I usually push a few sticks in the ground under my bird feeder. Reason being the feed drops to ground and birds that get pushed out go to the ground to eat instead. So they perch waiting their turn and that's when they look normal out in woods.
Loved your set up, is it possible for you to tell me what settings you used on that day please, and what lens as the other chappie had a much different lens, whilst yours was enormous and on a gimbal, his what much smaller on a different type of head.
Great Video for taking pictures of Tame birds , I would not try it with Birds of prey though, some settings information would be great too!! Nice tip on the glove wearing, I always wondered why they flew off just as I reach for the camera. !!!!
I shoot birds on a feeder at home, when I go out to shoot wild birds that’s what I want but my other great passion is birding. It’s not a right or wrong thing and I can see this being a great starting point until you learn where birds will naturally be and at what times. Tits and robins are also great birds to start with until you become more proficient.
wow, I had a hard time with our chickadees. hehe, bouncing the walls, cute little things that they are. Robins are pretty good... I also had a fairly easy time photographing mourning doves and house sparrows as well since we have a flock of them at the feeder who also will stay at the feeder which allows more time to be able to take a photo rather than chasing the chickadee hopping from feeder to tree back and forth... although I noticed in winter, the chickadees were easier to photograph. Either way, it's been a joy feeding the birds for a year now and the enjoying the challenge photographing them as a hobby resulting from feeding them. : ) I've also really enjoyed seeing how the trust in our relationship has grown in terms of them feeling comfortable being in my presence and even flying from a different yard in order to land on the tree by me, so they can greet me... that really makes me smile. : ) I think that gives me the most joy of all. : )
Thanks for sharing. I believe (although I am new to this) that one thing said in the video, but perhaps not clear to beginners is the fact that he said "birds are use to coming for food in this location". That makes the perch with food successful right away. Had this not been true, then a beginner should be aware to make the food obvious for several days or weeks. When the birds get use to coming there, you could make it less obvious. I wish he had discussed his experience with exposure of photographing colorful birds with bright white feathers and dark black feathers. These tend to confuse the camera and histogram and even sometimes blinkies. Thanks again for the video
Great video. I sort of do this, but I tend to use existing bird tables at a local country park. The birds there are incredibly tame. My approach is slightly different, in that I personally prefer to capture an image of a bird with food in it's beak. I also prefer to capture them as they are about to land or are leaving the feeding station and are in mid - air. I always use my Olympus EM1 mark II set to ProCapture with my Olympus 12 - 100mm f4 lens. I find it better than my Oly 300mm f4 because of the wider field of view. Though my D500 is a brilliant camera, in my hands it cannot compete with my EM1.2 in this type of scenario. If you wish to make a bird table appear a little more natural, you can disguise the edges with lichen and moss - the birds won't mind. I also use ProCapture when photographing birds approaching/leaving hanging feeders, cropping the feeder out in LR. What I discovered early on, is that you cannot just choose a random location, put food out and expect birds to flock in. If you choose somewhere off the beaten track, you need to visit a few times and put food out, so the birds know where to find it and get used to visiting your chosen location.
100 mm ? How close do you have to get to the table in order to fill the frame with a bird ? Not trying to be an ass, just that I photographed a Squirrel that came to my garden, stealing from the bird feeder. I grabbed a 270mm lens and was surprised that I had to zoom all the way in. Shooting from the kitchen window I`d say around 20ft away.
@@sunkissedbeach Go to some different countries with exotic landscapes and we would not have to feed the birds so as to capture their image. Just joking have a good day.
Whichever lens suits your purposes and camera best! Obviously, the longer the focal length the more fall off in the background, and further away from the subject you can be.
Out of curiosity I would like to know what camera and what lens James Abbot is using. As these look to be the type of camera and lens the average photographer would have available.
I hike and quite often with my Nikon point and shoot L340 (40 x 112mm) I take a picture of a deer (some hundred yards distant) and then after a few steps, take a picture of a flower or mushroom right in the path. Clearly I can't be constantly changing lens; what is the best lens for such a situation using a Nikon D3300?
@@StevenTorrey From what little of his lens I could see, I'd wager it's possibly the 70-300mm or 55-250mm variable aperture lenses for Canon. Not entirely sure what the Nikon equivalents would be unfortunately, but those two lenses are some of the most common 'affordable' birding lenses.
@@StevenTorrey : A good "general purpose" lens would be a 70-200mm or 70-300mm, preferably with a wide constant aperture. This is what I use (link below) but there are cheaper versions available to fit most cameras. www.nikon.co.uk/en_GB/product/discontinued/nikkor-lenses/2018/af-s-nikkor-70-200mm-f-2-8g-ed-vr-ii
Nice video with some good tips. What I do not understand is why you are hoping that the birds do not have food in their beaks? I would have thought that a picture of a robin with some nesting material in its mouth would make a lovely photo.
Because it wouldn't look natural; most people would consider it a nice photo indeed, but if you're going for a natural looking photo, say for a magazine or something, then a robin with a peanut in it's mouth is going to look staged. I mean, these photos are "staged" to some extent anyway, but at least they look natural. This is mentioned in the video, but I can still understand the "why the faff?" argument. Most of us would shoot our garden birds anyway, so a peanut in the mouth would look natural in that setting, but not here "in the wild".
Thanks for the trips. I shoot black & white urban photography. Yet in need of a larger zoom so looks less invasive when shooting people out and about. Could you please recommend several good lens the would be suitable for using at a distance? that aren't too expensive.
