Photography makes me crazy for millions of reasons, for its ability to freeze an unrepeatable moment, for the possibilities of capturing lights and magical scenes, for finding beauty in corners where nobody else sees it, for that mixture of subjective reality that we create every time we frame, adjust and tighten the shutter, for its ability to capture looks and ephemeral expressions ... For millions of reasons. But one of the ones I like the most is that photography is endless, you can take pictures of anything, never stop learning, you can specialize in millions of things, from cells, to space, from dwarf bugs to huge creatures, from wars to newborns. Everything fits in photography. Everything. Terrestrial, marine or air. What do you say? What do you dare with the air? Then you are in the right place, we will analyze what you will need in your flying bird photography tours
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
PATIENCE
The first thing you should carry well loaded from home is patience. You will rarely arrive at a place and the birds will pose for you with the best background, the best light, or the best pose. Bird photography is for those who enjoy cooking the images over low heat, for those who enjoy the path, the process, nature and value the work prior to a shot. In short, it is not for impatient souls.SLR OR EVIL CAMERA
The sharpness is key in bird photography, because we are going to work with great focal distances, which implicitly leads to a loss of quality, not only for the optics, but also for the space that separates us from what we want to photograph, in this case birds. The greater the distance between us and our center of interest, the more particles in the air that we must cross until we reach our goal. Therefore, it is very important that our camera has a good image quality, being the ones that we recommend the most because of the size of its sensors, SLR or EVIL.TELEPHOTO LENS
To photograph birds, a telephoto lens of at least 300mm focal length is essential , one 400 to 500mm is ideal for Full Frame sensors (35mm). That is, you should keep in mind that a 400mm mounted on a Full Frame (FX) camera is not the same as for an APS-C (DX) camera. I guess it sounds like the conversion factor , if not it is very well explained in this article, but as a quick and practical summary, the difference between a Full Frame sensor and an APS-C is the size of them, which for what happens to us implies that when we buy a lens for an APS-C or DX sensor (not Full Frame), we must multiply the focal length x 1.5 or 1.6, depending on the model of our camera . That is, if we have only a 300mm but we have an APS-C camera, this focal length would become an effective focal length of for example 450 or 480mm (300 x 1.5 or 300 x 1.6), which already It is more than enough for this type of photography. Or if we have a 200mm and convert to APS-C, it would become a 300mm or a 320mm (x1.5 or 1.6). Another aspect to consider in addition to the focal length is the brightness of the lens , which in this case becomes vitally important, since we will have to work with high speeds to freeze the movement, so the brighter the better (and more expensive too ) . Finally, it is more than interesting that your objective has a stabilizer to compensate for the trepidations of our pulse when we work freehand.BINOCULARS
Before you start shooting like crazy (with the camera shutter, it is understood) the first thing you have to do is find your protagonist, and this probably you will not be able to do if you do not have good binoculars. As in everything, there are multiple prices, benefits, size and weight, but to start you need neither the most expensive nor the heaviest nor the most powerful. You will get very good one of 8 increases and for example about 40cm in diameter , weigh little and have enough increases. If you are passionate about the subject and do not mind scratching (quite) your pocket, you can go for a specific telescope for this type of photography. With one of these telescopes you can reach up to 60 magnifications.HIDE
A hide is what would become a hiding place. There are built in some bird watching areas , and are usually a kind of cabins or buildings with holes where to observe the birds without being seen. But these constructions are only found in specific places, so if you like this type of photography, you may want to get a portable one . There are different sizes, prints and features (such as windows, materials, etc.). Depending on the place and conditions in which you go to work, you should opt for one or the other. You can also choose to dress according to the environment in which you are going to work and camouflage camera and lenses, although if for the moment you only intend to try, wear discrete clothes, make no noise, and go somewhere where bird watching is simple, you will have more than enough ;-).BATTERIES
Yes, in the plural ;-). I think that after the camera, the lens, a protective lens filter and a good strap, the most necessary investment is another drum kit to always carry on. It is terrible the feeling of being in a magical place, in a magical environment, for which you have risen early, walked, etc., and run out of battery. Without light there is no photograph, but without battery even less ;-).SEVERAL MEMORY CARDS
For the same reason that nobody wants to run out of battery, because you can run out of space, you can spoil or lose ... Always carry a couple or three of memory cards in the backpack. We always recommend smaller than less than larger, if they are lost, or damaged, you will never lose so many photos if you distribute them on several cards as if you only use one.MONOPOD
A monopod can be very useful in these types of situations, where you need to combine the freedom that freehand work offers you, with the stability that a tripod gives you. While it is on horseback between the two things (neither you are as “free” as without it or have as much stability as with a tripod), it gives you more stability than your own pulse and is lighter than a tripod, which is very necessary to photograph moving elements such as birds.BIRD IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
It is essential if you want to know not only what you are photographing, but also where to find it, what are its customs and habits, its habitat, the best months of the year to photograph each species, and so on. If you are passionate about the topic it can also be interesting to sign up for group outings to share experiences, knowledge, tricks and, why not, make a friend or friend, that is always worth it, and more if you share a hobby with him or her: -). Does the arrival of good weather encourage you to dare with bird photography? The truth is that it is a precious specialization, frustrating, hardworking and like everything that costs to achieve, wonderful ;-). I hope you enjoyed the article. If so, please share it on your favorite social network. Thank you and see you soon :-). The free online CSS cleaner tool helps you to organize style files for websites.