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Crested

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I’m really enjoying my new birding hobby.  The Black-Crested Titmouse is the fourth bird I’ve showcased on my blog. One of the most enjoyable things (beyond photographing them) is the research and finding out more about these creatures. There is so much to learn and digest. For example, this little bird builds his nest in hole in tree with materials like leaves, moss, dried grass, hair, strips of bark, and sometimes feathers. They then line it with hair or similar material for insulation.

I thought I would also share what is needed to properly photograph birds at rest (Vs. in flight).  Here is a short list of items that are indispensable for good bird photography.

  • A good telephoto lens enables photographing them from longer distances.
  • A tripod for stability with a good tripod head that allows for motion up-down-left-right.
  • Set your camera on Aperture Priority mode and your ISO on Auto. Birds move quite a bit so you need to end up with a very fast shutter speed. Somewhere around 1/500th of a second is a good start. So, play with your aperture and ISO setting until you get that right.
  • Set your camera focus on Continuous Auto Focus. This will allow you to track the bird when it moves around.
  • Pay attention to your background.  Make sure that it’s nice and soft like in the image below. You can control this with your aperture. A small aperture (higher number) will result in a very sharp background while a larger aperture will give you results like the one below.
  • Focus on the eye.  That’s one of the most important elements in bird photography. If the head is not sharply in focus then the image is no good.

I hope these tips help. Let me know if you have any other tips. I hope to post more about birds in flight as I learn the tricks of the trade.

Crested
Black-crested Titmouse – Pedernales Falls SP

This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III using my Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sports Lens set on 470 mm. The camera was set on Aperture priority mode with the aperture set at f/8, shutter speed at 1/400th of a second and the ISO set at 1250.

You can view my Birds of Texas collection by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions, or suggestions.

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© 2015 T. Kahler Photography

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