Sure, you can try your hand at wildlife with any combo. You have a telephoto lens that gives you just over 200mm of focal reach on the crop sensor of the 77d. Even though it doesn't have the most advanced focusing system, you should have enough to get started with some shots. Ideally, you'll want to increase the focal length of your lens at some point, maybe with a 70-300mm, or 150-600mm telephoto, which will get you closer to wildlife without scaring it.
Birds in your area seemed very friendly they play along even when you're near. I tried putting bird seeds in one corner of our rooftop and waited in vain but no birds seemed to care. I even put once a remote motion detector device to trigger my DSLR from distance, but no bird seem to approach the setup. I just realized birds here in my area are too shy to be photographed. I have more success in shoot birds from afar and in the trees using long telephoto than with a bird feeder.
mannydeguzmanjartist lol they won’t come in like 1 hour, it might take some days but then in this video he was probably already around that area earlier so the birds know that there usually is food there
they make it seem so easy...does anyone know how fast cheep cheeps are? hahaha! half the time, I don't even get them in the photo or they're a blur...hahaha, so, really do have to admire wildlife photography. I find that mourning doves seem to be somewhat easier to practice on for others who also recently started taking photos of animals. Robins are pretty good to try with too...in the wintertime when the chickadees are waking up in the morning, I find it easier to photograph them just before they start to whiz around the place bouncing off the trees at full speed practically. hahaha! Love chickadees. hehe. Amazing photos though
Seems like a lot of work to get shots of small birds. Maybe I am missing something, but chumming seems unnecessary. But I live in the pacific northwest of the US and have not had any trouble shooting a variety of birds in the natural environment. I have a bird feeder on the back patio, which I use when testing a new lens or camera set up. But it is not very challenging. What pleases me is to go where the birds live and see if I can photograph them doing their natural thing. Different strokes for different folks.
Good video, thanks. I have seen that done in a hide in Andalucia, but on a larger scale. I have set something similar in my garden at home, 3 metres from my kitchen window. I was interested in what lens you were using?
There is no 'best' camera, nor an easy answer. You have to do your homework and make up your mind which out of hundreds of suitable camera's and lenses work for you. This has the big advantage that you do not need to spend big bucks. Unless you are convinced that the quality of pictures lies in the latest equipment and not with the photographer. Then go ahead, spend a small fortune and be disappointed.
I didn't know that 'great tits' were birds, but now it makes more sense. I liked the video. It is wildlife photography as the birds are not tame but live in the wild, and I agree that this is a nice start. The hollowed log with food was a great idea. I'm gonna try that. Thanks. - Norwegian viking.
Question from a newbie: I would like to take videos of birds in my backyard similar to this example on RUclips: ( ruclips.net/video/xbs7FT7dXYc/видео.html ) where the camera is stationary on a tripod and pointed at one spot while recording birds landing and eating food ( not flying in the air ). I have am considering buying a Sony A7Siii and a Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Super Telephoto Zoom Lens but don't know if that is the best option. I am concerned the SonyA7Siii does not have enough pixels and I am concerned the Sony FE 200-600mm will not work well at dawn or dusk which I read is a problem with that lens. Do you have any advice on which camera and lens to buy to take bird the type of bird videos I want to capture ? Thank you.
PlanetRuncorn if you use a lens that goes to 300 then never drop below 1/300 for shutter. My preference in f stop is around 7-9, but you can decide what you like with depth of field. I never allow ISO to exceed 1000, I don’t like the noise it creates. With these basic tips it shouldn’t be too difficult to get decent shots, although each camera and lens is different
Camera and lens settings should be obvious. Shooting small fast moving birds with a 300mm lens means your shutter speed should not drop below 1/300th, ideally you would go for a higher shutter speed, but winter does not always bless us with decent bright light, so always use the widest aperture, plus the wider aperture will blow out the background details! ISO should also be as low as you can take it. Worth noting that a basic 50-230mm zoom lens has a varied aperture, and at the 230mm end the aperture could be as tight as f/6.7, meaning not much light gets into the lens anyway, so a compromise on ISO has to be done!
"Camera and lens settings should be obvious." .... To someone watching a simplistic, how to practise taking pics of birds video .....maybe not. But at least you added some useful info. The fact that one guy had a humongous wildlife lens and the other , a kit zoom, didnt really highlight any differences.
shutter speed start from 1/500, try to slow down once you got your safety shots, so you can have lower ISO samples as well. auto ISO, and if your lens is sharp enough, do it wide open.
Scott, I use a Canon Powershot SX60HS which is a fixed lens camera with a good superzoom. It will be a good camera for you to learn the craft. BUT - how much money do you have because there are some good reviews about the Nikon Coolpix P1000 but it's a vastly more expensive camera. Also, look on your local second hand Web. Somebody I know here in South Africa bought a brand new Canon Powershot SX60HS for R600 which is well under a hundred dollars and which the person who bought it sold because he couldn't take the time and trouble to learn to use it properly. Also, do you mean newbie photographer or newbie _bird_ photographer? There is a very good book called 'How and Where to Photograph Birds in Southern Africa' but it's got a lot about bird photography generally in it and it available as a e-book. It's by a guy called Isac Pretorius. Also try the RUclips video 'Talking Bird Photography by JP Odell. Anyway, whatever you do - best of luck.
I've currently dressed myself as a giant sunflower seed and I now have 12 camera pointing at my from different angles and directions. Don't worry guys I'm beyond prepared.
