As discussed in a previous article (Tips # 6 Feeder Photography) there are many advantages to bringing the birds to you. As well as being convenient, it gives you some control over background, lighting and to some degree, where your subject perches. One problem that arises is that your photographs tend to look alike, as the birds will use the same perches over and over. To overcome this problem, consider the advantages of strategically planting a dead tree or stump.
Planting a dead tree or stump near your feeding station will attract certain species such as woodpeckers and nuthatches. These species naturally explore nooks and crannies as part of their normal foraging habits and often find dead trees irresistible. Additionally, other species will use them as perches while waiting their turn at the feeders. You can increase the odds of these species attending your stump by drilling "wells" into the trunk and filling them with peanut butter or a suet recipe. Make sure if you drill wells into your log that they are placed in such a fashion as to be not seen from your planned photography position.
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| White-breasted Nuthatch |
An ideal position to place a dead tree is near a window in your home (make sure your window deductible of your home insurance is low!). This allows you to use your home as a blind (See tips # 7). Choose a window in your home that has good lighting opportunities -i.e.- decide the time of day that you would most likely be able to photograph (e.g. early morning) and choose the window that will give you front lighting on your dead tree. Not all windows are created with the photographer in mind, as some will be more suitable than others. Ideally the dead tree should be as close as possible to eye level (See tips # 18). This will give you the ideal perspective of your subject. You can also use a tall dead tree and shoot from a second story window.
When shooting out your window consider masking your movements with a curtain or camo sheet. This will effectively hide most of your movement that might startle your subject. It is also helpful to have the lights off in the room to prevent silhouetting yourself.
An important consideration for the photographer is to heavily prune your tree. Fifty branches coming off the tree gives the birds too many options for perches, most of which would be poor for photography. First of all prune off all the perches on the backside of the stump, as they cannot be seen from your "window" blind. In addition, branches that are coming straight towards your camera often create distracting out of focus elements. The lateral branches should also be minimized to leave the best-looking perches. This will reduce the chances of having other branches draped in front of your subject and/or giving the illusion of branches growing out of the head of your subject (See tips # 6). By limiting the number of ideal perches this will also reduce your search time and possibly be the difference between the perfect image and just another photo of an empty branch! In choosing what type of tree to use, be cautious in using very light or white trees (e.g. birch) as this can be too challenging for most camera's light meters (See tips # 14). Also, when pruning a tree, try to cut the branches such that you avoid seeing the fresh cut ends which are often white and provide a distracting highlight in your photos.
Consider the background before going to great effort to plant a large stump. If your pink Cadillac is in the background, chances are the illusion of a natural shot will be spoiled!
In conclusion, varying the selection of natural perches around your feeding station can increase the diversity of your backyard photography. Dead trees are magnets for many bird species and will create an interesting stage for your subjects.
