Bird Photography for Beginners

Birds are fast, small and wary — and endlessly rewarding to photograph. These fundamentals get you from record shots to images with impact.

Gear

• Focal length: 400–600 mm is the sweet spot. A 100–400 mm or 150–600 mm zoom is the most popular starting lens. On an APS-C body, a 400 mm lens frames like 600 mm.
• Camera: fast continuous autofocus and good high-ISO performance matter more than megapixels.
• Support: a monopod, or a beanbag on a car window.

Settings

• Shutter speed: 1/1000 s for perched birds, 1/2000–1/4000 s for flight.
• Aperture: wide open or one stop down for sharpness and soft backgrounds.
• ISO: Auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed set.
• Autofocus: continuous AF with animal/bird eye detection; a small zone for birds in branches.
• Drive: high-speed burst.

Light and backgrounds

• Shoot in the first and last two hours of daylight.
• Keep the sun behind you for even light and a catchlight in the eye.
• Backgrounds make the photo: move a few steps so the bird sits against distant foliage, water or sky rather than clutter.

Technique

• Get low to the bird's eye level.
• Focus on the eye — if it's sharp, the image works.
• Leave space in the direction the bird faces or flies.
• Wait for behavior: preening, singing, feeding, taking off.

Where and when

• National wildlife refuges offer auto routes and observation blinds.
• Migration (April–May, September–October) brings the most species.
• Winter concentrates waterfowl and raptors in the South and along coasts.
• Seabird colonies — puffins, murres, gannets — are best visited by boat tour in early summer.

Use our bird calendars by state to see which species are recorded most each month.

Ethics

Don't flush birds, approach nests or use playback where it's prohibited. See wildlife photography ethics.