Have to say Morten, one of your best. Great video and interesting to see all your camping gear. The photo of the 2 Muskoxen together was great. Well done!
Finding a spot like that requires a lot of experience and time outdoors. Most wild birds are very skittish and won’t even get close to humans. But very cool technique!
Camera setting are f stop that gives you enough light at the fast shutter speed your using. Remember lens will lay a part are ypu using 600mm 2.5 or 5.6 are you using a 70 to 200 1.4 or 5.6... manual or shutter priority. So asking camera setting are not going to help. Will say you need fast shutter speed f stop for distance on focus. Tripod and iso to help get speed.
Fabulous vid, thanks, guys. I belong to a wildlife photographic site, and there's a guy on there and every image he takes is perfect. He claims he takes them in his garden I asked how he got such amazing images every time and he had a rant at me saying I accused him of cheating, which of course wasn't true. This vid just proves my point. Another question, how do you get the plain background?
How nice it would have been and I am sure more appealing to the majority of amateur photographers if you had used a kit lens. One needs only look at the lens you're using in this video to see it is of a four figure value. Something that is well out of most people's budgets. And it is possible to get good wild life shots with kit lenses. I guess it depends on who you're shooting for. Facebook, blog or personal collection and a kit lens will do fine. Only if you're after pro mag images need you be looking for a top of the range lens. And then, chances are, you will have a buyer from a pro publication that is prepared to pay for your images.
Our intention is not about the kit you use, our intention is to make you think like a photographer. Use the kit you can afford and that's best for the job on your budget. Simon is a professional who has invested earnings back into his kit to ensure the best chances of success. However, a beginner will likely have a wildly different setup. The camera and lens are always second place to the mind of the photographer. Also, when we buy images, the kit used is never up for consideration. The only thing we care about is the quality of the final image.
This is only a good idea when taking photos of tamed birds (those that are used to being fed). Luring birds like owls with mice in an open field is significantly frowned upon in the birding and scientific community as it conditions them to be significantly reliant on humans for food, creating an independence towards humans making them less resilient.
herald9 "luring birds like Owls with mice in a field"! Are you for real? Do you seriously think you can lure an owl with a mouse in a field? Explain how. What are you going to do, release a mouse then run after it with a camera? Perhaps put it in a cage? Have you any idea how small can be that a mouse can get through? If it's caged how does the owl get it? From the top? Oh that's open then so the mouse can jump out. I'm intrigued please tell me the technique that is apparently so often used the, "birding and scientific community" frown upon it. Did they frown upon the winning picture of a Barn Owl that was photographed by the photographer lying on his back, making high pitch squeaks fooling the bird into hovering above him? No mice used there! What of the owl pictures that appear in the book by Richard Dalton, copied for years by photographers with no complaint from birders or anyone else. I think you might be in the wrong camera club!
You can use calls...Johnny Stewart calls use prerecorded tapes played back on a Johnny call. Or use your own mouth with mouth pieces to make high pitch distress calls. Or using your index finger and middle finger moistened and pressed hard against your closed lips. Then making kissing sounds through the two fingers or sucking air in through the fingers for a distressful sound. Not only birds but wolves, foxes and many mammals will come near out of curiosity. Ussually giving you enough time to get a few frames before they lose interest. You can use homemade wigglers to also get their curiosity peaked. Wigglers have been used by myself and other photographers since film days. They are mearly a feather fixed to a small wooden dowel that is fixed to a frame and attached via string raised and lowered by yourself by pulling on string it will lower by a spring. All these items are available at hardware stores. FOR THE LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
For anyone who thinks Owl baiting Doesn’t occur perhaps you might like to take the time to read this. _ petapixel.com/2017/04/07/foul-practice-wild-owl-baiting-wildlife-photographers/
@@edwardcharles9764 Really? Baiting absolutley happens and it is a big problem where I live. The "pro" baiters have owls, especially Snowy Owls, "seeded" for months before their workshops where they charge thousands of dollars to shoot lured Snowy Owls. The mice, being store bought, do not run away. They are placed in the middle of a snowy field and they just sit there nervously. It's a sick sport and it is rampant in North America.
Thanks a lot for making this video. Yesterday night I watched it and today I went to Audubon society office where I could take some pictures of local birds. I just followed your advice. Thanks a lot. I just posted them in my Instagram account, its @SastryKarra.
Interfering with wildlife by drilling a hole in a bit of wood and then shoving food in there is not what wildlife photography is all about. The most amazing shots are those that happen entirely naturally in an animals habitat. E.g bears salmon fishing on a river in Alaska is natural behaviour you are just there to capture the moment. This is the same as putting out a load of salmon on the riverbank and getting a shot of the bear that comes to get it.
Industrial strength tripod with a gimbal head gets my vote! Sawn off bit of wood..... Nooooooooooo, cut a slot on the wood. Slap on a big speedlight fitted with a flash extender and it's ISO 100, high speed sync heaven for pin sharp cropable perfection
Well, they are wild birds. The question is where do you draw a line? It's a case of working smarter, not harder. Is a hide cheating? Is a safari cheating? Is camouflage cheating? How wild, and in what raw situation do you consider it to become wildlife photography?
Gawd, the tiresome purists are obnoxious. The goal is to get a great photo of a bird. Nobody viewing the photo later is going to know, or care, how or why it was taken. If your subject is semi-tamed birds who are used to food being left for them, that's what you photograph. In the wild, you learn what the birds eat, set yourself up accordingly, and . . . do exactly the same thing.
