We have had a lot of birds around our home lately: rainbow lorikeets, galahs, cockatoos, tawny frogmouths, and many more. It doesn't get much better when you can practice bird photography from the comfort of your own backyard.
I'm not sure what happened, but there has been an abundance of wild birds in our neighbourhood lately. There have always been birds around, but it seems there are many more these days. Word must have gotten out among the wildlife that my wife and several neighbours have been feeding the birds. Some of the bird species that have visited us recently include:
Sulphur-crested cockatoos
Tawny frogmouths
Rainbow lorikeets
Galahs
Yellow-tailed black cockatoos
Australian magpies
Corellas
Masked lapwings
Kookaburras
Indian mynas
We are extremely fortunate to have birds like these in our area. Many of them are stunning to watch: the rainbow lorikeets are colourful, cheeky, and loud; the cockatoos are majestic and also loud (and destructive at times!); the frogmouths look scruffy and can be mistaken for an owl; the galahs have a beautiful pink and grey plumage; and the laughter of the kookaburras never ceases to put a smile on my face.
Backyard Convenience
As mentioned in my previous blog, one of my New Year's resolutions is to continue to master bird photography. And you know what the best part is? I don't have to go far to do it! Your own backyard and garden can be hotbed of avian activity, and with a little patience and the right equipment, you can capture stunning photos of these beautiful creatures right in your own backyard. I know I can!
While the birds that come here are 'wild animals', they're clearly comfortable being in a suburban environment. Many of the birds come to just sit on the fence, freshen up in our bird bath, or have a little snack (we always have some lorikeet bird food available). The birds are used to human activity and that means they usually stay put if you move around to position yourself for a good shot. It couldn't be more convenient to practice bird photography this way.
Gear and Camera Settings
For my bird photography I use my OM-1 camera with the 40-150mm f2.8 PRO lens with MC-14 extender. While this may not offer sufficient reach in some settings (it's equivalent to a 420mm full frame lens), it's totally adequate for shooting birds around my home and backyard. Most birds are not more than 10 meters away, often less than 5. If I venture out to other areas, I may have to invest in a longer lens but for now I'm perfectly happy with this setup.
The camera settings that I'm using after having reviewed many bird photographer websites and YouTube videos are:
Bird subject detection. The OM-1 system has particularly good bird detection and I find the tracking to be very reliable and 'sticky' in most conditions.
Manual mode. To be honest, for much of the photography I do - landscapes, food, urban/cityscapes - I use aperture priority. Changing to manual mode required me to step out of my comfort zone. However, using manual mode in combination with Auto ISO gives incredible control over the creative aspects of bird photography. I have programmed a custom setting on my camera to use manual mode with a default aperture of f5 and shutter speed of 1/3200s. I will adjust the shutter speed based on how stationary the birds are, and I'll adjust the aperture based on the depth of field I require. The Auto ISO then makes up for the difference according to light conditions. I have limited Auto ISO to a maximum of ISO 3200. I probably could go a little higher than that, but for now I'm quite confident that I can manage image noise shooting up to ISO 3200 (see my Pixel Peeping Noise blogpost).
Drive mode. I mostly use single frame or frequential shooting; this last drive mode giving me about 20 frames per second. The OM-1 is capable of an incredible 120 frames per second in what is called Pro Capture mode, but I haven't used it much so far. I need to practice more with it but have found it to be particularly useful when shooting birds that are taking off or landing. Pro Capture enables you to never miss the 'right' moment, but you end up with many hundreds of pictures after pressing the shutter button for only a few seconds.
Raw mode. Of course. Nothing to add here.
Post Processing
I do most of my post processing in Adobe Lightroom, but as covered in my Pixel Peeping Noise blogpost, I have started using DxO PureRAW for noise reduction and sharpening when processing high(er) ISO images. Occasionally I do some further editing in Adobe Photoshop to remove unwanted artifacts, white balance corrections, and a few other tweaks. I am not claiming to be a post processing expert, but I manage the basics well enough to get the results that I'm satisfied with.
Show Me Those Birds!
Ok, after all these ramblings, here are some of the recent bird pictures I took. Remember, these were all taken around my home. Distance to my front door: not more than a 10 second walk. Literally!
Like what you're seeing? So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start exploring the avian world in your own backyard! With a little patience and the right approach, you'll be amazed at the beautiful bird photos you can capture right in your own garden. Enjoy!
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