I thought I might start a series of Bird Photography Tips, seeing as it’s the area of photography I’ve had the most experience with so far! So here’s number one – Birds In Flight.

Some of the most engaging and interesting wildlife photographs capture the behaviours of animals. When it comes to birds, the most interesting behaviours often happen on the wing. Being able to get good, sharp flight shots of birds is a staple skill to have in your arsenal. In theory, this is easy. In practice, well, it takes a lot of practice!

Birds are fast. They can take off in a split-second, and following them in flight with a long lens can be extremely difficult. The main thing I’m going to impress upon you is that it takes practice, which takes time. You can read as many tutorials as you like, but nothing beats practice. That’s not to say you should stop reading this blog and go out and take photos (I mean you can, and seriously, go for it if that’s what you want to do), because I’m going to cover a few things that should be in the forefront of your mind when you’re trying to photograph birds in flight.

• Knowledge – As with all wildlife photography, knowing your subject is paramount. A good grasp of the way the bird behaves is extremely beneficial to getting good photographs of them. Birds take off differently, have different styles of flight, and have ‘tells’ which will enable you to better anticipate when they will launch into the air. The best way to develop this skill is through observation. I’ve been a bird-watcher for longer than I’ve been a photographer, and the knowledge you gain by simply observing is vast and useful. Good reflexes are a bonus!

• Planning – Preparation is always good. A great way to get landing shots is to pre-focus on the area you know (or expect) the bird to land. This means that when the moment comes, your camera isn’t trying to focus, and instead can just shoot straight away. If you’re in an area for some time, you’ll notice which perches bird prefer to land on and take off from, and can use this to your advantage. Sure, some great photographs will come of spur-of-the-moment shots as a bird whistles past, but planning ahead gives you an edge, and a greater likelihood of getting good, sharp photos.

• Motion – This depends on what you want your photograph to look like. Do you want the bird frozen in flight, with pin-sharp detail across the entire body? Do you want the wings, or just the wing-tips blurred? Do you want to keep the bird sharp but introduce a bit (or a lot) of motion blur to the background? This will determine how fast you set your shutter speed. It will also depend on the amount of light that’s available. I find that in the evenings/afternoons when I do a lot of bird photography (nice light!) above 1/2000th of a second works for sharp all over, anything between 1/1600 – 1/800 for blurred wings, and anything below about 1/500 for panning (depending on how much motion blur you want, more = slower shutter speeds). But as always, it will vary depending on the bird and how fast they flap their wings!

• Panning – Keeping a flying bird in the frame can be a challenge, and all I can really recommend is practice! Having a way to stabilise your lens can take the weight off and make this easier, and less of a strain on the arm muscles. I haven’t much used tripods with Gimbal heads, as I favour the flexibility of movement that a monopod gives me. Gimbal heads are fantastic, however, if you want the added stability of a tripod, and allow for lovely smooth panning. Monopods are also good, removing the weight from the equation but allowing more movement. If you’re going hand-held, then beef-up those arm-muscles if you have a heavy lens! I’m comfortable hand-holding the 200-400mm f/4 to pan if there’s enough light, but only for a few minutes at a time.

  

There you go, four things to think about when shooting birds in flight. Now go and practice! If there’s anything you think I’ve missed, drop a comment below.