The dumb comments about how this is done and whether its wild ate not must be made by people that have never used a camera and have never photographed wildlife.
I have a Canon Powershot SX60HS and the first thing I did was download the manual, print it out, bind it and work through it with a pen to make notes and the camera at hand. Then, you see questions on videos about this camera and you realise that NOBODY reads the manual, NOBODY buys a basic book on digital photography, NOBODY gets up at the cracks of dawn and goes to try things out - but EVERYBODY'S got a dumb-ass opinion or a rude or insulting comment - like the one about 'douchebag photography'. I saw one introductory video about the Canon Powershot SX60HS where the guy kept saying 'I THINK this button does this - '. At one stage he pressed the shutter button to take a photo but nothing happened because he hadn't put a memory card in!
@@suecollins3246 : Yes, always read the manual. I bought a new camera (Nikon D500) last week and I'm still "ploughing through" the manual.....all 400 pages of it !! Luckily for me I've used other Nikons before for many years so a lot of the manual was stuff I already knew but there are always one or two new things to discover. And yes, putting a memory card in your camera certainly helps :-)
@@paganphil100 You are so right! And regardless of what camera you use I bet you take competent photos _because_ you know your camera. I post a lot of photos of birds on the BirdLife South Africa group. People are _amazed_ that I take photos that good with _that_ camera. Happy photography and Life and the Blessings of Life be upon you!
No? These birds are trained pets? What is your point - it lacks the 'adventure', safari-esque element? I see some amazingly clear pictures of some wild birds. Any wild bird is an animal of opportunity, and the photographer made use of that. I usually do not see, nor mind, how these pictures were made, but I appreciate how it was done, which is what this video is all about, innit?
let wildlife be wild. study patterns, enjoy nature, leave without a shot. 1000% better than baiting. birds have a bad enough time with assholes blasting calls on their phones.
@@i_n_c_r_y_p_t_o Well, if you just want beautiful photos/pictures you can google them. For me the point is to go there (forest), never knowing what´s gonna happen, to be surprised, and maybe to be rewarded with a nice photo. I shoot with Canon 300 mm 2.8 + 2x extender handheld, so every event is a challenge, and I love it ; )
Ari Tuhkanen Yes I now see your point for sure. I’ve started taking photos of birds with a new telephoto lens I got since I posted my response and while I don’t think it’s necessarily cheating I do love the spontaneous moment where you get a beautiful bird photo where they are just being in their habitat and not lured in by food. I get great photos from my deck with lots of trees and the roof nearby at my apartment and enjoy the moment of catching them in those cool moments. Wish I could post my favorite so far!
One of the absolutely best tips I have heard. Can't wait to test it out.
I usually push a few sticks in the ground under my bird feeder. Reason being the feed drops to ground and birds that get pushed out go to the ground to eat instead. So they perch waiting their turn and that's when they look normal out in woods.
nice
I should really be sleeping, but boy am I glad I clicked on this one. What a splendid technique!
Reakky helpful, love the tip about drilling food holes in the perch. I've just set up some perches in my garden so will try this.
Loved your set up, is it possible for you to tell me what settings you used on that day please, and what lens as the other chappie had a much different lens, whilst yours was enormous and on a gimbal, his what much smaller on a different type of head.
Great Idea on the stick !!! fantastic pictures
Great Video for taking pictures of Tame birds , I would not try it with Birds of prey though, some settings information would be great too!! Nice tip on the glove wearing, I always wondered why they flew off just as I reach for the camera. !!!!
I shoot birds on a feeder at home, when I go out to shoot wild birds that’s what I want but my other great passion is birding. It’s not a right or wrong thing and I can see this being a great starting point until you learn where birds will naturally be and at what times. Tits and robins are also great birds to start with until you become more proficient.
wow, I had a hard time with our chickadees. hehe, bouncing the walls, cute little things that they are. Robins are pretty good... I also had a fairly easy time photographing mourning doves and house sparrows as well since we have a flock of them at the feeder who also will stay at the feeder which allows more time to be able to take a photo rather than chasing the chickadee hopping from feeder to tree back and forth... although I noticed in winter, the chickadees were easier to photograph. Either way, it's been a joy feeding the birds for a year now and the enjoying the challenge photographing them as a hobby resulting from feeding them. : ) I've also really enjoyed seeing how the trust in our relationship has grown in terms of them feeling comfortable being in my presence and even flying from a different yard in order to land on the tree by me, so they can greet me... that really makes me smile. : ) I think that gives me the most joy of all. : )
Thanks for sharing. I believe (although I am new to this) that one thing said in the video, but perhaps not clear to beginners is the fact that he said "birds are use to coming for food in this location". That makes the perch with food successful right away. Had this not been true, then a beginner should be aware to make the food obvious for several days or weeks. When the birds get use to coming there, you could make it less obvious. I wish he had discussed his experience with exposure of photographing colorful birds with bright white feathers and dark black feathers. These tend to confuse the camera and histogram and even sometimes blinkies. Thanks again for the video
yes, this is true. especially for the chickadee in the winter with the lighting...I'm new though too
Kind of takes the fun out of it . It’s like the argument of restoring your classic car or buying one already done. Half the fun is the adventure .
Nice idea of a small wooden support.Creating a comfortable seat for the birds.Good work
good one
How deep is the hole you drilled? This is great, thank you!!!
