Photographing birds is probably most peoples’ introduction to wildlife photography — they’re ubiquitous and numerous but getting a decent shot might be harder than you think. This professional bird photographer offers some great tips to get you started.
Jan Wegener is an Australian based photographer who’s sole focus is bird photography. His unique, eye-catching style didn’t some about by accident; he has been perfecting his craft for many years, only turning to full-time bird photography in recent years. If you’re looking at his images and saying to yourself that that’s where you want to be in the future, prepare to put in a lot of hours. Wegener’s YouTube channel is a fantastic resource for budding bird shooters, and this video offers five helpful tips to get you started.
For me, one of the most important tips that he gives is planning your shot correctly. All the typical outdoor shooting factors come into play — time of day, direction of sunlight, location, etc. However, I would probably add wind speed and its direction to that. The exact force of the wind isn’t important, but if there’s a relatively strong wind it’s good to realize that shore birds will most often land into the wind. Knowing this, the direction of sunlight, and what you want your background to look like, will really help you to triangulate where you need to position yourself for the best possible outcome.