#Bird Photography Tips

[mostlybirdsandphotos]

a sora!!

my first time seeing one, and it was so casual that everyone who saw it was astonished—for such a notoriously shy bird it spent a lot of time out in the open, even getting so close my camera couldn't focus on it anymore! it was a lifer for quite a few people last morning ( ˙꒳​˙ )

I really enjoyed watching it hop around looking for bugs and flicking its tail, and watching it disappear into the grass only to pop out instantly much further than I would have expected. it's also a lot smaller than I expected, only about the size of the red-winged blackbirds!

[literatureaesthetic]

“a beautiful voice that haunted people”

― Anaïs Nin, Little Birds

[helluvatimes]

No Minor

An adult Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa) checking out its cage in the former Jurong Bird Park. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

The mynah was momentarily standing in a dark corner of its cage. 2/3 stop of negative exposure compensation wasn’t enough so the image was darkened further in post to produce this result. The lens was placed flushed with the wire mesh to get this image because of a mere 1/25-second shutter speed.

[brickcentral]

🤩 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: SKABRAM.builds Hello everyone! It's time to direct the spotlight toward our community members, and today we will get to know better SKABRAM.builds!

"Hi everyone, I’m Bram and I live in the Netherlands.

I rediscovered LEGO when my oldest son got his first set about 2,5 years ago. Soon I found out about digital building LEGO and got hooked building MOC’s of one of my favorite things: birds. I created some of my favorite birds to display in our house and published the building instructions for others to build. That was all I did until LEGO announced the Icons Kingfisher set. It got me thinking about sharing my own bird builds too.

This idea got kickstarted when I got tagged in a photo where someone used my instructions for a bird build. Apparently there was a little search for brick built birds in nature photos. I got in touch and was encouraged to participate. Since I already have some years experience with wildlife photography this seemed fun. I emptied my camera bag, filled it with my bird models and went to a local park. And here we are…

I see my photography as the final touch of my MOC. I spend a good amount of time designing and building the model, getting it out in it’s natural habitat feels like a logic last step. I try to get as close to the real bird and it’s environment as possible and aim to create realistic photos. My approach is the same as in my wildlife photography: I want to show the bird and some of its surroundings. These surroundings are important since they tell a lot about a bird and it’s behavior and habitat. Since I’m shooting a LEGO model this is a lot easier than with real birds, so I got plenty of time to focus on composition. I often try to get on eye level with my subject and to find interesting colors or lines that complement the composition. Most of my images are composed using the rule of thirds.

I prepare my photos not extensively. I think about the posing and what I might need for it (string, stand or extra LEGO parts) and throw everything in my bag when I go outside.

I don’t take a model of a coastal bird to the forest, but besides that it’s just looking for the right opportunity. Working with natural light and shooting without a tripod makes everything very flexible.

My 50-400mm lens is very versatile, so I can shoot real birds and LEGO ones during the same walk. The higher aperture (4.5-6.3) of this lens is no deal breaker since I often shoot with higher aperture to include more of the surroundings.

The hardest part might be getting the model posed right. It’s not always easy to find the right branch to clip the feet on (not all branches are in system…) and wind should not be underestimated when shooting around water (yes, I had to fish). Sometimes someone is holding a loose branch with a bird model up so I can get the right image. To compensate for the inevitable movement here I increase my shutter speed (which is already high because I shoot handheld).

Combining my love for wildlife photography and LEGO has been a bliss thus far. Working with static models and a lighter lens has it’s advantages! The gear i use is a Sony A6700 Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 Tamron 50-400mm 4.5-6.3 Tamron 150-500mm 5.0-6.7 (used for wildlife only) I do have a simple Rollei tripod, but only use it inside."

Thank you for accepting our invitation and let the community knows you better!

If you want some insights on the exclusive picture and for a better view of the others, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/.

- @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[axololtls]

[voidbirds]

Did I drive 20 hours for pictures of Bin chickens? Hell yeah!

The White Ibis (Lovingly known as the Bin Chicken) are a marsh bird who have adapted to cities as their habitat has been destroyed.

The White Ibis is a symbol of ecological awareness, their presence in our cities proof that we are failing our vulnerable marshlands.

[figures4fun]

Post done by our sister!

[sagehaubitze]

Out of the few photos I took, the most were of this one singular turkey. I can't help it, I love turkeys! We saw a bunch of them (and not much else) this time around, but we sat and ate lunch with this little dude.