After watching this video I built and perch in my backyard and it worked. Not as fancy as yours but it worked. Thanks.
Thank for this great video ;)
Very nice
Only video which is beneficial ..!!!
This is great stuff 👏👌
You have in effect, created a bird studio. I love this idea. The end result speaks for itself.
This is a very nice video....thanks 👌🏼👌🏼
Excellent stuff
This isnt wildlife photography but it is a good way to practice and also a treat for birds🙂🙂
Superb video.
Boy, this is reeling me in big time lol.
Great video. I sort of do this, but I tend to use existing bird tables at a local country park. The birds there are incredibly tame. My approach is slightly different, in that I personally prefer to capture an image of a bird with food in it's beak. I also prefer to capture them as they are about to land or are leaving the feeding station and are in mid - air. I always use my Olympus EM1 mark II set to ProCapture with my Olympus 12 - 100mm f4 lens. I find it better than my Oly 300mm f4 because of the wider field of view. Though my D500 is a brilliant camera, in my hands it cannot compete with my EM1.2 in this type of scenario. If you wish to make a bird table appear a little more natural, you can disguise the edges with lichen and moss - the birds won't mind. I also use ProCapture when photographing birds approaching/leaving hanging feeders, cropping the feeder out in LR. What I discovered early on, is that you cannot just choose a random location, put food out and expect birds to flock in. If you choose somewhere off the beaten track, you need to visit a few times and put food out, so the birds know where to find it and get used to visiting your chosen location.
100 mm ? How close do you have to get to the table in order to fill the frame with a bird ?
Not trying to be an ass, just that I photographed a Squirrel that came to my garden, stealing from the bird feeder. I grabbed a 270mm lens and was surprised that I had to zoom all the way in. Shooting from the kitchen window I`d say around 20ft away.
Barry Thornton lol ikr
I've just planted some fish on a river bank, hoping to get some Grizzly bears to look at the camera.
LoL
or you might go to Savanna, hoping some tiger show up. last picture of camera man
Don't do that.
James Creaney I put some cash in my studio hopefully some models come look at the camera
lol
Perhaps PP does know exactly what I wished to capture, great practical idea indeed.
What kind of birds food can we use to fill the hole?
Thanks for sharing your idea.
Great video. Would have liked to have heard more details like shutter speed, 1,000, etc., F number spot with what metering. Thanks away.
and which lenses where used.. ofc one was using a super telelens but the other...
oldkingjames oldkingjames I don’t think he wants to give away all of his expertise.
@@sunkissedbeach Go to some different countries with exotic landscapes and we would not have to feed the birds so as to capture their image. Just joking have a good day.
Whichever lens suits your purposes and camera best! Obviously, the longer the focal length the more fall off in the background, and further away from the subject you can be.
Out of curiosity I would like to know what camera and what lens James Abbot is using. As these look to be the type of camera and lens the average photographer would have available.
I hike and quite often with my Nikon point and shoot L340 (40 x 112mm) I take a picture of a deer (some hundred yards distant) and then after a few steps, take a picture of a flower or mushroom right in the path. Clearly I can't be constantly changing lens; what is the best lens for such a situation using a Nikon D3300?
@@StevenTorrey From what little of his lens I could see, I'd wager it's possibly the 70-300mm or 55-250mm variable aperture lenses for Canon. Not entirely sure what the Nikon equivalents would be unfortunately, but those two lenses are some of the most common 'affordable' birding lenses.
@@StevenTorrey : A good "general purpose" lens would be a 70-200mm or 70-300mm, preferably with a wide constant aperture. This is what I use (link below) but there are cheaper versions available to fit most cameras.
www.nikon.co.uk/en_GB/product/discontinued/nikkor-lenses/2018/af-s-nikkor-70-200mm-f-2-8g-ed-vr-ii
Greetings from Africa sir, what's the lence you'd suggest for a beginner for bird photography?
Does this only work on winter?? I want to do this, this month on August but does it really work?? I have 400mm..
Nice video with some good tips. What I do not understand is why you are hoping that the birds do not have food in their beaks? I would have thought that a picture of a robin with some nesting material in its mouth would make a lovely photo.
Because it wouldn't look natural; most people would consider it a nice photo indeed, but if you're going for a natural looking photo, say for a magazine or something, then a robin with a peanut in it's mouth is going to look staged.
I mean, these photos are "staged" to some extent anyway, but at least they look natural.
This is mentioned in the video, but I can still understand the "why the faff?" argument. Most of us would shoot our garden birds anyway, so a peanut in the mouth would look natural in that setting, but not here "in the wild".
Thanks for the trips. I shoot black & white urban photography. Yet in need of a larger zoom so looks less invasive when shooting people out and about. Could you please recommend several good lens the would be suitable for using at a distance? that aren't too expensive.
Wonderful video nice
Sir i have canon 77d with 18-135 lens. Is it good for wildlife photography
Sure, you can try your hand at wildlife with any combo. You have a telephoto lens that gives you just over 200mm of focal reach on the crop sensor of the 77d. Even though it doesn't have the most advanced focusing system, you should have enough to get started with some shots. Ideally, you'll want to increase the focal length of your lens at some point, maybe with a 70-300mm, or 150-600mm telephoto, which will get you closer to wildlife without scaring it.
