Composing Your Bird Photographs

 

Once you have got all the equipment you are going to need (please see my other post – Bird photography – What you need and how to use it) it is time to get out there and and get some photos. Below are a few techniques and tips to help you obtain better bird photos and to produce more ‘keepers’. Composing a photo involves you setting parameters in order to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing photo and whilst this may seem impossible in the field there are some things you can do before you press the shutter button and some you can do afterwards . Please do not take these tips to be set in stone, they should be used as a general rule only, and in some cases you may find that going against the norm produces the best photo.

At the London 2012 Olympics with a Canon 50D

 

I was fortunate enough to visit the London 2012 Olympics during the athletics, so thought it would be an ideal opportunity to try out the Canon 50D (thanks James). I’ve previously tested out both the Canon 40D, and Canon 60D, so putting the 50D through its paces seemed like a good idea!

I took with me my trusty Sigma 70-300mm telephoto lens, as well as the Canon 17-40mm F4L for any wide-angle shots.