Question For Backyard Bird Photographers

[Replytoken]

For birding photography, I normally like to head out and photograph larger birds like eagles, geese, swans, GBH, etc. For a bit of practice, I decided to photograph some of our backyard visitors. So, I dragged out my D500, 200-500, and tripod w/Sidekick since I had a bit of free time and some sun (a rare thing in our Northwest winters). I am guessing that I was between 15-25 feet from the birds, mostly seasonal Juncos who visit our yard every winter. Now, on quick review on my desktop monitor, and the birds are quite small in the frame. So, this leads me to wonder when people show images of their little feathered friends, in print or on the web, how much do you crop into an image? This is not so much a dogmatic question (i.e. crop vs no crop), but rather a reality check to see if folks crop because their subjects are quite small, or are folks just that much more skilled at getting closer to these small birds so they can better fill the frame. I am sure that I could improve my technique and possibly get closer, but a little reality check would also be helpful so I am not striving for something that is much more difficult than I imagined.

Thanks,

--Ken

 

[Whiskeyman]

I almost always crop until the bird is "big enough" or until the IQ suffers more than I'm willing to take.

I've got a 500mm lens and shoot birds at my feeders pretty close to the min-focus distance of my lens, about twelve feet, and the small birds are ... small.

W

 

[PhilcTx]

When photographing birds in our backyard I'm usually in a pop-up blind. Even with a 500mm the blind has to be far enough away (15-25 ft also ballpark distance for me) from the birds to not spook them with any small movements or shutter noise. So I usually end up cropping keepers a lot to get what I want. Even at that distance some species are suspicious of the blind and shutter noise and don't tarry long.

 

[DRwyoming]

For backyard birds I work to get close, very close and hopefully don't crop at all or only crop for compositional purposes. This generally means placing perches near feeders and either using a blind or more often than not using the house as a blind and shooting through an open window or door. The key is placing feeders where the birds will use them and nearby perches set up for shooting from a preferred location and with a lot of consideration of the background.

IOW, set up a bit of a backyard shooting gallery and have the birds come in close to you.

Here's some shots, old and new captured that way. Both uncropped but captured on perches the birds use a lot near feeders.

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[Replytoken]

OK, now I am not feeling so bad. We have a bedroom that we converted to an office that has windows looking out to our backyard where we feed the birds and I have been wanting to find a way to use it as a type of blind, but it is going to take a bit more work than I can tackle now. I do think that with this type of arrangement and some strategic placement of food and branches, that I could set up something more conducive to photography, but right now I just needed a reality check that even with a 500mm lens on a DX body, that small birds are a challenge to filling the frame.

--Ken

 

[Doug Herr]

I use a semi-permanent blind in my yard (it can be dismantled and moved but it takes an hour or so and some prep work to move it) so the birds are used to it. Using a 400mm lens I might have to crop with the smaller birds but the lens has a good minimum focus distance so cropping is not a given. Silent mode helps here.

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all photos: slight crop. The birds are about 6' from the blind.

 

[Turberticus]

I don't have a backyard or use a blind, so I tend to worry less about the bird filling the frame, and more about lighting/composition. If I can get close, I would not hesitate to take a nice, nearly frame filling portrait. If I can't get close, I try to prioritize photos showing more of their environment which can make for some really striking compositions, especially in good lighting with a distant background. Check out Ray Hennessy's work for examples of what I'm getting at.

 

[jeffnles1]

I shot these purple finches yesterday. I was about 15 or so feet from the bird. Was't my backyard but was a feeding station at a local park. First photo is straight out of camera no edits. Second is my crop and a little brightening of shadows.

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[DripDryMcFleye]

Last winter I set up a feeder in my yard so that the birds would "stage" in the crab apple tree that's about 18 feet from a window. Even with a 500mm PF I cropped all the small bird shots. The blue jays and cardinals occasionally did not need cropping. However, I actually preferred my 80-400 lens for the jays and cardinals because I found myself cutting off too many tails and feet in the heat of the action using the 500 mm. Cropping is not totally a bad thing as long as it doesn't go too far. It can allow you to improve your composition. Those song birds never seem to give you much time to fiddle with refining compositions. Just a bit more of the story: I found it necessary to close the door to the room, close the heat vent and cover it with a small rug to keep heat wave distortion from spoiling my images. Since I spent literally hours at a time at this I also had to dress as if I was actually outdoors. Needed hat, gloves and winter coat, the whole works. Had the camera sitting at the window on a tripod equipped with a gimble head and a high stool right behind it. Learned a lot from the experience and I expect to try again in the next week or so.

 

[Oldnintheway]

Backyard/feeder birds are a much different animal than typical bird photography for me, which is usually at birds at the farther end of my lenses reach. But even at close range I often crop for a better artistic value, for my taste.

