Nature Photography How To

We regularly share videos on composition techniques because proper framing is one of the most important aspects of photography. While most of these tutorials have been targeted at landscape shooters, today’s tips are all about photographing birds. 

Four years ago Jan Wegener quit his day job to purse a passion for bird photography. Ever since, his goal has been sharing his skills with inspirational advice to help others take their bird imagery to the next level.

As he explains, merely shifting your camera position or pointing the camera in a slightly different direction is the first step in improving your results. The manner in which you position a subject within the frame is another basic consideration. He also provides a list of his preferred gear for bird photography in the description beneath the video.

Wegener covers a lot of ground in just 16 minutes, so you may want to grab pen and paper to take a few notes. His first bit of advice pertains to all types of photography, and it’s well is worth repeating; namely; namely, it’s important to work deliberately and carefully scrutinize all elements in a scene before beginning to shoot.

Turning to bird-specific tips, Wegener discusses how the manner in which a subject is perched can really affect the shot. He also demonstrates the importance of reflections, and how depicting the background properly can make all the difference.

Just like with portraits of people, waiting for a bird to strike a pleasing pose is another reason for patience. And Wegener has several tips for photographing scenes with multiple birds, rather than a single subject. In addition to his other tips, Wegener also reveals a Lightroom trick for improving composition.

You can find more great advice on Wegener’s YouTube channel so be sure and take a look. And don't miss an earlier tutorial we posted, explaining three composition techniques for better landscape photos.