How to shoot birds

Bird photography is a very challenging photography theme. It is not easy to find a theme, and it is even more difficult to give consideration to both image quality and connotation. Only by superb technology and good luck can we succeed. If one day, when you find that beautiful women and lotus flowers can no longer lift your interest in photography, try a different taste and feel the simplicity in nature, you will be fascinated and unable to extricate yourself. Bird photography is a very challenging photography theme. It is not easy to find a theme, and it is even more difficult to give consideration to both image quality and connotation. Only by superb technology and good luck can we succeed. The photo of bird ecology should completely convey the interactive truth between the protagonist and the ecological environment on which he lives, without any human intervention, so that the viewer can understand the real situation through the image, and then enjoy the vivid expressions and actions of birds. Walking in their world is a successful photo of bird ecology. Just when I first entered the field of bird photography, it was not easy to get a clear "big picture" of wild birds, let alone a successful ecological work. Birds are usually inaccessible, and telephoto lenses have always been favored by wildlife photographers. Usually a telescope with a focal length of more than 280mm is qualified to be called a cannon. 800mm lens is more suitable for use in open terrain. For example, shooting waterfowl, waterfowl usually inhabit wetlands such as estuaries and are not easy to get close to. At this time, if you have a long focal length lens, it is easier to capture their expressions. The picture presented by a long focal length lens in the viewfinder is very easy to shake, and the larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field of the lens, especially in the case of full aperture, which will be more serious if the shooting distance is short, so be very careful when focusing. Mastering the depth of field is also a very important factor affecting the atmosphere. Therefore, before pressing the shutter button, it is best to select the preview button of depth of field at the right time to determine the best depth of field range and aperture shutter combination. But there may not be enough time for the photographer to think in the actual scene, and the opportunity is usually fleeting. Therefore, it is necessary to do a good job of focusing before shooting, that is, predict the travel route of the target object after finding it, measure the focus first, and once it enters the effective range, just fine-tune the focal length. The focal point is usually in the bird's eyes. In order to pursue the stability of shooting, we can only lower the tripod, which can reduce the degree of shaking. Usually at this time, the support plate on the tripod is directly locked in the center of the lens. If the lens only has this support point, it is generally impossible to avoid the problem of jitter. The longer the lens, the more serious this phenomenon is. If you can't "modify", you can only use the high-speed shutter after putting down the tripod to achieve the stability of image quality. This is the main topic when shooting with a long lens. In some cases, the use of flash is sometimes inevitable, especially when shooting activities in dense forests or birds at night, or even when backlighting is compensated. As mentioned above, in order to condense the birds' flexible jumping and subtle movements, the light on the scene is usually not strong enough, so it is necessary to use a high-speed shutter, so the skill of using the flash is very important, but don't forget one thing: not only the lighting is correct, but also don't disturb the birds being photographed.