Bird%20Photography

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Bird Photography

• by
• KK Hui ARPS

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Bird Photography

1. Why Bird Photography?
2. Ethics of Bird Photography
3. What Makes a Good Bird Photo?
4. Equipment Considerations
5. Techniques
6. References

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1. Why Bird Photography?

• creation of fine art images for display,
  publication or sales
• documentation/ record for rarities
• study of plumage and behavior
• other personal reasons (for example, memories of
  birding trips)

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2. Ethics of Bird Photography

• Birds and its habitat are more important than
  photo
• don't stress birds by getting too close
• don't distribute the nests
• don't create a path for predators to follow to a
  nest
• other good common sense be observed

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3. What Makes a Good Bird Photo?

• basically its the one that meets the needs of
  the photographer
• attention to the basic qualities of the
  photograph proper technique and good composition
• Technical factors exposure, sharpness, accurate
  color, details
• Aesthetic Factors lighting, composition,
  background, decisive moment, artistic feel
  consideration, habitat surrounding
• the photographer's technical and artistic
  abilities

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4. Equipment Considerations

• Inappropriate equipment can limit the results
  ...
• 35mm SLR format for superb optical quality and
  portability
• Auto focus, motor drive, TTL exposure modes
• Choice of digital and/or film SLR
• Camera Support

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4.1 Equipment Considerations (contd)

• choice of lenses focal length, max aperture, min
  focusing distance, converter/extension tubes
  compatibility
• 400/5.6 AF lens - good choice for portability and
  hand held flight shots. Highly usable with 1.4x
  to make an usable 560/8 lens in good light
• 300/2.8 AF lens - for versatility (works well
  with 1.4x or 2x converters) and portability
• 500/4 or 600/4 AF lens lens of choice for bird
  photography
• avoid mirror lens

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4.2 Equipment Considerations (contd)

• Camera support
• rigid tripod eg Gitzo 1325CF, 1548CF
• Wimberley Head gimbal type
• quick release system for mounting lens to tripod
  head use of "Arca-Swiss" style plates

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4.3 Equipment Considerations (contd)

• Other Accessories
• Tele converters - 1.4x and 2x
• Extension tubes - 12mm, 25mm
• Electronic TTL Flash Unit
• Better Beamer flash extender

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Techniques

• Long lens technique
• Shooting Film - choices
• Shooting Digital - DSLR
• Getting Close
• Exposure
• Lighting
• Composition
• Decisive Moment and Timing

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Long Lens Techniques

• Use a sturdy tripod whenever possible. Tighten
  all controls knobs   
• Ensure tripod can handle the weight of your
  camera, lens, tripod head and other accessories
  with plenty of margin.
• Wimberley Head is preferred to Ball Head
• Use your arms, hands and face as vibration
  dampening
• Use Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration
  Reduction (VR) if available
• Use faster film, MLU self timer cable release

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Film Choice

• Slide Film Fuji Provia 100F
• original first generation images for sharpness,
  contrast and colors
• a reference for printing
• pushability by 1 to 2 EV stops (E-6)
• Print Film Fuji Superia 200, 400, REALA, NPH
• - retain max retrievable highlight and shadow
  detail
• wider exposure latitude /- 3 EV stops
• widely available and processing (C-41)

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Shooting Digital - DSLR

• RAW Format
• Photoshop CS version 8
• Curves Levels
• Image Sharpening Filter
• Web Presentation

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DSLR Shooting Format - RAW

• RAW format provides a "digital negative"
• Retain the maximum amount of data in your images
• Use Software to convert RAW files e.g. Adobe
  Photoshop CS, File Viewer Utility, Capture One
  etc.
• On to Photoshop for final processing

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Photoshop CS

• Powerful and flexible
• Work in 16 bit TIFF image
• Run NeatImage for noise removal if necessary
• Perform levels curve adjustments to maximize
  the tonal range
• Add sharpening as needed using the unsharp mask,
  USM, filter

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Levels Adjustment
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Curves Adjustment
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Summary on Level/Curve Adjustments

1. Use Levels before Curve to clip off the flat
   parts of the histogram.
2. If you intend to use Curves for tonal control,
   don't shift the gray point (gamma) in Levels you
   will unnecessarily lose information.
3. Use an S curve to increase contrast in the
   midtones.
4. Push up the midpoint of an S curve to brighten an
   underexposed picture, while nailing down the
   shadows with a control point to the left.
5. Pull down the midpoint of an S curve to darken an
   overexposed picture, while nailing down the
   highlights with a control point to the right.

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Image Sharpening Filter

• Selective sharpening
• Make use of magic wand for part selection and
  only apply sharpening to it
• Leave the background alone
• Avoid the formation of halos at interfaces with
  high contrast
• Use 100-150(A)/0.6-1.0(R)/2-6(T) for most images

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For Web Presentation

• Downsize using the Bicubic algorithm to a size of
  600 or 640 pixels on the longest size at 72dpi
• Change the color space to sRGB (Image -gt Mode -gt
  Convert to Profile) at this point if you've been
  working in AdobeRGB
• For print, upsize to the target size at 300dpi

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Further Reading (I)

• Adobe Photoshop 7.0/CS by Martin Evening
• Real World Photoshop 7 by David Blatner Bruce
  Fraser
• The Complete Reference Photoshop 7 by Greenberg
  McGraw Hill

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Further Reading (II)

• Art Morris - The Art of Bird Photography, Amphoto
  
• John Shaw - Nature Photographer's Complete Guide
  to Professional Field Techniques, Amphoto
• Outdoor Photographer magazine
• NatureScapes.net