AUTUMNGUIDE

Nuthatch
Sparrowhawk
2
Artificially provided food can look ugly in shots of wildlife. So, it can be
a good idea to conceal food in crevices or hollows on your chosen perch
area. You could use a mossy log for example.
Blackbird
4
Think about light direction
In an ideal world you want the light behind you when photographing birds.
Sometimes, for an artistic effect, you may want to backlight a subject, but
mostly it is best to set up a hide or screen with the light behind you.
Pied Wagtail
Hide food
6 Use the right camera 7
For photographing birds, you will need either a camera (bridge, Micro
Four Thirds or DSLR) with either a decent zoom range or a long focal
length (say 300mm minimum). Digiscoping with a compact camera or
a phone is another way of getting the birds within reach.
Dan Mold Steve Bloom Images/Alamy Stock Photo
Buiten-Beeld/Alamy
3
Be patient
All bird photography requires a degree of patience. Garden bird
photography is no exception. So, prepare everything first, settle into position
and be prepared to wait for the best action.
Robin
5
Shoot movies
Movies can be great in their own right. But with some cameras, it is
possible to ‘capture the action’ by extracting individual frames of your
favourite poses from short snatches of movie action. This can be
particularly useful for catching birds in flight.
Get close
Ideally, you want to be close enough to the subject to get some detailed
photographs, with the bird large in the frame. The easiest way to do this is to
use a portable, tent-like hide, preferably one of those camouflaged ones with
a built in seat. Or, if you are lucky enough to have a shed with windows, you
could use this as a hide, and set up the feeders and perches, accordingly. BW
Tim Gainey/Alamy*
Mike Lane/Alamy Stock Photo
Jake Kindred/Bauer*
22 Get To Know Garden Birds 2018