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How to photograph birds in flight

Discussion in 'Animal Photography' started by Simon Hampel, 18 Sep 2009.

  1. Simon Hampel

    Simon Hampel Administrator Staff Member 20+ year member

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    Just thought I'd see what suggestions some of our more experienced photographers have for getting good shots of birds in flight?

    Here is some suggestions I wrote in another thread, but I thought it worth starting a new thread to see if we can get some other people's thoughts - I'm certainly no expert, still perfecting this technique.

    Someone else wrote: "getting sharp photos of birds in flight is very difficult - something I have not been able to do"

    Takes a lot of practice and a good camera.

    Ideally you want to use a high shutter speed to capture the motion without blurring - while at the same time using a small aperture to give a greater depth of field and more chance of getting the bird in focus.

    These two requirements are generally mutually exclusive, as cameras will compensate for a high shutter speed by opening the aperture to ensure enough light gets in for correct exposure - and vice versa, slow the shutter speed down when you close down the aperture.

    If the day is bright enough and you have a good SLR camera with full manual control, you might be able to set these independently and override the camera controls, but you'll likely end up with an underexposed photo.

    It needs a bit of experimentation - generally I'd go for a faster shutter speed to capture the moving bird, but that requires good timing and a really fast focus (or manual focus and a good judge of distance) to get the bird at the right spot at the right time.

    Being in the right position also helps, a bird flying from one side to another might seem more difficult to capture as you might have to pan with it - but it still might be easier then trying to capture a bird moving towards or away from you where the focus distance changes.

    Choosing the right lens is also important - unless you are going manual focus, you need a really fast autofocus, and remember that the longer your zoom, the more steady you need to be with your shooting (or use a higher shutter speed to compensate). You can always try a shorter zoom with a higher resolution camera so you can then crop the photo and still have good resolution.

    Every time I go to our local zoo (Taronga) I like going to the free-flight bird show to practice taking shots of birds in flight. I'm still learning and trying different settings - would be interested to hear what other people find works well for them.

    Ironically, one of my best in-flight bird shots was taken with a cheap Pentax SLR (MZ-50), with an even cheaper Sigma lens on it - although I put the photo down to luck more than anything.

    Another of my favourite in-flight bird shots was taken from the deck of a ship with the (very large) bird hovering along side - which made it relatively easy to get a good photo.

    Anyone else have some suggestions for techniques to get good photographs of birds in flight?
     
  2. gentle lemur

    gentle lemur Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    As Sim said earlier in his post - the most important thing is practice. You have to be absolutely comfortable and confident with your equipment and your technique to get a reasonably high proportion of good results. There will always be times when the focus is a little out, the position of the wings looks wrong, the bird suddenly changes direction, ugly shadows appear where you don't want them and so on - there are just so many things that can go wrong, that something usually does :rolleyes:
    A few tips that I have learned through experience
    • bigger birds are easier than smaller ones, they don't beat their wings as fast and they don't need to fly so close to you
    • early mornings and late afternoons work best if it's sunny, because the low sun illuminates the birds' underparts
    • keep the sun behind you, the first rule you learn with a camera matters here (I rarely worry about it otherwise) because you need the best light you can get
    • look for the direction of the wind - it's much easier shooting birds flying into the wind, because their air speed is less
    • places with large numbers of birds are best, you get more practice as there are more birds and they usually come closer
    • and the best rule of all is be lucky

    Alan
     
  3. IceQueen

    IceQueen Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I agree, practise, practise, practise. Go to every bird demonstration in your favorite zoo's, go to the duckpound near your house or a park where there are a lot of birds and just shoot.
    Start with the big birds, they are not that fast and easier to focus for your camera. And don't zoom in too much, you can always crop later.
    I can choose the way may camera's autofocus works and with birds in flight (and other moving animals) I always have it on continuing autofocus, so it will track the moving subject with it's focus.
     