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[Calson]

I have 30 species at my feeders and water trays during the year and I have found that the smaller the bird the more tolerant they are of my presence, except for the hummers and the quail. I can be at the thistle feeder and about to take it down to add seed and there will be goldfinches still landing on it to feed. It becomes more a matter of the lens being able to focus at short distances to subjects. It is the larger birds like the GBH that are very skittish in California and I envy shooters in Florida where birds are far more habituated to people.

If a bird is too far away I do not take the shot. I will say though that if in an area and I see a special bird to photograph I will take a few shots immediately and then get 10-15 feet closer and take more shots and then repeat until the bird's behavior shows it to be concerned about me as a possible threat. Same approach applies to mammals as well. At the house there are places where the birds will make an initial landing before heading to a feeder and it is not difficult to pre-focus the camera on that spot and then go indoors and use a remote trigger to trip the shutter and take a burst of shots when a bird lands.

One reason why I shoot with the D850 is that even with a DX crop I have a 19MP file to work with in post as compared to a 9MP file with a DX crop using a D5 camera. I need a 600mm lens to get an image size with the D5 that I could get with the D850 using a 500mm lens.

A small pop-up photographer's blind may seem expensive but it is a lot cheaper than a super telephoto lens and teleconverters and works in the back yard as well as in the field. Hides for photography are a lot more popular in Europe than in the USA but there are blinds made for hunting that can work well enough and tend to be cheaper (though heavier).

 

[Rodamu]

I have been feeding birds for years and many of them are used to my presence; especially the year-round birds and certain "snowbirds" such as the Goldern-crown sparrows that seem more trusting then most birds. Even the Anna Hummiingbird lets me get close and one California Scrub Jay will land on the table next to my chair on the patio to take peanuts; in the winter the bird knocks on the patio door to get our attention. So with either a 70-300mm or a 200-500mm lens, I can get full frame photos of many different birds. A blind is not needed if I stay still. Wild animals key on movement and faces.

 

[tjphxaz]

For birding photography, I normally like to head out and photograph larger birds like eagles, geese, swans, GBH, etc. For a bit of practice, I decided to photograph some of our backyard visitors. So, I dragged out my D500, 200-500, and tripod w/Sidekick since I had a bit of free time and some sun (a rare thing in our Northwest winters). I am guessing that I was between 15-25 feet from the birds, mostly seasonal Juncos who visit our yard every winter. Now, on quick review on my desktop monitor, and the birds are quite small in the frame. So, this leads me to wonder when people show images of their little feathered friends, in print or on the web, how much do you crop into an image? This is not so much a dogmatic question (i.e. crop vs no crop), but rather a reality check to see if folks crop because their subjects are quite small, or are folks just that much more skilled at getting closer to these small birds so they can better fill the frame. I am sure that I could improve my technique and possibly get closer, but a little reality check would also be helpful so I am not striving for something that is much more difficult than I imagined.

Thanks,

--Ken

I almost always crop. Thankfully shooting the D850 gives me some pixels to work with. Cropping, in addition to making the subject fill more of the screen also allows for placing the subject where you want it in the scene. However, you are wise to practice your technique for filling the frame when possible so that you don’t have to rely on heavy crops.

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[jhallettbc]

I see no one has written about this for backyard birding and it is an interesting alternative which I recently discovered. I have an D780 and decided to explore Snapbridge on my phone. It is definitely a finicky app but in the end I was glad I persevered. With it, in live view on your D780 you can see exactly what the camera is seeing on your iPhone (probably an Android too) and take photos. With the camera set to silent, there is nothing to scare the birds. I can sit inside and take photos at will. l have just experimented with the set up and plan to get serious when the weather warms up. I especially want to do a set up to capture hummingbirds at my feeder.

With this set up, you can get almost as close as you want so no cropping will be necessary.

 

[Woody Meristem]

We have feeders hung from the house's fascia boards with trees and shrubs 15-25 feet away. I've shot through the window glass at times but some glass just degrades the images too much, other windows aren't too bad. One thing I have done is cut a piece of foamboard (the 1/4" kind used for backing framed pictures) to fit the window opening and cut a circular hole for the lens in the foamboard. The foamboard keeps the warm air inside the house and hides movement, make the whole house a blind -- heated, with toilet facilities, refrigerator and all the amenities of home. I've also used the garage as a blind, opening a pass door and sitting about five feet inside the garage; since it's dark inside the garage and light outside most movement isn't obvious to the birds.

In any case, I almost always crop the resulting photographs -- 25 feet is just too far for most small birds to show up well in a photo take with a 600-800mm lens. It's even usually too far for most bridge superzooms. Don't hesitate to crop your photographs, it's neither illegal nor immoral.

 

[Richard Stern]

I have some feeders fairly close to the kitchen window, and I just move back from the window and take the pictures. I have found that my D500/ 300-PF combo shows up all the imperfections in the window, so I use a Panasonic Lumix G85 and Panasonic 100-300 mk. 2 lens, which is not as sharp, and doesn't seem to show up the imperfections. I have to keep the window closed , as the process of opening it is noisy and the birds fly off. If I'm out on the deck I generally use the D500/ 300-PF. I crop as much as I feel I need to , to make the bird a good size in the frame, and process in LR, and usually Topaz AI Clear too. Here are 3 examples from the last few days. (Kentville, Nova Scotia).

