Many people (especially non-birders) dont realize what exactly it takes to get good shots of birds. Bird photography is surely one of the most difficult areas of photography. The effort and hard work behind a good satisfactory shot of a bird is depicted here, and the outcome is given in the right corner of the photo. This photo was taken today while birding at Rajarhat wetlands. Photo courtesy: Risav Pal. 10th August-2013
Bird-photography is one of the most popular genres of nature photography. It is also a very challenging endeavor, requiring specialized skills and equipment – one does not simply pick up the camera used for family vacation photos and capture compelling avian images. On the same token, having the best possible photographic gear for the task does not ensure success either. It seems successful bird photographers should also have a thorough understanding of bird behavior and habitat. Patience and high reflexes are very important for getting good bird shots. Most importantly, most bird-photographers all have a deep love and appreciation for their subjects.
There are many different techniques to approach wild birds and I will go through what works for me. Pretty much all birds have superb vision, so it is very likely that the bird will see you first. Also, all birds have their own "comfort zones" and if you try to get any closer, they feel threatened and fly away. Different birds have different tolerance levels for human interaction. Some birds will let people pretty close, especially if they are used to them – those birds are the easiest to photograph. And then there are birds that are extremely shy, that will not let you come anywhere close. Those birds are extremely hard to photograph and you will have to understand the bird behavior to get closer. The key to successful bird photography, is to make the bird feel safe and natural. Some skilled birders can approach birds very closely, sometimes way beyond their comfort zones. How do they do it? Most of them will respond that it is all about patience. Birds feel threatened when you approach them too fast directly. They also feel threatened when you look directly at them, as any other animal would.
-- Bird-photography is one of the most popular genres of nature photography. It is also a very challenging endeavor, requiring specialized skills and equipment – one does not simply pick up the camera used for family vacation photos and capture compelling avian images. On the same token, having the best possible photographic gear for the task does not ensure success either. It seems successful bird photographers should also have a thorough understanding of bird behavior and habitat. Patience and high reflexes are very important for getting good bird shots. Most importantly, most bird-photographers all have a deep love and appreciation for their subjects.
There are many different techniques to approach wild birds and I will go through what works for me. Pretty much all birds have superb vision, so it is very likely that the bird will see you first. Also, all birds have their own "comfort zones" and if you try to get any closer, they feel threatened and fly away. Different birds have different tolerance levels for human interaction. Some birds will let people pretty close, especially if they are used to them – those birds are the easiest to photograph. And then there are birds that are extremely shy, that will not let you come anywhere close. Those birds are extremely hard to photograph and you will have to understand the bird behavior to get closer. The key to successful bird photography, is to make the bird feel safe and natural. Some skilled birders can approach birds very closely, sometimes way beyond their comfort zones. How do they do it? Most of them will respond that it is all about patience. Birds feel threatened when you approach them too fast directly. They also feel threatened when you look directly at them, as any other animal would.
regards
Shantanu Bhattacharya
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