Taking the photo of a bird is not an easy task, as it will not come and pose for you. Here patience is the key.
If you are interested in bird photography then you must have lots of patience. You will have to wait for a long time to get the perfect shot. Before going to any place for photographing birds, first, you should learn the types of birds found in that region. Then you must have a general idea of their behavior and routines. This will help you to get the perfect shot.

For a photographer, birds can be classified into two categories. The first category is the slow-moving ones or the birds having slow flight time and the second category deals with the birds that move fast. In my opinion, it is better to start with the slow moving ones. Once you master in the first category, you can move on to the next category.

 

Kingfisher

The question is, which mode I should select in my DSLR camera to shoot birds. As a beginner, you may feel that you can select the auto mode. This mode is not good for a photographer, as you will never learn anything and you will be fully dependent on your camera to get you good photographs. Shutter priority mode is the mode you should select for bird photography in your SLR camera. Here you can set the shutter speed and the camera will provide you with the matching aperture value.

In the case of bird photography, there can be two situations, when the bird is resting on some branch and the other situation is at the time of flight. You will have to go for a higher shutter speed like 1/1000 or 1/1500 of a second when you are photographing birds in flight. For a stationary bird, shutter speeds between1/250 to 1/500 will be sufficient.

Stork Billed Kingfisher

Another thing is, what gear you should carry when you are going for bird photography. You should definitely carry a good telephoto lens as these birds won’t come near to you. Details regarding the telephoto lenses will be covered in an article later.

Another important factor is your dress. You shouldn’t wear anything that brings attention, especially bright colored clothes. It is better to wear some dull colored clothes. Also, make sure that you don’t use any perfumes or scents when you are going for bird photography as birds can sense these smells and will not come there because of human presence. You can use a dull colored hat. So, here the point to be noted is “Patience is the key for bird photography”.