TFL, Richard

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[O]

For birding photography, I normally like to head out and photograph larger birds like eagles, geese, swans, GBH, etc. For a bit of practice, I decided to photograph some of our backyard visitors. So, I dragged out my D500, 200-500, and tripod w/Sidekick since I had a bit of free time and some sun (a rare thing in our Northwest winters). I am guessing that I was between 15-25 feet from the birds, mostly seasonal Juncos who visit our yard every winter. Now, on quick review on my desktop monitor, and the birds are quite small in the frame. So, this leads me to wonder when people show images of their little feathered friends, in print or on the web, how much do you crop into an image? This is not so much a dogmatic question (i.e. crop vs no crop), but rather a reality check to see if folks crop because their subjects are quite small, or are folks just that much more skilled at getting closer to these small birds so they can better fill the frame. I am sure that I could improve my technique and possibly get closer, but a little reality check would also be helpful so I am not striving for something that is much more difficult than I imagined.

Thanks,

--Ken

Hi Ken,
There are really only two options,

1) Cropping - I feel is better on a higher resolution camera than any cropped sensor, ie: cropping is better/more tolerable on a Full frame D850/Z7II using 45mp, or a 60mp Sony. Or wait 12 months and see what higher resolution sensors are coming, ???? sensors are moving to 60 and 100mp and frame rates are ? 12 to 20 to 30 who knows anymore.

2) Get Closer - fill the frame, as you know small birds are harder to get close to, so yes technique comes into to play big time, and defiantly a silent shutter is helpful.
The sit and wait patiently in a close position under cover is the best, If you have patience, and let the birds come into play when they trust you.

As you know the other way to get closer is Glass, my self I like to sit and wait and use the D850 300 2.8 VR II at 2.8 or no more than F4 for birds like tiny finches. OR A 600 F4 with a 1.4 convertor is defiantly the best tool, Ok the price, LOL, you may need to sell the farm, but not really, you can get some killer deals on older heavier generation 600 F4 that still produce stunning results at F4 and they are still so so sharp and good, the benefits, this type of lens will tolerate well the 1.4 convertor and give you the legs at a budget price, also as its in your back yard your not carrying it around, the other real benefit is its so so good at F4, the light detail bokeh is to die for.

The older earlier models are going so cheap.

You could try the 500 PF but for the money and benefits there isn't a hell of a lot of difference between it and the 200-500, yes the 500 PF would tolerate the 1.4 better than the 200-500 but hey this is getting into muddy waters, the money would be better spent on a D850 Z7II than that lens, these two cameras take brilliant images of birds in all sorts of situations regardless of what's said on the NET. Steve's tips on focusing technique also really help in this area.

If you do get close enough then you could even use soothing like the 70-200 FL at 200mm F2.8 awesome lens.


Only and opinion as always LOL

Oz Down under

 

[red charm wrangler]

This resizing thing just isn't working for me. I would love to participate but I just don't have time.

 

[Otto]

I built a small pond-less waterfall with lots of different rocks and it has turned out to be the bird community bathing location in my back yard.

I've captured quite a few images using my D850 and Sony A6600 with a Nikon 200-500mm. This image was from my side fo the fence on adjacent tree which leads to my little waterfall. It's sort of the starting point for their daily bath.

Originally I built it the water structure just to enjoy the sound the water trickling down, apparently is a hit with the bird community. I stand there and wait for the birds, camouflaged and that can take quite a bit of time. My D850 is louder than the Sony A6600 so I've been using that more often. But my position is pretty darn close or it feels like it.

Sony A6600 with adapter for Nikon 200-500mm. ISO 800, 500mm F/5.6 1/1600 sec.

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[Capturingtheunseen.com]

I don't hesitate to crop. Almost all of my images are going to end up on social media anyway, so who cares. If it's one I want to print I can always add add pixels using using software. Here is a crop from a couple of days ago.

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[Otto]

This may be a better response to your question than I posted earlier.

The first image is the full image on the Sony and below the final crop result.

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[O]

I built a small poodles waterfall with lots of different rocks and it has turned out to be the bird community bathing location in my back yard.

I've captured quite a few images using my D850 and Sony A6600 with a Nikon 200-500mm. This image was from my side fo the fence on adjacent tree which leads to my little waterfall. It's sort of the starting point for their daily bath.

Originally I built it the water structure just to enjoy the sound the water trickling down, apparently is a hit with the bird community. I stand there and wait for the birds, camouflaged and that can take quite a bit of time. My D850 is louder than the Sony A6600 so I've been using that more often. But my position is pretty darn close or it feels like it.

Sony A6600 with adapter for Nikon 200-500mm. ISO 800, 500mm F/5.6 1/1600 sec.
View attachment 13546

How could you complain about this shots hats off to you
Oz down under