How to Photograph Birds in Flight

Many photographers love to capture the beauty of nature. Landscapes, sunsets and animals all provide an appealing canvas for spectacular photos. A popular, yet difficult, subject to capture in nature is a bird in flight. It requires practice, and taking many pictures, to get the perfect shot. However, following the steps below will aid you in achieving your goal to photograph birds in flight successfully.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Choosing the Right Equipment

1. Choose a camera that has track focusing, a motordrive with a minimum of six frames per second and a dynamic focus mode that activates all of the camera's focus sensors.
2. Use a 300mm to 400mm telephoto lens that has a limited focus range switch. For small birds, use the focus range of 5 to 10 meters and for large birds use the 10 to infinity range.
3. Aid the stabilization of your image, since you are moving to photograph a moving subject, with a tripod or a gunstock mount.

Taking the Photograph

4. Use the fast action setting on your digital camera to capture a succession of images with one press of the shutter button. You need to take multiple photos of one bird's flight in order to get optimal wing position in the photograph. The image of someone running often indicates this setting on your camera.
5. Observe your subject for a while before taking photographs. Learn their typical behavior so that you will be able to tell when that particular type of bird is about to take off in flight, which will help you to capture better photos.
6. Pre-focus the area in which you expect to get the bird in your viewfinder when the bird is flying toward you. Use the focus lock function on your camera (pressing the shutter button halfway down) on an object in that area, such as a rock or tree.
7. Position the viewfinder where the bird is located, but keep the focus that you just established. As the bird approaches you, wait until its image is nearly sharp in the viewfinder, refocus on the bird and start taking photographs.
8. Pan the camera to follow a bird's flight when it flies parallel to your position, rather than toward you. Keep your camera motion smooth and along a horizontal plane that matches the bird's flight pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• For best results, photograph birds as they take flight or come in for a landing, with the wind at your back or a right angle. Birds typically take flight and land into the wind, so the wind carries them and it is less work.
• Clues that a bird is about to take flight include the following: defecation, examining its surroundings, and turning its body into the wind.
• Predetermine the correct exposure on your camera before taking pictures. Changing the exposure during a bird's flight may cause you to lose the shot.
• White and/or black birds or background objects can throw off your camera's metering. Compensate by adjusting the exposure and overriding the light meter as needed.

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