Taking photos of birds

Photographers need a fair bit of skills before becoming effective in the art of taking photos of birds

Lights, camera, action: say bird! Birds, like kids, are fascinating and interesting to see yet very difficult to shoot on camera. A photographer of birds has a slew of questions to answer such as what kind of lens should one use, what shutter speed, among others.

Photographing birds requires a lot of patience and a technique that should be mastered through lots and lots of practice. The following is advice and suggestions on how to make bird photo capturing effective.

What kind of film should be used? It all depends on you. If your purpose is to shoot some birds in order to show pictures to your family or for you to have a collection of your own, using film negatives is the best option to take. Meanwhile, if slides are used, these have to be processed and sent to a lab. However, the downside of slides is that if the exposure is incorrect, it is very obvious. Using film slides also has advantages. The saturation of color in slides is better and if you are considering sending your bird photo slides in a portfolio, the images of your shots are better seen in slides. However, many agencies and publications are also considering receiving digital images as well.

Should film be fast or slow? Again, the answer is: it depends on you. What one really needs to know is that fast film increases the photo’s graininess, is less sharp and less saturated in color. So if for example you are taking close-ups of colorful peacocks in the zoo, using a slow film that is best for the subject and available light, is a good choice.

However, if you need to freeze a particular action and there is low light available, a fast film is needed such as an ISO 400.

It is always a good choice to experiment and play with options that are available to you. Always have a selection of medium, slow and fast film available when you need them.

What film brand should be used? Usually, if this question is asked of three different photographers, you would usually get three different answers as well. So it is suggested that you experiment with various brands of film and in different situations of lighting. Then you will see the brand that best suits you.

Some of the more popular slide films and the ones used by professionals are Fuji Sensia, Fuji Velvia, Kodachrome by Kodak and Fuji Provia.

Observe that the choice really depends on you. There is no right or wrong answer when creating the perfect bird shot.