how to
photograph
wild birds

Lesson 15

Let’s capture sharp photos of birds in flight

As we have seen in the lessons up to now, you will dramatically increase your success rate in photographing flying birds by combining AI Servo AF and back-button AF. Here is a how-to guide for capturing wild birds in flight.

Image
Greater White-fronted Geese
Greater White-fronted Geese
Greater White-fronted Geese
Enlarge

Greater White-fronted Geese often fly in flocks to get to their feeding areas around Izunuma. My goal was to photograph a flock against the background of snow-capped mountains. Entrusting the focusing to Zone AF and AI Servo AF, I concentrated on such things as the formation of the flock and the position of their wings. I selected the best scene.

Image data
  • Aperture value: f/5.6
  • Shutter speed: 1/2500 second
  • ISO speed: ISO400
  • Exposure compensation: 0
  • Focal length: 255mm
  • DSLR Camera (APS-C image format)

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The secret to capturing birds in flight is trap focus

Image

It’s very difficult to focus on a bird that is flying by right in front of (close by) you. It’s pretty well impossible no matter how good your AF system is, especially if you’re using a super telephoto lens. It’s not so difficult though if you photograph birds in flight from a certain distance.
The secret is to prepare for the shot with trap focus. Setting up trap focus beforehand will make it easy to confirm the bird in the viewfinder and enable you to then quickly focus.

What is trap focus?

Trap focus involves anticipating a bird’s flight path and pre-focusing on a tree or building within that path. Looking through the viewfinder you should be able to see the bird clearly, or as a shadow when it comes near the pre-focused position of the building or tree. You focus again on the subject and when the size and composition are just as you want them, take the shot with the continuous shooting mode. You should be able to capture a great shot of a bird in flight.

1 Anticipate the bird’s flight path and set the trap focus by focusing on a tree or building within the path

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2 When the bird flies into view, lock on the bird in the AF frame, push the AF-ON button again to tweak the focus, and press the shutter button.

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Recommended AF modes for trap focus

You can reduce failed shots if you set the AF mode on the viewfinder display to Zone AF, Large Zone AF, or Automatic selection AF because it will capture the subject with wide area. However, if the background is not the sky, you may not be able to focus well.

  • Image
    Zone AF
  • Image
    Large Zone AF
  • Image
    Automatic selection AF

When the bird is flying horizontally across the sky

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This Common Buzzard looks as if it’s hovering in the air, but it’s actually flying. When it’s flying horizontally across the sky, it’s relatively easy to focus on since it’s flying straight. (But, it’s likely that you’ll get frame after frame of the same shot.)

Aperture value:
f/8
Shutter speed:
1/2500 second
ISO speed:
ISO800
Exposure compensation:
0
Focal length:
700mm
DSLR Camera (APS-C image format)
  • Common Buzzard
    Common Buzzard
    Common Buzzard
    Enlarge
  • Common Buzzard
    Common Buzzard
    Common Buzzard
    Enlarge
  • Common Buzzard
    Common Buzzard
    Common Buzzard
    Enlarge

When the bird is flying towards you head on

Image

A White-tailed Eagle is flying my way. This type of subject is easy to focus on with AF. Holding the camera in your hands rather than using a tripod makes it easier to track a randomly moving subject. Let’s set the shutter speed as fast as possible to reduce camera shake. I recommend faster than 1/2000 second. Even if you are following the bird in continuous shooting mode, it’s probably best to complete shooting before it passes completely overhead and you are seeing it from the back.

Aperture value:
f/11
Shutter speed:
1/2000 second
ISO speed:
ISO800
Exposure compensation:
0
Focal length:
700mm
DSLR camera (35mm full-frame format)
  • White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    Enlarge
  • White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    Enlarge
  • White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    Enlarge
  • White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    White-tailed Eagle
    Enlarge

mr. tozuka's sidebar


Let’s try panning.

Most often photos of birds in flight are a sharp freeze frame of motion captured with a high shutter speed. There’s a technique to achieve the opposite effect of blurring the background behind the subject. It’s called panning. Shooting with a slow shutter speed enables you to express dynamism.
I use two different shutter speed settings for this kind of shot. With 1/60 second as my baseline, I use a fast shutter speed of 1/125 second or 1/250 second, or a slow shutter speed of 1/15 second or 1/30 second. The trick is to move the lens to match the speed of the subject. Since the impression of the shot varies with the changes in the bird’s movement and the shutter speed, I suggest you take lots of shots. Just keep trying! For panning, it would be good to select Tv (shutter-priority AE) mode and set the shutter speed. For the exposure, you’ll get better color definition if you set it one step lower than the recommended setting. The focus may not be sharp, but try to express dynamism instead of worrying overly much about the focus or blurring.

Red-crowned Crane
Red-crowned Crane
Red-crowned Crane
Enlarge

Photo of Red-crowned Cranes taken with shutter speed set to 1/15 of a second. I selected the shot that gives the feeling of synchronized flight as the flapping wings of the two birds overlap. For panning shots, since it’s common to narrow the aperture (raising the f/number) in order to reduce the shutter speed, and thus increase the depth of field of the image, if your luck is good, you’ll be able to get the shot that looks in focus.

Aperture value:
f/16
Shutter speed:
1/15 second
ISO speed:
ISO100
Exposure compensation:
0
Focal length:
500mm
DSLR camera (35mm full-frame format)
Greater White-fronted Geese
Greater White-fronted Geese
Greater White-fronted Geese
Enlarge

I used a shallow depth of field setting (aperture value of f/9, shutter speed of 1/40 second), but since I was able to match the movement of one of the birds, I was able to capture a shot with the head sharply defined while the wings express the feeling of dynamic movement. The appeal of panning is of course the stream of color in the background, but also that you will never get the same shot twice, each one is unique.

Aperture value:
f/9
Shutter speed:
1/40 second
ISO speed:
ISO200
Exposure compensation:
-1
Focal length:
1120mm equivalent
DSLR camera (APS-C image format)

Comment from a learner

I spotted some Common Gulls flying by the river. Since there was a bridge nearby, I set it as my trap focus and afterward when I looked in the viewfinder, I was easily able to confirm the bird in the frame. Then, while tracking the bird I tweaked the focus with the AF-ON button, and I got a shot with two Common Gulls flying by.

  • Automatic selection AF on the viewfinder display

    Camera settings
    AF operation: AI Servo AF
    AF area selection: Automatic selection AF

  • Common Gull, by a learner
    Common Gull, by a learner
    Common Gull, by a learner
    Enlarge
    Aperture value:
    f/10
    Shutter speed:
    1/800 second
    ISO speed:
    ISO800
    Exposure compensation:
    +2
    Focal length:
    210mm
    DSLR Camera (APS-C image format)

Message from Mr. Tozuka

I’m surprised. You did really well getting the nice shot! I think you were able to focus quickly on the one bird because you had set the trap focus. You were able to capture a moment in the continuous shooting mode just when another bird swooped in, and when you get a fantastic shot like that, there’s no doubt about it, you’re hooked!