HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH SMALL BIRDS: PHOTOGRAPHY top pro tips (using my Canon R5)

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Join me for some bird photography on location as I teach you my best tips to take better pics of small birds. I'll teach you how to get eye-level to birds, understand light and composition, get prettier environment in your pics, and add action to your photos. I'll discuss bird photography settings, and I'll show you the tips and tricks to get better bird photos. These tips will also help you with all wildlife photography.

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[prsearls]

I am not a bird photographer but after watching your videos, I tried to capture a pair of Bluebirds nesting in a birdhouse I installed earlier this year. They are too fast for me to try and track with my 500 mm so I used zone focus, high speed shutter, 1/2000 sec., f/8 and Auto ISO on my EOS R. I shot from a tripod about 70 feet away. Field of view gave me about a two feet space in front of the house opening with a shaded background. The Bluebirds would slow and often flutter just in front of the house. This was my opportunity and I blazed away at 8 frames/second. About 25% of the time, I got useable images and culled these to ones with sharp focus, pleasant wing positions, bright colors or interaction with other birds. I could never have gotten these without the tips and techniques you generously give us. A BIG thank you, sir! 

This same technique works on hummingbirds except I'm shooting from about 15 feet away. The detail the 500 captures is very amazing. Depth of field is very shallow so I'm shooting at f/11 or f/16 at 1/800 or 1/1000 second; freezing the wing motion is not important to me so long as I get the body or head in sharp focus. Covering the feeder's holes will direct the bird to the desired hole for focus. They are quick and I sometimes miss the shot when they momentarily hover just in front of the feeder. Photographing these birds has been really fun and a good challenge.

[fwhzgwx]

I always find Simon’s videos to be concise and to the point. I have enjoyed watching his videos, and learned a lot. Thanks.

[rogermaioli]

For a recent channel on bird photography, yours has deservedly garnered a large following quite quickly! As the comments amply illustrate, you do a stellar job of explaining things. Also, your photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

[tmewborn]

Thank You sir, All of your videos are very educsting, and interesting. I am an old guy age 82 with limited mobility, and will never enjoy rambling the woods again. Yet Your Video's are so entertaining just learning about various birds, their habits, Your techinuques to capture them. The seemless unefort ability to use your camera/lens as an artistic tool, while imparting so much information to those of us who love Photography. I use a walker to sit on in High School Gyms & on sidelines attempting to capture action sports. As I enjoy my hobby I shall be trying to use the information you teach in your video's. I appreciate all of your hard work to present these most excellent Professional Video's.

[SueFerreira]

Thank you for being responsible for peaking my interest in bird photography.
In my late 70s, hiking into the wilderness with a backpack is no longer so easy, but my home is in an unofficial "nature park" with a beach in front of me and trees around me, so in the years ahead, I plan to photograph the wild life at my door - how lucky am I?

[captinktm]

Great video as always. I would add spring time is the best for colourful males which at this time have other things on their minds and are a lot bolder. Winter is good, nice contrast and the birds are busy finding food. I also find unless you are in a controlled situation where the birds are resident and stay in one area a tripod is a pain because of it's set up time. I up the shutter speed and walk about taking opportunistic type shots. For this you have to be fast. Once again brilliant video, thanks for posting.

[DrLoneyDal]

As, always, a superb video. Any beginning bird photographer would benefit from visiting your channel first. You demo things clearly and simply in ways other YouTubers tend to gloss over. I think that yours is truly the best bird photography channel out there. Keep it up Simon! Thanks.

[flyingchickennugget]

Best Bird photography creator out there

[returntoharmony]

You are such a great teacher. Love every video you made. Please keep sharing all the beauty and tips with us. Very much enjoyed and appreciated.

[romy]

Well I have a window bird feeder and just in one day after I cleaned it inside and out....using your techniques at eye level I got crystal clear pics right thru the window! 8 different kinds of birds....great way to practice! House finch, male and female, Purple finch, Spotted Towhee, Old Country Sparrow, Songbird Sparrow, House Sparrow and a Chickadee also. Where I live we have the highest concentration of birds in our state for the size of the land mass. So I have all kinds of sea birds to take pics as well. I appreciate all your tips and will tripod my camera in the spring when my yard is FULL OF BIRDS! I can get them on flowers, branches and so on....so excited this year! I have finally mastered my settings to do this with the Nikon D5300 with the 70mm to 300mm zoom lens on it. My Sony A73 does not have the zoom lens that the other does...have to wait til I can afford it.

[rickdillon]

After watching this, I now understand that the exposure compensation dial does work in manual mode if the ISO is set on auto. That's a game-changer for me! Thanks for more great birding photography tips and insights. Love your videos!

[stanpiper]

Simon....Very helpful video. Isn't it interesting how one begins birding deriving satisfaction from tack sharp images in classic poses. At some point, a photographer is likely to look at his or her portfolio, and recognize that their photos are worthy of publication, but are otherwise unremarkable. Then the fun begins. "“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso

[susangreenlee]

Simon...I really appreciated your advice on backgrounds and best angles for bird photography. I went to a bird blind yesterday and didn't think about the fact that the feeders were up high in the air (so I got a lot of shots of belly's), and how the overgrowth of trees and bushes in the background caused my photos to look cluttered until I uploaded them and then watched this video!. I'm looking forward to finding better places to take photos of birds! Thank you so much for this video.

[galinswigart]

Love the Black Throated Blue photos. One of my favorite warblers, such cool birds. I have been a hunter and bird watcher for a long time and my full time job is as a photographer and videographer, but just recently combined hobbies and got into bird photography, your channel has been an incredible resource. Thank you for all the helpful info!

[tmewborn]

Simon, I enjoy returning to your channel, and watching videos again. I never find them boring, and always learn something new. Thank You so very much.

[dougbottrell]

Another well thought out tutorial. What really attracts me to uour channel, is the fact you don't tell your viewers "they are doing it wrong". You merely state you prefer not to... (shoot in the high sun, for example). There are plenty of other photography channels that always say "you're doing it wrong". A bit like the chefs who rant about how we've been cooking roast potato's wrong for the padt 20 years. I like to think I may do something different, but that doesn't always make it wrong. Well done Simon, you manage to nail it every time. 👍

[Lionheart]

Great tips Simon. You are one of the titans of photography instruction. 🏆

[joesjourney]

Love this 'in the field" format

[franktherabbit]

I took 2 photos of a Wren the other day at the reserve I go to.. 1 of it sat on the top of a bare tree. A stick, essentially. I then took one of it sat in the middle of the tree where the reeds were taller and the tree had some growth. It was a completely different photo. This tip is 100% on point for taking better bird photos. It worked for me. I saw the difference between 2 photos and it clicked.

[bigfootmm]

Nice video! I find my property to be pretty good for birding. One of my favorite methods is to get a hose and spray the trees and bushes. The sound of water brings birds right to you! Also, my deck is up kinda high, so I can shoot into the trees to get eye-level with the birds that come around to my feeders. I also tie interesting branches and perches to my deck for the birds to land on. Then I sit in a deck chair with my coffee and take pics. Great fun!