  4. gallenwolf

    gallenwolf Well-Known Member

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    Here's what I usually do for birds in flight

    - Try to shoot the birds against a background of sorts. Shooting against a white overcast sky may get a record shot but I find the (lack of) dynamic range kills the picture.
    - Exposure: I usually leave it at auto exposure. However, I set my camera to ramp up and down my ISO automatically (Auto-ISO). I allow it to hit a maximum of 1600iso, in broad daylight it's fine. I also set the auto iso to have a minimum shutter speed of 1/1600 - assuming we're not wanting blurred flapping wing style kind of pictures.
    - Aperture - I tend to stop down to about F4 to 5.6, it seems like a good balance between quality and sufficient depth of field to correct for any autofocus issues.
    - Lens - I have done BIF mainly with two lenses, a 300/4 AF-S and 70-200VR. I think I have more luck with the 70-200 as I can pick out the bird then zoom in. I also tend not to zoom in much and crop alot later :( I need more practice. My 70-200 is also stablized, so helps alot when panning.
    - Focus: Continuous AF, and offset the focusing point in the opposite direction the birds are moving e.g. bird moving left to right, put the focus point on the left, so that the bird will move into the frame. Or when I'm flustered, just reset it to center point and leave it there :) My camera allows more than one af point to help focusing, I usually choose the option with the least number of points as more points occasionally locks onto the background instead.
    - Pan the lens!
    - I don't try to shoot birds flying straight on with the lenses I've got as I have never, ever got a properly focused shot. From what I understand if you have a super telephoto it will be easier.

    One good place to practice is the bridge across the serpentine in hyde park, there are many herons about, and ducks flying in formation. You have to get there very early in the morning to get the action though. By 9am, it dies down.
    If you want to shoot at a zoo, I would recommend Eagle Heights as they have two shows a day, and these shows are pretty long and entertaining.
    They also let the birds out to free fly in the morning, so if you have a really long lens, you may get a nice shot of some of the birds against the really beautiful valley.

    Please note that I do am not a serious BIF photographer, I prefer to shoot canids :)

    AlvinVFX Updates!: Eagle Heights Wildlife Park

    Alvin
     
  5. Hix

    Hix Wildlife Enthusiast and Lover of Islands 15+ year member Premium Member

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  6. Writhedhornbill

    Writhedhornbill Well-Known Member

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    Here is a picture I got of a Black kite in flight at Banhams bird of prey display.

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Dawn B

    Dawn B Well-Known Member

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    Good lighting and a fast lens, f/2.8 if possible I find for taking in flight Bird shots. I use AI servo, continuous focus on moving subjects and high speed shooting too. A couple from the Barn Owl centre in Gloucestershire.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  8. gentle lemur

    gentle lemur Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I love the action in this shot, but you need to clean the sensor (be careful!)

    Alan
     
  9. Writhedhornbill

    Writhedhornbill Well-Known Member

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    I did notice the black marks on the picture and cleared them up on the computer. How do I clean the sensor?
     
  10. gentle lemur

    gentle lemur Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Very carefully!
    It is safest to take it to someone who knows how to do it. The sensor is very delicate and you need special gear for a full clean.
    You can make a big improvement by getting a blower (which is a rubber bulb with a spout), locking up the mirror and holding the camera upside down as you try to blow the dust off the sensor - but don't touch its surface with anything except the cleaning equipment that is made for the job.
    Do a Google search for more detailed advice.

    Alan
     
  11. Dawn B

    Dawn B Well-Known Member

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    You could get an "Arctic Butterfly" pricey but very good.
     
  12. gallenwolf

    gallenwolf Well-Known Member

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    Maybe I'm shooting wide open too much, but I've had more issues with dust in the viewfinder and mirror, not on the sensor.

    I had advice from an experienced photographer, he told me to always change my lenses with the camera pointed away from where the wind was blowing, and also to change it while pointing the camera body pointed downwards.

    Also, I use a rocket blower to clean the sensor when I'm cleaning out the viewfinder, but that's about it. My camera has the sensor cleaning thing but I kinda forgot about it till now :)

    Alvin
     
  13. gentle lemur

    gentle lemur Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Good advice. If your camera has a sensor cleaning system, usually a device that shakes the sensor to dislodge any dust, you should use it fairly regularly.
    Dust on the mirror or viewfinder can be a nuisance, but it won't show up in photos: dust on the sensor is visible in every photo, particularly in areas of pale colours.

    Alan