how to
photograph
wild birds

Most male ducks have beautiful coloring, particularly a bright green color from their neck to head. I’m sure that more than a few people have put forth great effort to capture this beautiful coloring. However, depending on the light the head can look blue or black, so it is actually difficult to capture the beautiful green color. Because of structural coloring the color of the feathers changes according to how the light hits them. If the front light shines nicely on the bird you can capture the beautiful color. In this scene of a duck taking flight, I photographed a series of shots, paying particular attention to the color of its head.

With front lighting, I was able to show the beautiful color of this Little Grebe. Using the technique of diagonal composition, the Little Grebe was positioned on the water’s surface with the blue and green reflection of the grass and sky. Moreover, I used the blurring effect of the telephoto lens from the foreground into the background. Although front lighting can become flat, by using the surrounding scenery and the special feature of the lens I was able to give the photo a feeling of depth.

I took this shot with the back light of evening. The rice stalks shine with the transmitted light. It is very beautiful, but if you take the shot in automatic shooting mode, the Grey Heron will be blacked out. For this shot, I adjusted the brightness in manual exposure mode (setting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed manually) so that the markings on its body stand out. The front blur and back blur are beautifully expressed and make the Grey Heron stand out in the scene.

Some eagles rest on the drift ice. Normally I wouldn’t be shooting with the sun shining directly in front of me, but this time the sun is coming out from behind the clouds and creating a soft light, so I adjusted the exposure slightly to +0.3. Since you will get lens flare or ghosting if you position the sun right in the middle of the frame, I put the sun in the top part of the photo and avoided that. And, being as it was ice drifting in the ocean, I was able to get a shot with a mysterious air to it.

This photo is not completely backlit; the Common Kingfisher is partially backlit by the light shining behind it to the right. With the light shining almost exactly overhead (top lighting), the Kingfisher floats in the bright background. Since the leaves in the front left are nicely illuminated by the transmitted light I took the shot so I could express that, but I was a little disappointed that the back of the bird is shining because the light is too strong.

I found a male Northern Pintail taking a bath. Since I knew that as I was shooting the duck would be constantly changing direction while bathing, I waited for the moment when he was facing me and the light was coming mostly from the side (partial front lighting). The result was the shot I was aiming for, the water spray sparkling in the light against the reflection of the forest background.

I likely would not have gotten a shot of this scene of an eagle tearing into its prey on some drift ice if it was lit from the front. The reason for that is the drift ice in the foreground that is hiding the body. However, the soft back light is coming through the clouds from the left and reflecting off the ice (reflector effect), effectively shining on the bird’s face and correcting any blackout. And, the light was hitting the edge of the drift ice to beautifully create a sense of depth so I took the shot without hesitation.

This is an example of a disappointing shot. The light hitting the body of this Blue-and-white Flycatcher is too strong so its back is shining and its blue coloring is not vibrant. I was aiming to capture the moment it looked to the right, but as a result of the bird’s characteristic black coloring from its bill to its eyes, and the shadow cast on its face, it is hard to see the expression on its face even though there is catch light in its eyes.

This scene seems to have front lighting, but it is actually side lighting. The light is shining from the right in the photo, and if you look closely you will notice that the left side of this Eurasian Wigeon is shaded. There is a feeling of depth thanks to the angle of the light. And, since it was just at the time when the early cherry blossoms were out, a sense of perspective is created with the blurring of the blossoms in the foreground. The photo has an appealing color composition as a result of the flowers also coming in from the side, adding the hint of transmitted light.

Seen with the naked eye this scene of a Common Sandpiper resting on a rock did not appear to be anything special, but looking through the camera lens, it had an altogether different feeling. The white rock created a reflector effect and I was able to nicely capture the Sandpiper with a mild shadow on its belly. If you are unsure of a shot take a look through the viewfinder and see how it looks.

In the forest on a clear day the sun streaming through the trees sparkles beautifully but this is actually very troublesome. If the sun is high in the sky the strong sunlight floods in between the leaves of the forest trees. When the strong sunlight enters a dark place it creates an abnormally high contrast and strikes the bird’s body in patches, creating an extraordinary photograph. Even if the light does not shine directly on the bird, it is very difficult to look at because the area around it is bright. It is difficult to spot the colorful Ruddy Kingfisher amid the sparkling sunbeams streaming into the forest. You can understand why vibrant colors become a protection in such an environment.