Visual Wilderness
  • Get Started
  • Shop
    • SPECIAL OFFERS
    • STREAMING SERVICE
    • Browse by Topic
    • Learn To Shoot
    • Post Processing
    • Online Classes
    • eBooks
    • Landscape Photography Guide
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Guest Photographers
  • About
  • My Account
    • My Account
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • 0Shopping Cart
Cover Bird Photography blog by Gaurav Mittal

Indispensable Bird Photography Tips for achieving Sharp Focus

February 28, 2020/in Wildlife Photography/by Gaurav Mittal

As a bird photographer I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that your images look tack sharp. This holds true for other nature and wildlife photography also. We are constantly striving to make an emotional and dramatic connection through eye contact with our subjects.  As a photographer, making a sharp and clear images can convey and transfer that drama and connection to the audience. For beginners, photographing birds in flight can be a frustrating experience, as images after images look soft and blurry. The following tips will help you in achieving sharper images in bird photography.

Choosing the Bird Photography Equipment

A combination of most modern DSLR’s and super telephoto lens offer faster auto focus and image stabilization, which are capable of locking on to a fast moving subject. I have found that using a 7D Mark II paired with the 600mm f/4 IS II lens is very effective in searching the entire field of view and locking on to the bird quickly. Beginner bird photographers may also want to consider a third party lens such as the Sigma 150-500 as it provides the focal length and is an economical option to start out on.

Photographing birds using Canon 7D Mark2 by Gaurav Mittal

Canon 7D Mark2 I 600mm I 1/125s@F8 I Gitzo Tripod

Use Continuous Focus Mode & Back Button Focus

Set the drive mode on your camera to AI Servo/Continuous Focus Mode.  This mode allows you to track and maintain focus during the action. Typically, to acquire focus, you press the camera’s shutter release half way, the camera’s autofocus locks on, and then you press the shutter down to capture the image.

Back button focusing is another way of capturing tack sharp images.  In this technique, you assign one of the back buttons for focusing and leave the shutter button with only the task of taking the final image. Why use two fingers instead of one? When you use the shutter button for focusing as well as capturing the image, there is a higher possibility to let go off the shutter before the final capture.  Often, this can happen with a fast flying erratic bird which may cause you to experience some camera shake while panning. With the back button focus function, the focus is maintained even if you let go of the focus button.

Photographing birds using AI Servo and back button focusing by Gaurav Mittal

Use AI Servo and Back button focus for photographing birds in action – Sandhill Crane coming in for a Landing

Moreover, AI Servo/Continuous Mode allows you to shoot as a single shot drive mode without having to fumble trying to switch over. This is critical in situations where you might have a perched bird for a few short settings. This is a setting where you leave your camera in AI Servo mode without ever needing to switch over.

Understand Benefits of Pre-focusing

From experience, I can tell you that most zoom lenses are not very good at searching long distances to find the bird. More often photographers are shooting birds that are at or flying from different distances. Let’s say that you just finished photographing a goose that was 5 meters away, your lens is pre-focused at that. Suddenly a cormorant flies by at a distance of 15 meters. In this scenario, you will not be able to locate the cormorant in the viewfinder in time. To deal with these type of situations, it is best to identify the flight path and manually focus to 15 meters and then let the lens acquire focus. For photographing birds that are sitting still, it is best to focus on the eyes so they are in sharp focus.

Focus Point Selection

Soft images are often the result of selecting focus points that may miss locking onto a moving subject. Today, the top of the line DSLR’s for photographing birds offer up to seven AF area selection modes.  These modes are accessed from the back and the top right button. Commonly referred to as “Cluster of points,” I recommend selecting the Single-Point Spot AF for accurately shooting birds thru obstruction and vegetation, for tracking a moving subject, the AF point expansion mode is very effective. Please note that these focus point selection options are only a recommendation and that you should try out other options as well.

Shutter Speed is Crucial

While the auto focus system on DSLR’s is quick to lock focus on moving birds, it is important to understand that the shutter speed is as critical in making sharp images. As a general rule, your shutter speed should be equal to or more than the focal length of your lens. So if you are shooting with a 600mm prime lens, then you should keep the shutter speed above 1/600 sec. However, with birds in flight or to freeze the action, I recommend shooting anywhere from 1/1250 sec for large birds. Go higher for faster and smaller birds.

Photographing birds in action by Gaurav Mittal

Photographing birds in action using a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion.

All of the tips will help you in making sharp images.  However, it is important to understand that above all, it is practice and patience that will help you achieve success and focus in bird photography.

About Author Gaurav Mittal

Gaurav Mittal is a professional bird photographer and a blogger who grew up with a passion for nature and wildlife in his native birthplace of New Delhi, India. Gaurav migrated to the U.S. at the age of fifteen. After completing his college, he pursued a career in tax consulting in the Washington D.C. area. It was, however the love for the birds that eventually brought the focus back in his life and a determination to follow his heart, to be a bird photographer. Gaurav’s passion for photographing birds began in 2011 in Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico where observing the Sandhill Cranes brought a sense of harmony and a new vision to him. A moment he captured and fondly calls, “Kissed in The Mist” left him with a vision to continue on further and explore and learn about birds and how he can present their beauty through photography. His desire to be a top class bird photographer has led him to places such as Bharatpur, Bosque, Alaska, New York, Costa Rica and Florida.

Website | Workshops | Facebook | Google+| Twitter

Tags: Bird Photography
You might also like
Cover for blog post about bird photography tips by Jane Palmer10 Practical Bird Photography Tips for Capturing Action
Cover for bird photography blog about gear by Gaurav MittalEssential Bird Photography Gear for Every Occasion
Bird photography of Indian Peafowl by Gaurav MittalBird Photography Tips For Making Your Subject Stand Out
Cover for bird photography blog article about capturing birds in flight by Gaurav MittalA Beginners Guide for Photographing Birds in Flight
Exposing for Birds in Flight Blog Post on Bird PhotographyBird Photography: How to Expose for Birds in Flight
Bird Photography by Gaurav MittalEffective Tips for Backyard Bird Photography

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER

Join 45,000+ Nature Photographers and get the free eBooks, free creativity course & discount codes right in your inbox.

loader

Note: We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

Blog | Shop | About

 Email Policy  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms

INFOCUS NEWSLETTER

Join 45,000+ other photographers and get the Free eBooks, Free Creativity Course & Discount Codes right in your inbox.


loader

Note: We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

All Rights Reserved, © Copyright Visual Wilderness

4 Ideas to Improve Every Landscape Photography CompositionCover for landscape photography composition blog articleCover for landscape photography blog post about filters and accessories by Jay PatelMy Two Favorite Landscape Photography Accessories
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OK

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy Policy
Learn More
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTERJoin 45,000+ Nature Photographers

Unlock Your Photography Potential! Get Free Webinars, Tips, eBooks, and More Delivered Straight to Your Inbox! 📸✨

We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

Enter your email address