Thursday, February 2, 2012

GEO-tography: Birds

Most of us old codgers spend more time sittin' on our offroad bikes than ridin' on 'em compared to "young bucks" who wanna' just get there! After a few miles of bouncing around on an ATV or JEEP, it's a welcome relief to disembark and sit a spell.

Besides, that's when you see things and hear things. Only the very naive think they can see the sights in a moving vehicle – what, merely wave as you pass by the Grand Canyon? It is true that compared to what many kids listen to today, an ATVs engine is probably barely noticable; but, not for a chipmunk or a bird! If you're wondering why you never see any wildlife on your rides it's probably because of the direction you have your key turned.

You don't want to have to reply "the handlebars" when you get home and are asked "what did you see today?" If for no other reason than the fact that it makes it easier to convince your wife to let you invest in next season's model of bike - you need to bring back some pictures! Some intrepid souls even learn to like taking them and then even become quite good at it.

That's the point of these collections that I call "GEO-tography." Photos of the "GEO" that you and I see in our offroad forays. And, you really know that you are getting the hang of it when you can capture one of those flighty birds on film (or memory chips as the case may be).

Bird photography is one of the most challenging types of nature photography, but remains an incredibly popular hobby for many people. The subject is usually small, may not stay still, moves rapidly from branch to branch, sits in less than favourable lighting conditions and is extremely aware of an approaching photographer. Tricky!

Take a look at some of these that I found on the subject. You may get some ideas for your own.

Photographing Birds

Red Kite

Bird Photography

The lost prey

Bird Photography

Every day is sushi day…

Bird Photography

A certain smile…

Bird Photography

Totally in Love

Bird Photography


Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Bird Photography

Palestine Sunbird.

Bird Photography

attack

Bird Photography

Common Tern.

Bird Photography

As white as snow

Bird Photography

White-throated Kingfisher

Bird Photography

Kingfisher

Bird Photography

Splash

Bird Photography

Bombycilla garrulus

Bird Photography

Siesta

Bird Photography


"Fly away from my branch!"…

Bird Photography

Pop-up Breakfast

Bird Photography


Kingfisher and Dragonfly

Bird Photography

Thirsty

Bird Photography

The spaghetti incident

Bird Photography

Kingfisher landing

Bird Photography

"Measurement of the horses" – which is greater

Bird Photography

Feeding

Bird Photography

Egyptian Vulture

Bird Photography

bird reflection

Bird Photography

A Robin for New Year

Bird Photography

Baby bird

Bird Photography

Mystery Bird Eating Oceanspray

Bird Photography

Birds

Bird Photography

Flightless birds

Bird Photography


Birds

Bird Photography

Humming bird

Bird Photography

Buffy Fish Owl

Bird Photography

The Seven Year Itch

Bird Photography

Dopo il tuffo

Bird Photography


Eurasian Curlew

Bird Photography

BABY BIRD IN NEST

Bird Photography

Welcome to the New Year!

Bird Photography

Wings of gold

Bird Photography

Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue

Bird Photography

Woodland Kingfisher

Bird Photography

Blue Song

Bird Photography


Buffalo Buffet

Bird Photography

Seconds from disaster…

Bird Photography


Lady Bird

Bird Photography

See! I’m more than just a cottonball

>Bird Photography

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Bird Photography

stir-fried …

Bird Photography

In Frozen Time

Bird Photography

Below Zero

Bird Photography

Feed Me……!

Bird Photography

Weapons

Bird Photography

Reed Warbler.

Bird Photography

Got a whole lot of Living to do…..

Bird Photography

Three of a Kind

Bird Photography

Ulula

Bird Photography

Conversation

Bird Photography

Vulgaris

Bird Photography

Graceful Prinia.

Bird Photography

We are The bird- Beatles

Bird Photography

Pekin Robin

Bird Photography

Fulvous-faced Flycatcher Warbler

Bird Photography

Hello world!

Bird Photography

Under the wing

Bird Photography

Taiwan Blue Magpie

Bird Photography

Firecrest Superman

Bird Photography

Bubo Lacteus

Bird Photography

Allen’s Hummingbird

Bird Photography

Firecrest

Bird Photography

Bird on a fence

Bird Photography

Black-winged stilt.

Bird Photography

Loros

Bird Photography

Food Fight!

Bird Photography



Tips & Resources for Bird Photography


Here is a collection of advice that I found on the internet if you want to hone your skills a bit.

Practice on Your Pet!

A "captive audience." You may not own a collection of exotic birds, but many animals offer similar challenges. It’s easy, risk-free, and you have all the time in the world to set up and get a good shot - bring food.

Let Nature Come to You

Keep your distance, stay still, and wait. Your own garden can make the waiting more comfortable, why not set up a bird feeder? That way you’ll know (more or less) where to point your camera in advance, and it’s a simple way to get started with bird photography.

Continuous Shutter

If you know your camera I'm sure you've thought of this: set your shutter to "continuous" and hold down the button for several photos in a row. It's a great technique to practice when shooting a subject that’s liable to move quickly. Stock up on memory cards, hold the shutter down for a few seconds and one of 'em is bound to turn out good.

Other Resources

Here are a few other articles and tips in case you want to learn a little more about perfecting your bird photography technique!

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