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Top 10 Bird Photography Tips

1. Know your subjects well. Understanding bird behavior, habitat preferences, and the timing and pattern of migration is a great foundation on which to build an interest in bird photography. Seek out areas where birds have become relatively acclimated to the human presence.
2. Move slowly. By doing so, you will often be able to approach your subjects closely while minimizing disturbance. Birds don't mind some noise or even bright colors, but they are genetically programmed to flee when they detect quick movements.
3. Stay low when attempting to photograph birds on the ground or on the beach. This way you will be able to approach your subjects much more closely than if you were standing. Kneeling is good, but in most cases, getting flat on your belly (if feasible) is even better. Images created while you are working at the bird's eye level feature soft, out-of-focus foregrounds and backgrounds and are often quite intimate. The shorter your telephoto lens, the more important it is that you get low (so that you avoid shooting down at your subject).
4. When it is difficult or impossible to get close physically, use a 1.4x teleconverter (TC) to increase the effective focal length of your lens by 40 percent. A 1.4x TC transforms a 400mm lens into a 560mm lens. You will, however, lose one stop of light (and one stop of shutter speed) and the quality of the image will usually be slightly degraded unless you are using a fast (i.e., wide aperture) professional quality lens. Beginners are generally advised against using 2x teleconverters (doublers). Making sharp images with a 2x TC requires a prime lens of superb quality.
5. Buy the best autofocus equipment that you can afford. Autofocus is invaluable for most types of wildlife photography. Quality equipment will last for many years and generally hold its resale value quite well. Be sure to purchase accessories (such as teleconverters) that are produced by the manufacturer of your system.
6. If you prefer a light, handholdable lens, consider either the Canon 100-400mm image stabilized lens or the Nikon 80-400mm vibration reduction lens. These innovative lenses actually reduce the effects of equipment shake when you are handholding them and are capable of yielding sharp images at relatively slow shutter speeds. Digital cameras with 1.5x or 1.6x multiplier effects team perfectly with such lenses.
7. Choose a longer, slower lens over a shorter, faster one. For serious bird photography, a quality 500mm f/4 telephoto lens is ideal for most. They are lighter than the 600mm f/4 lenses, cost less, focus closer, and are easier to travel with. They should be used on a tripod with a Wimberley head, which is a specialized, gimbal-type tripod head that makes handling big telephoto lenses a snap.
8. Before pressing the shutter button, consider the background elements in your image. Unusually light or dark areas in the background tend to distract the viewer, and cluttered backgrounds are even worse. If your backgrounds are a good distance from the subject, they will be rendered soft and pleasing no matter their appearance.
9. Photograph gulls as often as possible; they make great practice subjects and are just about everywhere, especially in coastal areas. They are large and easy to photograph, and when you point a camera at one it generally does something interesting in less than a minute.
10. Read everything you can about bird photography. A good place to start is by ordering a signed copy of the softcover edition of The Art of Bird Photography from BIRDS AS ART (to browse books by Arthur Morris that are avaliable in the BWD Nature Shop, click on the titles on the right hand column of this web page.)