[dansnaturepictures]

1st May 2023: Noar Hill 

Photos taken here in this set today: 1. A stunning Duke of Burgundy butterfly. As we did last year on the first May bank holiday Monday this was our annual pilgrimage to this biodiverse, thriving and beautiful bit of countryside to try and see this gem of a butterfly. They’re one of the more sensitive to weather conditions I’ve found so despite showers breaking the bursts of sunshine I was so thrilled that we spotted a couple of them. I am always so taken in by their bright and tasty colours and intricate markings, they are a beacon of enchantment. It’s always one of my favourite bits of spring looking for them, a key milestone in the spring and peak butterfly season. 2. It’s caterpillar foot plant which adorned the hill, cowslips. 3 and 8. Beautiful views at Noar Hill. 4. Speedwell, another key flower seen today. 5, 9 and 10. Some dazzling fields covered in the yellow of rapeseed oil, a great sight I always enjoy in this type of countryside at this time of year and on this annual trip we do. 6. Another target today a stunning early purple orchid, a wonderful sight to take in of a beautiful flower it enriched by the sun shining on raindrops on the flower scenes I love seeing. 7. Some nice wild strawberry I enjoyed seeing. 

Other highlights at Noar Hill were my first Green-veined White butterfly of the year, great views of Holly Blue, Orange Tip and Brimstone, great birds for the habitat Linnet, Yellowhammer and Red Kite, lovely views of Song Thrush, Blackbird and Goldfinch, Kestrel, Pheasant and delicate and lovely bee flies. White deadnettle, violets including with raindrops on in the sun too, ground ivy and dandelion were nice flowers to see. It was good to hear Skylark. It was good to see Brown Hare and Red-legged Partridge on the way, key for this type of countryside and I’ve done well with seeing them both on journeys in different parts of the country so far this year.

[clippingpathking1]

[vulturecamera]

Great Horned Owl

California 2024

[pixelspeaks]

Bird photography is a captivating and challenging genre that involves capturing images of birds in their natural habitats. Whether you're shooting backyard birds, migratory species, or exotic birds in distant locations, bird photography requires patience, skill, and a deep understanding of avian behavior.

[helluvatimes]

In High Spirits

An oriental magpie-robin singing happily atop a tree despite being all drenched from an earlier downpour. Photo credit: Eleanor Chua.

The magpie-robin was a good distance away and the equivalent 480mm on hand wasn’t enough to get this close. This is actually a 30 percent crop of the original capture.

[brickcentral]

Hello there!

We've asked to our spotlighted artist SKABRAM.builds to provide an exclusive picture for @brickcentral along with some insights on how he made it, and here's what she have to say:

"I had this photo in mind for quite some time and now finally took it! This model was finished a couple of months ago, but I never took it with me to shoot it outside. Being asked to create a new photo for Brickcentral felt like the right opportunity to finally go for it! I prepared the photo by picking and preparing a little stand with plateau to place my model in the water. I made this for an earlier photo with a great crested grebe and a chick. I now added a plate with rubber bands so it could resist the force of the kingfisher model tipping it. Beside the stand I also packed some paper towel to remove drops from the model and my camera and lens. For this photo I specifically picked my 28-75 lens, because I knew beforehand I would be very close to my subject.

When I arrived at the location I had in mind I found out that everything was overgrown with reeds. I had to find an other spot without the reeds. Unfortunately no reeds meant less shallow water. My stand was not long enough to reach the bottom. I improvised by extending it with a branch I found. Here the rubber bands came in handy, because that’s how I attached the stand to the branch. Phew…

I placed the stand right below the surface of the water. Time to attach the model!

After a couple of photos I decided to change the placement a little to make better use of the background (more reeds visible). I picked the stand entirely to move it when I messed up big. The kingfisher fell off the clip and dropped in the water. For a second I was in shock, but luckily it was floating. I even had time to take a picture of it floating.

After drying the kingfisher with the paper towel the setup for the final photo looked like this.

I took the photo just above the surface of the water to capture as much of the surroundings as possible. As you can see I was pretty close to the subject and holding my camera below me. Keeping it steady was not easy, so I chose a shutter speed of 1/200. Beside the shutter speed I played with the aperture of the lens. I tried 2.8 and 4.5 and was most satisfied with 4.5. The sharpness in the model was better and the surrounding reeds had more character.

Unedited photo taken with an aperture of 2.8 for reference

I placed the subject into the frame using the rule of thirds with the movement of the subject in mind (moving into the frame).

As you can see in the unedited image I had to get rid of the plate below the water surface in the edit. Here I used a combination of the clone tool and generative fill in photoshop. If the water was more wrinkled the plate would have been a lot less visible. Downside from wrinkles is a less clear reflection. After all I’m pretty happy with the final result and hope you enjoyed this little insight!"

Thanks for all the insights SKABRAM.builds! If you want to read this artist profile, head to our blog at https://brickentral.net/ - @theaphol, Community Outreach Manager

[howdoesone]

How does one photograph birds in their natural habitat without disturbing them?

For bird enthusiasts, capturing stunning photographs of birds in their natural habitats is a rewarding experience. However, it’s important to remember that birds are wild animals, and disturbing them can cause them to flee or abandon their nests. Here are some tips for photographing birds in their natural habitat without disturbing them. Continue reading Untitled