Eyeshot a Fowl

A great practice for early photographers is photographing birds. I know you are thinking, “I could never make that perfect “national geographic shot”, and your right for good reason, mostly for lack of giant sports/wildlife photography lens the length of your forearm. But don’t worry or give up there is a lot you can do with a decent camera with nature and moving animals to have fun and take good shots.
If you happen to live by a sea, lake or shore of some kind there is always birds of different sizes and speeds and so much to take pictures of.

The nice thing about it is (particularly seal gulls and birds that dive in water) is that you do not need to be a rocket expert to set up an interesting pic, as like in hunting with a shoot gun if you pull the trigger you are bound to hit something. The same is true for photographing birds in this way, the only question is what. The only problem will be them doing it how you want them to and not having one land in front of your shot.
If you have the opportunity to set your ISO most sites recommend 400 though if you have gliding birds you might not even need that or faster wing-beating birds, dragonfly’s, humming birds and the like will require more, you don’t want them to look stationary but you don’t want them blurry either. I’m sure your camera manual can help you with that. If you do not have time or patience for that I suggest gulls, swans and the like. When I go “bird hunting” it is just to sharpen my eye/hand skills with “moving targets” kind of like a camera drill, just five-ten minutes and a few dozen shots at a time and then I’m on to something else. Just relax on a rest day or work break at your park, seaside or lake and take shots and see at home all the busyness of the birds you’ve gotten. If nothing else I’m sure that problem that was on your mind will feel lighter and less taxing, as you blast the birds away, frame by frame.

Bird drill includes such things as:
Following moving objects
Frame a picture with moving objects
Keep your horizon centered
Avoid sun fur as you swing following a moving subject
Capturing quick timeless moments

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