@@ppmagazineso i can use 77d To wild life photograhy am i right sir
Birds in your area seemed very friendly they play along even when you're near. I tried putting bird seeds in one corner of our rooftop and waited in vain but no birds seemed to care. I even put once a remote motion detector device to trigger my DSLR from distance, but no bird seem to approach the setup. I just realized birds here in my area are too shy to be photographed. I have more success in shoot birds from afar and in the trees using long telephoto than with a bird feeder.
mannydeguzmanjartist lol they won’t come in like 1 hour, it might take some days but then in this video he was probably already around that area earlier so the birds know that there usually is food there
Wonderful video, this is how i used to capture small birds at Sandringham but i last did that on a Canon 350D, thats how long ago it was now!
Which food birds like ?
Brilliant!!!!
Please tell me what type of lens each of you are using and anything else that may be relevant
wow nice trick!
Some clicks are super duper. I like your video. You have done a great job. Also photography tips are very helpful.
Fabulous video.. thank you
Great Video. Thank you for sharing
That aaahhhhhaaaann moment 😂😂😂😂 thanks so much mate 🙏🙏
This is great. I've just started birding for the first time.
they make it seem so easy...does anyone know how fast cheep cheeps are? hahaha! half the time, I don't even get them in the photo or they're a blur...hahaha, so, really do have to admire wildlife photography. I find that mourning doves seem to be somewhat easier to practice on for others who also recently started taking photos of animals. Robins are pretty good to try with too...in the wintertime when the chickadees are waking up in the morning, I find it easier to photograph them just before they start to whiz around the place bouncing off the trees at full speed practically. hahaha! Love chickadees. hehe. Amazing photos though
Seems like a lot of work to get shots of small birds. Maybe I am missing something, but chumming seems unnecessary. But I live in the pacific northwest of the US and have not had any trouble shooting a variety of birds in the natural environment. I have a bird feeder on the back patio, which I use when testing a new lens or camera set up. But it is not very challenging. What pleases me is to go where the birds live and see if I can photograph them doing their natural thing. Different strokes for different folks.
What lens was he using?
which is ur camera and lens
What lens do you use ?
Good video, thanks.
I have seen that done in a hide in Andalucia, but on a larger scale.
I have set something similar in my garden at home, 3 metres from my kitchen window. I was interested in what lens you were using?
Simon Roy, Good tips. What size lens is that.? 600mm maybe.? Do you use a converter.?
600mm is too long for the distance he was shooting at. Probably a 300 f2.8
Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.
Hey, what seeds do you use?
Really useful, will set this up and give it a go, Thank you
Can i ask what lens Simon is using, with thanks
looks like a 400 to me
which camera is best please?
There is no 'best' camera, nor an easy answer. You have to do your homework and make up your mind which out of hundreds of suitable camera's and lenses work for you.
This has the big advantage that you do not need to spend big bucks.
Unless you are convinced that the quality of pictures lies in the latest equipment
and not with the photographer.
Then go ahead, spend a small fortune and be disappointed.
Great video!!! Thank!
Excellent video. Thank you. Still chasing that 'perfect' photo of a bird. :-)
Nice work and good tips.
I didn't know that 'great tits' were birds, but now it makes more sense.
I liked the video. It is wildlife photography as the birds are not tame but live in the wild, and I agree that this is a nice start. The hollowed log with food was a great idea. I'm gonna try that. Thanks.
- Norwegian viking.
There's nothing better than Great Tits, in my opinion.
Question from a newbie: I would like to take videos of birds in my backyard similar to this example on RUclips: ( ruclips.net/video/xbs7FT7dXYc/видео.html ) where the camera is stationary on a tripod and pointed at one spot while recording birds landing and eating food ( not flying in the air ). I have am considering buying a Sony A7Siii and a Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS Super Telephoto Zoom Lens but don't know if that is the best option. I am concerned the SonyA7Siii does not have enough pixels and I am concerned the Sony FE 200-600mm will not work well at dawn or dusk which I read is a problem with that lens. Do you have any advice on which camera and lens to buy to take bird the type of bird videos I want to capture ? Thank you.
Nice video, but would have like to know some settings.
PlanetRuncorn if you use a lens that goes to 300 then never drop below 1/300 for shutter. My preference in f stop is around 7-9, but you can decide what you like with depth of field. I never allow ISO to exceed 1000, I don’t like the noise it creates. With these basic tips it shouldn’t be too difficult to get decent shots, although each camera and lens is different
Camera settings & lens info would have been useful
Camera and lens settings should be obvious. Shooting small fast moving birds with a 300mm lens means your shutter speed should not drop below 1/300th, ideally you would go for a higher shutter speed, but winter does not always bless us with decent bright light, so always use the widest aperture, plus the wider aperture will blow out the background details! ISO should also be as low as you can take it. Worth noting that a basic 50-230mm zoom lens has a varied aperture, and at the 230mm end the aperture could be as tight as f/6.7, meaning not much light gets into the lens anyway, so a compromise on ISO has to be done!
try not to copy/ paste anyone's setting, each day/ person/ camera is different
The people who are watching these videos are sometimes beginners. How would this information be obvious to them?
