Learn How to Use Camera Equipment and Bird Picture Taking
How to use camera equipment
Digital cameras and digital video cameras have become very popular amongst bird watchers these days, because you can get a much higher magnifying power, when using your telescope. You can add a zoom lens of a digital camera to the eyepiece of your telescope, and have the possibility of getting the same magnification results as a very costly 3.000mm lens on a conventional 35mm camera. This technique which is called digiscoping will produce high-quality images that can be edited quickly, so it might be a fun thing to look into.
When you first start out photographing birds, you will need a lot of patience, and time, and most of all you have to be able to get close, to capture that great bird picture. Therefore you need a telephoto lens or long-lens, and a camera which the lens can be fixed to, or you can use a digital camera with a long zoom range, as well.
When it comes to photographing birds, most bird watchers will use a 35mm SLR camera, the 35mm stands for the size film which is used in the camera, and the SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. This means that you will be viewing the scene, and then take a photograph through one lens, and what you see in the view finder will be what you see in your picture. The SLR cameras also have interchangeable lenses, which makes it possible to take both a wide-angled and telephoto pictures.
The most used telephoto lens has a focal length of 300-600mm, and is made to record high-quality, and frame-filling images of the bird you are photographing. Unfortunately, they are kind of bulky and very costly, so if you are a beginner you might start with a digital camera instead. The images are visible to you immediately, and you do not need any film, even though a digital camera might be a bit more costly than a conventional one, you will have much better magnifying power.
When you start out always have in mind the light situation, even though most pictures are taken in natural daylight, it might be a good idea to assess the quality of light before you press the button. You might have sunlight filtered to clouds, or maybe some patchy leaves which is a perfect setting for getting that naturalistic picture of your intended bird. If you choose to take a picture in the early morning or evening, the light will cast shadows, and illuminate the bird from the sides which will create an interesting warm color to the bird and its surroundings.
Taking pictures in the middle of the day is all right, but these pictures tend to be less flattering to the bird. Standing in the direct sunlight might give you a picture that has deep shadows and ugly “black holes in them. Instead try to use a flash set to a low power to eliminate some of the shadows, and that way produce a better balanced image for you.
You might also find that using a flash can help to “freeze” a bird that is in motion, and allow to capture a sharp, detailed look at every single feather on the bird.
You can also try to set a slower shutter speed, and you will notice that the picture of the moving bird has a sharp image to it, but a some what blur atmosphere around it, and willpresents you with a more interesting, creative picture.
Setting a wide lens can create a picture that has the effect of isolating the bird against a fussy back ground which gives a nice contrast to your bird picture. Try to be as creative and patience as you can, and you will find that the results of the bird pictures you take will put a smile on your face every time. GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!!!
