by Nikolai Whitebear
Photographing birds from the comfort of your own home brings joy like nothing else. Here you’ll read the most valuable tips on How to photograph birds in your backyard!
Attracting Birds!
Before photographing birds in your backyard you must first attract birds to your yard. This can easily be done with a birdfeeder or two, or even just a pile of birdseed by a tree. Seeds, corn, oats, and nuts are all fantastic options for feeding birds. Ensuring that there are different areas for visiting birds to perch is another critical factor for photography. Ground shots are usually boring. A perching bird models far better! If you aren’t fortunate enough to have trees in your yard you can create perching posts with sticks or poles! I’m very thankful to have many trees around me, even fruit-bearing trees that attract beauties such as this Rose-breasted Grosbeak!
Lighting
Lighting provides an essential foundation for any photography, whether that be birds, humans, buildings, or landscapes! With bird photography, ensure the light is to your back when photographing. Below you can see I photographed this Eastern American Tree Sparrow on a beautiful late morning last month. From the window of my bedroom, I pointed my lens and snapped the shot. The sun provides just enough light to see the fine detail of the feathers while remaining proper exposure. This photograph also leads us into our next section, choosing a supportive background.
Background
The background is just as vital as the subject of the photograph. Again, see above the complementing and contrasting colors of the background. The soft blue sky paints a gorgeous backdrop and the berries burst with color! The blues and reds contrast wonderfully here! Make sure to have some distance between the bird and the background as well. The distance creates a stronger distinction, drawing extra attention to your subject!
Have fun!
Enjoy your time outside as much as you can. Bird photography is a wonderful practice that allows you to learn and share knowledge of our Mother Earth. That knowledge is passed down to ensure we are aware that the protecting natural life of our planet is of the utmost importance! Thank you all for reading and learning how to photograph birds in your backyard.
-Niawa