"Camera and lens settings should be obvious." .... To someone watching a simplistic, how to practise taking pics of birds video .....maybe not. But at least you added some useful info. The fact that one guy had a humongous wildlife lens and the other , a kit zoom, didnt really highlight any differences.
shutter speed start from 1/500, try to slow down once you got your safety shots, so you can have lower ISO samples as well. auto ISO, and if your lens is sharp enough, do it wide open.
im a newbie. should I buy new/used? what model what lens please help
Scott, I use a Canon Powershot SX60HS which is a fixed lens camera with a good superzoom. It will be a good camera for you to learn the craft. BUT - how much money do you have because there are some good reviews about the Nikon Coolpix P1000 but it's a vastly more expensive camera. Also, look on your local second hand Web. Somebody I know here in South Africa bought a brand new Canon Powershot SX60HS for R600 which is well under a hundred dollars and which the person who bought it sold because he couldn't take the time and trouble to learn to use it properly. Also, do you mean newbie photographer or newbie _bird_ photographer? There is a very good book called 'How and Where to Photograph Birds in Southern Africa' but it's got a lot about bird photography generally in it and it available as a e-book. It's by a guy called Isac Pretorius. Also try the RUclips video 'Talking Bird Photography by JP Odell. Anyway, whatever you do - best of luck.
I've currently dressed myself as a giant sunflower seed and I now have 12 camera pointing at my from different angles and directions. Don't worry guys I'm beyond prepared.
Thank you!
Great tips...what gear and settings please?
Have to say Morten, one of your best. Great video and interesting to see all your camping gear. The photo of the 2 Muskoxen together was great. Well done!
Wrong channel my friend 😉
Poppy's Pix lol wrong video
Finding a spot like that requires a lot of experience and time outdoors. Most wild birds are very skittish and won’t even get close to humans. But very cool technique!
Camera setting are f stop that gives you enough light at the fast shutter speed your using. Remember lens will lay a part are ypu using 600mm 2.5 or 5.6 are you using a 70 to 200 1.4 or 5.6... manual or shutter priority. So asking camera setting are not going to help. Will say you need fast shutter speed f stop for distance on focus. Tripod and iso to help get speed.
Brandi Gonwa Photography (
The next step should be: a hungry homeless in carnival bear costume eating a frozen salmon. Good luck folks!
Challenge accepted!
Great video. Whereabouts in North Yorkshire is this?
Askham Bog
Fabulous vid, thanks, guys. I belong to a wildlife photographic site, and there's a guy on there and every image he takes is perfect. He claims he takes them in his garden I asked how he got such amazing images every time and he had a rant at me saying I accused him of cheating, which of course wasn't true. This vid just proves my point. Another question, how do you get the plain background?
A combination of wide aperture, long focal length and a distant background. Really blurs out the background.
How nice it would have been and I am sure more appealing to the majority of amateur photographers if you had used a kit lens. One needs only look at the lens you're using in this video to see it is of a four figure value. Something that is well out of most people's budgets. And it is possible to get good wild life shots with kit lenses. I guess it depends on who you're shooting for. Facebook, blog or personal collection and a kit lens will do fine. Only if you're after pro mag images need you be looking for a top of the range lens. And then, chances are, you will have a buyer from a pro publication that is prepared to pay for your images.
Our intention is not about the kit you use, our intention is to make you think like a photographer. Use the kit you can afford and that's best for the job on your budget. Simon is a professional who has invested earnings back into his kit to ensure the best chances of success. However, a beginner will likely have a wildly different setup. The camera and lens are always second place to the mind of the photographer.
Also, when we buy images, the kit used is never up for consideration. The only thing we care about is the quality of the final image.
I tried that but the birds just ignored it, no matter how far I went away.
This is only a good idea when taking photos of tamed birds (those that are used to being fed). Luring birds like owls with mice in an open field is significantly frowned upon in the birding and scientific community as it conditions them to be significantly reliant on humans for food, creating an independence towards humans making them less resilient.
herald9 "luring birds like Owls with mice in a field"! Are you for real? Do you seriously think you can lure an owl with a mouse in a field? Explain how. What are you going to do, release a mouse then run after it with a camera? Perhaps put it in a cage? Have you any idea how small can be that a mouse can get through? If it's caged how does the owl get it? From the top? Oh that's open then so the mouse can jump out. I'm intrigued please tell me the technique that is apparently so often used the, "birding and scientific community" frown upon it.
Did they frown upon the winning picture of a Barn Owl that was photographed by the photographer lying on his back, making high pitch squeaks fooling the bird into hovering above him? No mice used there! What of the owl pictures that appear in the book by Richard Dalton, copied for years by photographers with no complaint from birders or anyone else. I think you might be in the wrong camera club!
You can use calls...Johnny Stewart calls use prerecorded tapes played back on a Johnny call. Or use your own mouth with mouth pieces to make high pitch distress calls. Or using your index finger and middle finger moistened and pressed hard against your closed lips. Then making kissing sounds through the two fingers or sucking air in through the fingers for a distressful sound. Not only birds but wolves, foxes and many mammals will come near out of curiosity. Ussually giving you enough time to get a few frames before they lose interest. You can use homemade wigglers to also get their curiosity peaked. Wigglers have been used by myself and other photographers since film days. They are mearly a feather fixed to a small wooden dowel that is fixed to a frame and attached via string raised and lowered by yourself by pulling on string it will lower by a spring. All these items are available at hardware stores. FOR THE LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
@@edwardcharles9764 you could have expressed the same opinion in less than 12 words. For example, mice to lure owls, what you talkin' 'bout, herald9?
For anyone who thinks Owl baiting Doesn’t occur perhaps you might like to take the time to read this. _ petapixel.com/2017/04/07/foul-practice-wild-owl-baiting-wildlife-photographers/
@@edwardcharles9764 Really? Baiting absolutley happens and it is a big problem where I live. The "pro" baiters have owls, especially Snowy Owls, "seeded" for months before their workshops where they charge thousands of dollars to shoot lured Snowy Owls. The mice, being store bought, do not run away. They are placed in the middle of a snowy field and they just sit there nervously. It's a sick sport and it is rampant in North America.
