The Bird Photography Field Guide: The Essential Handbook For Capturing Birds With Your Digital SLR

As digital photography equipment, notably digital SLR cameras and digiscopes, become increasingly affordable, more and more birdwatchers are turning their hands to capturing images of their favorite subject. But having the equipment is only half the battle to achieving stunning bird images. A good knowledge of your equipment, an understanding of both photography and field craft, and a firm basis in post-production techniques are also essential if you want to capture and create high-quality bird photographs. All these topics are covered in this portable guide to bird photography. Although small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or camera bag, the Bird Watcher’s Photography Field Guide introduces and instructs on each stage of the digital photography process, describing all the necessary equipment, discussing specialist field-craft techniques, and showing you how to manipulate and enhance your photos.

*Disclaimer:  The link above contains an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission if you buy this or any other product on Amazon.com after clicking it.  As always, I appreciate your support, thank you!

Save & Share Your Memories With A Shutterfly Photobook

Even though your precious travel memories are most commonly shared on Facebook or in blogs like this one, most people like to have a photo album to relive their experiences and share with their friends.  I personally have big bulky photo albums going back to the 80’s of some of my trips.  Many of the photos are fading and the plastic pockets they are in are peeling.  These albums also weigh a ton!

For the past 2 years, I have been using Shutterfly to create coffee table style photobooks of our trips.  I first started using them from a promo that awarded a free small photobook and some Hilton HHonors points.  I was so happy with the results, I have been using them ever since!

This is the album I created using photos from our trip to Indonesia in March 2013.

 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.
***Please note that I do not have an affiliate relationship with Shutterfly as of this date.
What I like about Shutterfly is the ability to choose all kinds of layouts, some with large photo slots and some with smaller ones so I can squeeze everything in.  You can have up to 1000 photos in one book.  In most cases the book and first 20 pages cost around $40, then you add pages for $1 each.  Once you are a member of Shutterfly, they email you codes for up to 50% off.  This photobook would have cost me $123 but I got it down to $53 after applying discounts and codes.  I also clicked through Chase Ultimate Rewards Mall which gives 4 points extra per $.
Here’s an example of current discount codes, you are allowed only one per order.
They have tutorial videos to show you how to make a photobook.  Unfortunately I can’t embed them here but you can see them on their website.  I use the custom page option and do my own layouts, dragging the photos from the strip as you see this lady doing in the video.
Shutterfly ships internationally and you save on the US sales tax if you take this option.  Otherwise you can sometimes get free shipping with a code within the USA.  In my experience, it takes 4-6 weeks for the photobook to arrive in Australia once it’s ordered.

Creative Bird Photography Book

This beautifully illustrated, inspirational guide to bird photography is packed with practical advice for how to photograph birds presented in an informative but accessible writing style. Creative Bird Photography offers a fresh approach to its subject, looking closely at how to photograph specific aspects of birds’ lives, such as eating and drinking, courtship, and flight. The author gives examples, demonstrating particular points and approaches for taking great shots of all of these daily bird activities as well as taking “mood” photographs at dawn and dusk. Each shot is accompanied by detailed technical data, information about locations, and advice about other challenges that will need to be surmounted in order to achieve the perfect shot. Coster also shares fascinating anecdotes about his encounters with the birds featured. There are also up-to-date sections on bird photography basics, including equipment and storage of digital images.

*Disclaimer:  The link above contains an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission if you buy this or any other product on Amazon.com after clicking it.  As always, I appreciate your support, thank you!

Inspiring The Next Generation

I make a point of “liking” all eco-tourism pages I find on Facebook and sometimes I see some great posts being shared.  One thing I think is extremely important is to share our love of nature and a sense of stewardship of planet Earth with the next generation.  They will inherit this world from us and pass it on to further generations in turn.  Have a look at this high school group vising Tambopata in Peru and learning about their wonderful native species!  Please share this post with any teenagers you know who may find this interesting.  Tambopata has some voluntourism positions available from time to time, what better way to develop an everlasting appreciation of nature and wildlife!  They also practice sustainable “green” tourism.

Maria Marta’s Jungle Photography

If these beautiful photos inspire you, visiting Tambopata is easier than you think.  Start here!  

