by bobby d strunk
Bird photography is one of the most challenging types of nature photography. Wild birds are often difficult to approach and they never stay in one place for long. Your own backyard can serve as a personal studio in which you can be in control of your subjects and obtain beautiful photos. This is one of the very few situations where eye-catching, close-up bird photography is possible without extravagant photo equipment.

Setting Up Feeders; The most important consideration in choosing a location for bird feeders is lighting. Most bird photographers choose direct front lighting for shooting their subjects. The most important thing to remember when considering lighting is to always point your shadow at the bird. This will ensure that your subject is evenly lit with no shadows. When hanging feeders for bird photography, avoid placing them too close to your house or too close to the edge of the woods. Both these situations can block light and make it difficult to obtain stunning pictures. This also gives the birds a safe area to travel to and from the feeders and provides a nice background in your images.

Fewer feeders produce more photo opportunities than many feeders.
Selecting the Ideal Perch; Perch selection is critical to the natural feel of your photographs. Perches should look natural and not “set-up.” Avoid manmade objects such as processed lumber, metal, or plastic. Instead, walk around your yard and find fallen twigs, small branches. It’s very important to choose a perch that is natural for the species being photographed. Be very careful when positioning a pruned perch for photography.
It’s also very important to place the perch at the appropriate angle. A good starting point is to mount the perch vertically and then push it directly away from you at a 45-degree angle.

Desirable Camera Equipment; Most birds that visit feeding stations are quite tame and will tolerate a human very close to their food source. A lens in the 200-300mm range can produce frame-filling images with these cooperative subjects. Using a tripod will greatly aide in obtaining sharp images. Being comfortable is also important. Sitting low in a lawn chair with your camera set up in front of you decreases your profile substantially and will allow you to photograph for extended periods comfortably. Movement is your biggest foe when it comes to birds.

With a little strategy, backyard bird photography can be very rewarding. It is a unique form of wild bird photography and by following the advice above, you can be on your way to producing appealing, natural looking bird images. You will be amazed by the interesting songbird images that you can produce in your own backyard.

For most of my life I was a house painter. I traded my paint brush in for a computer key board. I combined my love for photography and internet marketing into one and became a photography marketer. Now I go day by day but I’m living and loving everyone. Bobby d is a freelance photographer, photography student, photography marketer, internet entrepreneur, and owner operator of shutterbugphotobiz.com

Article Source: this photography business is for the birds