Great tutorial. Seems like a well kept secret among bird photographers
Thanks a lot for making this video. Yesterday night I watched it and today I went to Audubon society office where I could take some pictures of local birds. I just followed your advice.
Thanks a lot.
I just posted them in my Instagram account, its @SastryKarra.
Interfering with wildlife by drilling a hole in a bit of wood and then shoving food in there is not what wildlife photography is all about. The most amazing shots are those that happen entirely naturally in an animals habitat. E.g bears salmon fishing on a river in Alaska is natural behaviour you are just there to capture the moment. This is the same as putting out a load of salmon on the riverbank and getting a shot of the bear that comes to get it.
Take a lot of clicks and pick out the one you like.
Good xideo....however, I would have used a broken more interesting stick with bark..........it was obviously cut ...nature doesn't do that!
A large blob of superglue on the stick works even better
lol
I agree with Herald and clawer. This is not wildlife photography. Fortunately, there is a ethical shift in baiting for wildlife photo ops.
Industrial strength tripod with a gimbal head gets my vote! Sawn off bit of wood..... Nooooooooooo, cut a slot on the wood. Slap on a big speedlight fitted with a flash extender and it's ISO 100, high speed sync heaven for pin sharp cropable perfection
One more suscriber ;D
Nothing to do with WILDLIFE photography...
Well, they are wild birds. The question is where do you draw a line? It's a case of working smarter, not harder. Is a hide cheating? Is a safari cheating? Is camouflage cheating? How wild, and in what raw situation do you consider it to become wildlife photography?
Ha ha ha!)
With your snag is an idea)
this will not work with wild native birds of the aussie bush.... thanks anyways
I don’t see why photographing a bird with food in its beak is a no no?
I guess I need to go find some branches and drill holes in the ends!
Novice birder.and.photographer always desiring more focal.length with limited.experience and education thank you for your instruction
Gawd, the tiresome purists are obnoxious. The goal is to get a great photo of a bird. Nobody viewing the photo later is going to know, or care, how or why it was taken. If your subject is semi-tamed birds who are used to food being left for them, that's what you photograph. In the wild, you learn what the birds eat, set yourself up accordingly, and . . . do exactly the same thing.
At least few words about equipments would have been nice?
The dumb comments about how this is done and whether its wild ate not must be made by people that have never
used a camera and have never photographed wildlife.
I have a Canon Powershot SX60HS and the first thing I did was download the manual, print it out, bind it and work through it with a pen to make notes and the camera at hand. Then, you see questions on videos about this camera and you realise that NOBODY reads the manual, NOBODY buys a basic book on digital photography, NOBODY gets up at the cracks of dawn and goes to try things out - but EVERYBODY'S got a dumb-ass opinion or a rude or insulting comment - like the one about 'douchebag photography'. I saw one introductory video about the Canon Powershot SX60HS where the guy kept saying 'I THINK this button does this - '. At one stage he pressed the shutter button to take a photo but nothing happened because he hadn't put a memory card in!
@@suecollins3246 : Yes, always read the manual. I bought a new camera (Nikon D500) last week and I'm still "ploughing through" the manual.....all 400 pages of it !! Luckily for me I've used other Nikons before for many years so a lot of the manual was stuff I already knew but there are always one or two new things to discover. And yes, putting a memory card in your camera certainly helps :-)
@@paganphil100 You are so right! And regardless of what camera you use I bet you take competent photos _because_ you know your camera. I post a lot of photos of birds on the BirdLife South Africa group. People are _amazed_ that I take photos that good with _that_ camera. Happy photography and Life and the Blessings of Life be upon you!
Looks like you were blocking a public pathway.
This isn't the real wildlife photography
No? These birds are trained pets? What is your point - it lacks the 'adventure', safari-esque element? I see some amazingly clear pictures of some wild birds.
Any wild bird is an animal of opportunity, and the photographer made use of that.
I usually do not see, nor mind, how these pictures were made, but I appreciate how it was done, which is what this video is all about, innit?
let wildlife be wild. study patterns, enjoy nature, leave without a shot. 1000% better than baiting. birds have a bad enough time with assholes blasting calls on their phones.
That´s just cheating, and lazy! I think that whole point of bird photography is ignored. It´s much more than just technically good photos!
The point is to get beautiful photos of these beautiful animals, and if they get a little food in the process, no harm done.
@@i_n_c_r_y_p_t_o Well, if you just want beautiful photos/pictures you can google them. For me the point is to go there (forest), never knowing what´s gonna happen, to be surprised, and maybe to be rewarded with a nice photo. I shoot with Canon 300 mm 2.8 + 2x extender handheld, so every event is a challenge, and I love it ; )
@@oldtimer7635 I agree with you
Ari Tuhkanen Yes I now see your point for sure. I’ve started taking photos of birds with a new telephoto lens I got since I posted my response and while I don’t think it’s necessarily cheating I do love the spontaneous moment where you get a beautiful bird photo where they are just being in their habitat and not lured in by food. I get great photos from my deck with lots of trees and the roof nearby at my apartment and enjoy the moment of catching them in those cool moments. Wish I could post my favorite so far!
Give me a break !!! get a life