how to
photograph
wild birds

Lesson 17

Let’s use blur skillfully!

By intentionally blurring the surroundings, the subject stands out. The impression given varies greatly depending on the colors in the scene and the way you use blur. You will improve the artistic quality of your photographs significantly by learning to use blur effectively.

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Common Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Enlarge

A Common Kingfisher was perched on the branch of a tree lodged in a pond. It was a cloudy day and the sky was dark even then, threatening rain. Looking at the surroundings closely, I noticed some red spider lilies blooming nearby. Creeping toward the Kingfisher I put some spider lilies in front of the bird to create a red front blur in the frame. I set the ISO speed to ISO1600 and the shutter speed to 1/500 of a second to prevent camera shake.

Image data
  • Aperture value: f/8
  • Shutter speed: 1/500 second
  • ISO speed: ISO1600
  • Exposure compensation: -0.3
  • Focal length: 700mm equivalent (used a 1.4x extender at 500mm)
  • DSLR Camera (APS-C image format)

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Use a telephoto lens for effective blurring

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When photographing wild birds, you will most often use a telephoto lens. The special characteristic of a telephoto lens is the narrow angle of view, essentially cutting a piece out of a picture as it zooms in on the subject. And, it is well known that the lens compression effect (the effect of shortening the feeling of distance between near objects and far away objects) of a telephoto lens is what produces the beautiful blurring effect.

Narrowing the aperture expands the depth of field (focus range becomes wider) but since narrowing the aperture results in a slower shutter speed and a higher probability of camera shake, shutter speed is usually increased by opening up the aperture (lowering the f/number). By opening up the aperture, the depth of field naturally becomes shallower (focus range becomes narrow), so, for example, if you focus on the bird’s eyes, the photo will show the wings out of focus. By opening up the aperture, you can achieve a wider area of blurring and thus create a beautiful photograph. This is a unique characteristic of the telephoto lens and one of the reasons for its popularity.

The relationship between shutter speed and aperture

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The relationship between shutter speed and aperture

Check blur using the depth-of-field preview button

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Even if I understand the relationship between aperture and blur, how much blur is actually created, and how do I check it? Should I check each shot on the LCD monitor? You are probably asking yourself these questions. The answer to all of them is the depth-of-field preview button, located on the front of the camera near the lens mount. By pushing this button, you can check the aperture setting (blur) and get a preview of what the final image will look like through the viewfinder!

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Preview button
Note: Location of button varies by model

How to use front blur and back blur, and how to choose the background

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The more distance there is in front of or behind the subject in focus, the greater the blur will be. The feeling of your photograph will change greatly by using blur in front of or behind the main subject. If the subject is not moving, you may want to try taking a series of shots with different areas in focus by adjusting the aperture.

Back blur

Of course the best thing about telephoto lenses, and large aperture lenses (where more light passes through the lens) in particular, is the beautiful blurring effect. When there is a long distance between you and the subject, the blur is less and this amazing effect is reduced, but when you are close to the subject, you can make the most of blur to great effect. While a photo of a bird standing out from a single solid-colored background that is completely blurred is nice, a photograph that has beautiful blur with a natural gradation is absolutely stunning. This time I set the aperture wide open and slowly moved closer to this Crested Serpent Eagle and got a nice bust shot. The blur of the leaves behind its head created a good atmosphere.

Aperture value:
f/5.6
Shutter speed:
1/640 second
ISO speed:
ISO400
Exposure compensation:
-1.3
Focal length:
400mm
DSLR camera (APS-C image format)
Image
Viewfinder display
Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle
Enlarge

Front blur

A Grey Heron was perched on the branch of a tree at the side of a pond. Casually looking around as I was about to pass by, I noticed a blossoming cherry tree situated between the bird and me, and in a flurry of movement I set up the shot to get the cherry blossoms in front of the Grey Heron. This time I was using a 100-400mm telephoto lens so I zoomed in to get just the right size and position of the cherry blossoms and the Heron. Narrowing the aperture would have made the cherry blossoms more defined, but this time I wanted to get a spattering of pink dots so I took the shot with the aperture set wide open.

