Advantages of photographing at bird feeders are that you don't have to travel to find the birds and you are able to control some variables that make photography difficult elsewhere. Variables that you can control to some extent are background, composition and where the bird will be when photographed.

To photograph birds at the feeders , you must consider the following:

1. Attracting birds with proper food and shelter.
2. Time of day that you will be photographing.
3. Your position from which you will be photographing.
4. Perches for the birds.
5. Background of the photograph

Attracting birds

There are numerous excellent books dealing with this subject, as such we will not go into great detail. An example is the Stokes "Bird Gardening Book". The gist of attracting birds is to provide food, water and adequate shelter. Offering a variety of seed types will maximize the number of species that visit your feeders. Non-seed foods such as suet, peanut butter, insects and fruits are also welcomed. Having a water source will attract birds that would not otherwise visit feeders. In winter, a heated water bath is a bird magnet! Shelter is also required for protection from predators. Generally, you want shrubs or trees within a few feet of the feeders.

Time of Day

You should place your feeders such that they will have the benefit of sunlight during the times that you will be available to photograph. Often the best light to take photographs is the first few hours after sunrise and the last few before sunset. With this in mind, try to place your feeding stations to take advantage of this light.

Location

You will have to decide whether you will be photographing from outside the house in a blind or shooting out an open window. Photographing from in the house offers many advantages. You can slide your Laz-e-boy right up to the window! When photographing from an open window, making a camouflaging curtain is helpful to keep bugs out, the heat in and hide your movements. For the most part birds will ignore you if you avoid sudden movements. A problem with shooting from the house is that the house will block the sun so your subject may be shaded or sidelit.

Being outside allows you to have much greater control over camera placement. While some birds such as Chickadees are quite tame, others (ex. Northern Cardinal) will require the use of a blind.

One major point to consider is your camera to subject distance. With small birds to get a "frame-filling" shot , you will be very near the minimum focusing distance of your lens. The best way to determine this distance is to focus on an object of approximately the same size as your intended subject, and make a note of the subject distance. Then place your feeder and perches at this distance from the spot you will be shooting from. With shorter focal length lenses, (300mm or shorter) you may be too close for the bird's comfort. One way to deal with this is to use a tele-convertor, which will increase the effective focal length of your lens. If you find that your lens will not allow you to focus close enough to give the desired image size, the addition of extension tubes will allow closer focus.

Perches

There are two kinds of photos to strive for, pictures with birds on the feeders or birds in a natural appearing setting. To perform the latter you will either have to place perches near the feeders or use an existing perch. Branches or twigs that have interesting bends or bark are excellent. Keep the perches "simple" with only one or two suitable landing areas so that you can predict where the subject will land. This will allow you to pre-focus and compose your photo. Typically, the birds will only stop for a few seconds before continuing on to the feeder. After photographing birds on the same perch, alter the angle or put a new perch in place. This will give your photographs a "fresh" look since the photos will become boring if every bird is on the same perch. Choose darker sticks or logs for perches as very light ones will fool your camera meter and will be distracting in the photo. Never use a perch with a cut end as it looks too unnatural.

Ground feeding birds will require perches as well. Logs, or old stumps are interesting. To entice the birds to stay, consider drilling wells on the logs to hold seed. Be sure to place them on the side not visible to the camera.

Background

Nothing ruins a good photo faster than a cluttered background. Try to place your perches such that the background is relatively uniform in shade. Watch for bright highlights or sticks that will be distracting in the photo. If there are a lot of sticks in the background, they can appear to merge with the bird's form and create the infamous three-legged long-billed sparrow!

In summary, feeder photography brings the subject to you and allows you to control lighting, composition and background. The convenience of photography at home decreases your time commitment as you can do it on short notice. As an example, the following photo was taken out the bathroom window using a 300mm lens. The perch was wired to the TV antenna. Next month we will discuss Blind Photography.

Copyright Scott Fairbairn and John Reaume

	Mouring Dove Zenaida macroura
	Copyright Scott Fairbairn and John Reaume
	Photo information: Nikon F4s, Nikkor 300mmF4 AF, Fuji Velvia