Extreme Photography Conditions – Birds Of Paradise

As I continue through my series covering my trip to West Papua, I starting feeling more and more inadequate as a photographer and went searching for better footage I could show on this blog.  I found this stunning documentary filmed by a National Geographic crew in Papua New Guinea.  Although a different political entity, the geography was familiar and I was amazed at the extremes these professional photographers had to go through to get those amazing shots!  These techniques will be well outside the scope of a normal eco-traveler, in one case they had to wait 80 days to get 90 seconds of footage!  The muddy trails, slipping in the mud and agile locals who make you look like a clumsy oaf by comparison were familiar!  Rather than feeling inadequate, I now feel extremely lucky to have gotten the shots and footage I did in the few days I was there which will be revealed throughout this blog series.   For now, enjoy this documentary done by top professionals and the beauty of the birds they filmed.

Caution:  there are some distressing clips of birds and feathers mounted on hats which upset me and may upset you too.

Photographer Of The Week – Stephen Burch

This week we are featuring a British photographer, Stephen Burch. Here’s an excerpt from his home page:

Much of my birding (and bird photography) is done in my home county of Oxfordshire. After birding in this county for many years, I first acquired a digital camera in 2003 for digiscoping. In 2006, in search of higher quality results, I upgraded to a DSLR & 400mm lens, with some further upgrades more recently.

Farmoor Reservoir is probably the best place locally for birds and bird photography, where waders and other species can often be quite confiding, especially on the causeway. Visits to Port Meadow, if it has any water, can also been quite productive, with the added benefit of more natural surroundings – no concrete! Various other sites in the county including Otmoor can be reasonable at times, but getting close enough for good pics is a continuing issue (especially with the DSLR).

I also venture further afield from time to time, including both elsewhere in the UK and overseas. Holidays can provide good opportunities, and I often try to make the most of various business trips if at all promising in terms of locality and time of year.

Not only does he have some amazing bird images, he also has some general photography tips.  As always, to protect his copyright, I will only provide the link to his gallery.  Enjoy!

Photographer Of The Week – Graeme Chapman

Graeme Chapman was recently awarded the 2004 John Hobbs Medal for services to amateur ornithology, having been involved with amateur bird groups (mainly Birds Australia, formerly the RAOU) since he first joined in 1956.  His pictures and articles have been published widely, particularly in Wingspan, the Birds Australia magazine and in the Readers Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds plus a myriad of other books and publications both in Australia and overseas. His continuing passion will be the birds of Australia and their behaviour, especially those that are peculiar to this great continent, the real Australian birds.

As usual with this feature, I will simply link to Graeme’s Gallery on his website to protect his copyright.

Photographer Of The Week – C R Jayaprakash

This week’s featured photographer hails from India, C R Jayaprakash who has over 100 lovely bird shots in his gallery.  I’m going to start with the Malabar Parakeet which is in the middle of the gallery since that will be the featured bird this week but take some time to enjoy all the bird photos.  To protect his copyright I will simply provide the link to his gallery.

 

Canon EF Lenses – Lens Tutorials – Lenses For Sports And Wildlife

Birders need a wide variety of good lenses to get those stunning “Nat Geo” style shots.  While you do need a lot of patience and practice to get your photographyskills to professional level, having the best possible lenses helps a lot.  This video by Canon shows just a few of their lenses but is really interesting.  How would you like to carry that huge 800mm one around?

Photographer Of The Week – Michael Snedic

This is my new weekly series in which I will introduce a professional photographer who specializes in bird/wildlife photography.  I hope that you will be inspired by their work!

Michael Snedic has been an enthusiastic naturalist and lover of wildlife since he was very young. It wasn’t until his early thirties, however, that he decided to take up photography. By using a camera, he was able to “freeze” specific moments in nature forever and share these moments with others, through photos.

Michael is one of Australia’s most accomplished and published nature photographers. He is a feature writer on nature photography and wildlife for various magazines. These include regular features on nature photography for Australian Photography and Wildlife Australia , as well as articles in Australian Geographic and the world-famous BBC Wildlife Magazine, the world’s largest selling wildlife magazine.

I was lucky enough to take a workshop with him sponsored by the Parrot Society of Australia last year and Michael is one of those rare individuals who not only has great skill but knows how to teach it.  I took the photo of him below at the October 2012 workshop.

MIchael Snedic teaching photography workshop

MIchael Snedic teaching photography workshop

 

As always, with this feature I will link to his gallery to protect his copyright.

Gallery of Australian birds.