Aperture value:
f/5.6
Shutter speed:
1/1250 second
ISO speed:
ISO400
Exposure compensation:
-1.7
Focal length:
312mm
DSLR camera (APS-C image format)
Image
Viewfinder display
Grey Heron
Grey Heron
Grey Heron
Enlarge

Combining front blur and back blur

An Oriental Scops-owl sits among the thick forest leaves. Since owls seen in the daytime are often sleeping, I was able to get a variety of shots while keeping quiet. After taking a series of shots, including some full-body shots in addition to various close-up and long shots, I moved around and found spots to shoot from where I could see the top half of the bird standing out from the leaves. My goal was to get a layered shot with different areas of blur, from the green leaves just in front of the Scops-owl to the surrounding leaves both in front of and behind it. This time also I set the aperture wide open, utilizing blurring to maximum effect.

Aperture value:
f/4
Shutter speed:
1/50 second
ISO speed:
ISO800
Exposure compensation:
+2
Focal length:
500mm
DSLR camera (APS-C image format)
Image
Viewfinder display
Oriental Scops-owl
Oriental Scops-owl
Oriental Scops-owl
Enlarge

Get it clear and sharp

Relying on its voice as my guide, I spotted a Ruddy Kingfisher on the other side of the valley. The forest in summer is dark and blurriness from camera shake is an issue. The key to preventing this is to increase the ISO speed. When a Ruddy Kingfisher is just sitting calmly on a branch, it basically doesn’t move, so I moved to a spot where there was some distance between the bird and the background and nothing blocking it in front. I increased the ISO speed to ISO3200, and since I wanted to get a clear and sharp photograph, I adjusted the aperture from f/5.6 to f/7.1, and set the shutter speed to 1/25 of a second. Since I set a slower shutter speed, I used the 2-sec. self-timer to prevent camera shake. I got the clear and sharp shot that I wanted.

Aperture value:
f/7.1
Shutter speed:
1/25 second
ISO speed:
ISO3200
Exposure compensation:
0
Focal length:
700mm equivalent (used a 1.4x extender at 500 mm)
DSLR camera (APS-C image format)
Image
Viewfinder display
Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher
Enlarge

Prevent camera shake with self-timer shooting

When the shutter speed is slow, camera shake can occur just from the pressure of pushing the shutter button, even if you use a tripod. Using a cable release or a remote control is the most common solution, but you can also prevent camera shake by using self-timer shooting.
Did you know that in addition to a 10-sec. self-timer that is used for group photos and such, there is also a 2-sec. self-timer setting? The 2-sec. self-timer delays the timing of the shutter release, allowing you to prevent camera shake to a certain extent. Try using it when photographing a bird that is stationary.

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To set the 2-sec. self-timer, push the DRIVE button, turn the dial and select Self-timer: 2-sec., and then push the DRIVE button once more.

Comment from a learner

I took a photo of a White-cheeked Starling walking in the shade of a tree. To create blur in front of the bird, I put the camera close to the ground and released the shutter. Since the bird was moving, it was difficult to get it in focus. By using blur, I was able to get a photo with a different feeling than usual.

  • Viewfinder display

    Viewfinder display

  • White-cheeked Starling, by a learner
    White-cheeked Starling, by a learner
    White-cheeked Starling, by a learner
    Enlarge
    Aperture value:
    f/5.6
    Shutter speed:
    1/200 second
    ISO speed:
    ISO800
    Exposure compensation:
    0
    Focal length:
    400mm
    DSLR camera (APS-C image format)

Message from Mr. Tozuka

This is a very interesting photograph. Is the blur in front of and behind the bird tree branches? Or is it the ground? I thought perhaps it was a split-second shot taken through the crux of a tree branch. And, the flower blur on the top left of the bird’s head is interesting. It’s too bad though that the grass in front is covering the bird’s eye. If not for that, it would be a really good photo.