On the major photography websites, I often see many predecessors sharing the bird fighting pictures, in their own eyes all seem to be classics, I also have a long time in this field of groping and browsing, some of the predecessors of the map is really unforgettable, every time you browse, the enthusiasm in your heart continues to boil. Sharing this article is not for friends to see, the nose is ready, you can get the same beautiful picture as the website.
There are so many factors of unpredictability in bird hunting, luck factors account for almost 99% or more, and we can only grasp less than 1% of the space left. How to sprinkle the remaining 1% of the space and get a Meitu?
Gray-throated mountain pepperbird (male), photographed in Fukuyama, Xindian
The first core condition for playing birds is not the top body or lens, but patience.
Regardless of the field of photography, patience is the most important. With a certain degree of patience, I went to the mountain and the water's edge to find and wait, and then I had the opportunity to photograph the target bird.
The second core condition for playing birds is to do homework.
Red-tailed Berau, photographed in Taipei City
Birds are seasonal, regional, habit creatures, as follows, the red-tailed Berau, this bird itself is a winter migratory bird (in Taiwan), if you want to have the opportunity to photograph it, you have to have the opportunity to see it in the open turf or dwarf bushes before the Next Year's Qingming (Dragon Boat Festival).
Extremely afraid of people's river wu, this is the current Ah Tai has photographed the bird that is very difficult, the whole body has only one color, often do not know where to swing to the focus; in addition, this bird lives in a clean and pollution-free stream (that is, a relatively deep mountain), to shoot this bird must have considerable luck.
So, what if you want to photograph a bird like this?
The habit of the river crow is to constantly move around the water's edge and in the water, sometimes watching it pause on the stone, and when it is about to focus, it has already gone into the water (it is diving into the water); the best time to shoot is the 5 seconds it is away from the water (sometimes less than 5 seconds).
Hewu, photographed in the Three Gorges
This not only tests luck, but also tests the focus and focus ability of the camera body; it is recommended that friends, when they see the river wu that is not afraid of people (other birds are also), they may wish to observe it first, and you can see which points he is used to moving from and in which directions. In this way, you can boldly predict the point where the river will go down and leave the water, so as to get the beautiful map you want.
The third core condition of playing birds, observation.
When I first became fascinated with birds, I often pressed the shutter when I saw the shadow of the bird, and then got a bunch of photos like the red head of the mountain before the text, unless my friend took a photo that was used as an observation record, otherwise such photos were either deleted or placed in the depths of the hard disk and put into oblivion.
White-bellied buzzard in Taipei City
White-eared thrush, taken at the head of the creek
Unless it is a rare bird, it is necessary to shoot immediately when you see it, even if the light and shadow are not beautiful enough; Atai advises friends to reach the bird point and leave some time to observe when they see the bird. Also take this time to see the terrain, environment, sunlight, background and other shooting conditions to see how to match, let yourself have a good time, waiting for the best shooting opportunity.
The fourth core condition for birds is to make good use of the environment.
Make good use of the environment, which is an extension of the power of observation; wild birds are mostly afraid of people, and it is important to make good use of camouflage tents or terrain features on the spot.
Taiwan Blue Magpie, photographed in YangmingShan
There are so many species of birds, the seasonal environment is always changing, and the behavior of birds in order to prolong life is even more wonderful. Courtship, nesting, egg holding, brooding, avoidance of enemies, defense, injury, foraging, etc., different bird species will have different styles. This biodiversity is a factor that makes many people intoxicated. Go up the mountain to shoot birds, encounter rare birds to go into the water to bathe, if there is no proper camouflage or concealment, and the target is scared away, it is really a pity!
The fifth core condition for birds is to respect nature and life.
Collared Owl, in Taipei City
If friends have the opportunity to see the picture of wild birds hunting, or even raptors preying on other birds, please be sure not to interfere with this, the weak and the strong are also part of the natural ecological food chain.
After the above five conditions are met, the next thing is to prepare the camera and lens.
Due to the harsh photographic conditions of Feiyu photography (subjects often move constantly and lack of light), it is recommended to use a monocular body with at least 300mm focal length lenses; and for friends who are just getting started, Itahai is not recommended to go to the top to buy top lenses at once. The top lens + gimbal tripod add up to quite a weight, carrying equipment in the mountains, waterside walking all day is not an easy task. It would be a shame if the enthusiasm was dampened by this!
How to shoot? How to set it?
Yellow-breasted bluebird (male), photographed in Xitou
The general principle is that the choice of metering mode and focus point almost determines the outcome of the work. In order to make the subject look energetic (eye light), try to choose a diagonal light smooth, semi-light state, try not to be a top light or backlit environment, and when the focus is closed, as far as possible to focus on the bird's eyes. Usually the center focus of the SLR camera is the most accurate and rapid, it is recommended to adjust the composition after the focus is closed.
Metering mode part, it is recommended to use "spot metering" or "key area metering", usually the camera's original metering mode setting is "average metering" or "center-weighted average metering", if you use the latter two, it is easy to appear as shown in the following state; the background is brighter, but the bird's body shape is darkened
Under the condition of light permitting and bird stability, the aperture can be appropriately reduced.
Eight-colored birds, taken in a peach orchard
After narrowing the aperture (usually at least below F7.1, preferably below F8.0), the resulting photo is much more delicate!
Fantail warbler, photographed in Taipei City (aperture F11)
If you use the maximum aperture of the lens, you will often take a picture of the eyes (or focus point) clearly, and the body feathers are pasted off. It was hard to wait for the birds to appreciate the face to take a picture, but because of this little negligence, the photo was not perfect, which was really very nerve-wracking! The eight-colored bird below is only right for the eyes, but the feathers are almost devoid of details, which is a pity!
Then again, a feature unique to most SLR cameras: mirror pre-lifting
Birds are all shots with focal lengths above 300mm (inclusive), in addition to using appropriate tripods and gimbal supports, but also with shutter lines; this is only basic. If you want to make the picture quality more refined, turn off the "anti-hand shock function" of the lens (some are camera bodies) and set the camera to the "mirror pre-rising" state. This avoids the drift of the refracting lens in the lens due to the anti-hand shock function of the lens, and the small vibration caused by the linkage between the mirror and the shutter curtain to affect the image quality. And this side to note is that using the "mirror pre-rise setting, remember to press the shutter twice! (The first reflector rises, the second is to open the shutter curtain for photosensitivity)
Lead-colored watery plover (male), photographed in Shanlin Creek
Finally, it is recommended to use raw files as a storage mode to retain a large post-production space; but this part of Atai is not commonly used, unless it is intended to be exported or printed and published, then it is necessary to use raw files to store. Usually, it is recommended to use the largest jpg file of the fuselage to store it.
Lead-colored watery thrush (female), photographed in Shanlin Creek
The above is Atai's experience in playing birds, the lack of parts is still there; the application of various skills of birds, on-the-spot reaction and luck are very important; friends if they have good ideas, please do not hesitate to advise. Personally, I think that gradual understanding and dabbling, loving nature and life, and enjoying beauty and a sense of accomplishment are the most important parts of playing birds