Presented by Steve Parish Fifty years of experience behind a camera, shooting in many genres and formats, marketing to millions via an array of media and product platforms, have given Steve a unique background. He is passionately driven to light fires in others through his numerous photography events, both in Australia and overseas. In 2008 Steve was awarded the Order Of Australia for his contribution to the Publishing Industry. In addition to imaging, Steve is also a naturalist and writer driven to passing on his love for nature. He has authored, illustrated and published hundreds of books for all ages. For full workshop details visit the Events page on our website

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