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Danny
Ladder Set Up
Steller's Jay
Black-headed GrosbeakBackyard Bird PhotographyFor people with limited access to the outdoors and nature backyard bird photography can be a good way to get some great bird and squirrel images. It’s also a nice way for people with limited mobility or the lack of transportation to get some images. Birds need water, shelter and food. By providing them with the latter two you can bring birds into your backyard. Hopefully you have some sort of shelter in the form of trees and bushes in your yard. Although that’s not necessarily a requirement.
So how do you get started? A simple set up is a bird feeder in good light at camera level with a nondescript background behind it. Grass, bushes or a neutral fence or building will do. Then a perch is set up next to the feeder for the birds to land on. The most basic of these is using a stick for a perch BOAS (Bird on a stick). Beyond the basic stick there is no limit. Rocks,logs, flowers, moss etc can all be used as perches. Perches can be attached to a garden stake with wire, tape or zip ties. One of my favorite set ups is to use a step ladder six to ten feet out from an open window in my backyard. I use “A” clamps to attach the feeder and the perch to the ladder. The “A” clamps make it very easy to adjust the feeder and perch. The step ladder is quite versatile and can easily be moved from spot to spot in my yard. I photograph the birds from our back bedroom window protected from the weather staying nice and warm. I cover the window with a piece of masonite hardboard with openings for the camera and a viewing port. Though windows can be covered with a sheet, blanket or even wrapping paper. On vacation I have photographed through the gap in the drapes of a sliding door.
Equipment wise I use a DSLR or Mirrorless camera with a telephoto lens attached. I prefer zooms so I can change the composition. My favorites are the Canon EF100-400 and the Rf 100-500. Shorter lenses can be used too. You just have to move the perch closer to your camera position. A tripod or something to brace your camera in position is a must so you don’t have to hold your camera while you are waiting for birds to land. I often use a ground pod on our window sill. I compose and prefocus my image on the perch then lock my camera in while I’m waiting. You don’t want to be moving your lens all over the place scaring the birds.
Camera setting wise I tend to shoot fairly wide open F 5.6, 8.0 or sometimes more stopped down to F 11,0. I do this to allow the background bokeh to be out of focus and make the bird as the central subject stand out. ISO I use the highest i can for the lighting. Birds move quickly even when they are perched.
Bird seed wise you want to fill your feeder with the type of seed that will attract them the most. You can check with your local birding groups to find out what works for what species. My personal preference is to use no waste bird seed in a single port bird feeder.
This is just a quick tutorial. Get out there and photograph some birds.
Great idea to use the step ladder. I may well take that one and give it a go myself.
I have also been known to put the camera outside and run a long remote cable back to inside so I can watch from a window and trigger the camera outside.
I have a less impressive setup, but putting the camera outside means I can use shorter lenses, but you do have to watch out to use enough aperture to get enough depth of field, i didn't 🙂
These are both with an EOS R6 fitted with RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM lens. 1/1600th f/2.2 ISO 320
I took this one with my camera mounted on a tripod, while I sat inside on the living room couch. I used the app called Camera Connect and Control.
1/320th at f/7.1 ISO 100 at 100m. Canon 55-250mm IS STM. Canon T8i.
Steve Thomas
