Bird Photography, Part 2: Composition

Great Blue Heron

In my first post on bird photography, we looked at exposure; here I'd like to consider some tips for composition.  In bird photography, your options for composition are often very limited.  Bird photography is often more about being at the right place at the right time.  It's about knowing where to go when, and knowing about bird behavior so that you can position yourself to be where you need to be to get the image you want.  At the same time, there is a lot you can do to improve your composition in the field:

Great Blue Heron

1. Shoot First, Position Yourself Later.  Birds frequently move while you get yourself in just the right place.  I learned the hard way to take a photo first and then try to get in the right position.
2. Catch Light in the Eye.  Bird photos look more natural if you can capture a little reflection in the bird's eye.  And when the bird's head is facing the right direction, the sun will provide it for you.  You can also use fill flash to create a little reflection in the eye.
3. Keep the Eye Sharp.  When the bird's eye is out of focus, it can look strange and even disturbing.  Make sure the bird's eye is in focus.
4. Head Position.  Generally speaking, bird photos are more interesting when they are not facing away from you. If you're patient, they may turn their heads as a profile or somewhat toward you.  At the very least, try to have a view of the bird where you can see one of its eyes.
5. Consider the Bird's Surroundings. When composing your shot, look around the bird and see if you can position yourself to make his surroundings beautiful or interpretive.  Often the background surrounding a bird can be cluttered and distracting, but you can sometimes position yourself to create distance between the bird and the background, so that you can blur the background to separate it from the subject. At the same time, birds live in environments.  We often want to zoom in as close as possible on the bird, but try zooming out a little and shoot the bird in its surroundings.  It may be just as beautiful and even more interpretive.
6. Compose in the Center. On most cameras the best focusing point is in the center. I usually select the center focusing point (or the center cluster) because I don't want the camera to choose a point in the foreground or background. Since birds are often far away, you're probably going to crop your photo, so frame your bird into a nice composition by cropping in software.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron