One of the most common challenges faced by bird photographers is that of getting close enough to their subject. This is partly because, understandably, many birds won’t allow a person to approach them, having learnt that humans (or their pet cats) can harass, hunt or even kill them.
How close a photographer needs to get depends upon what use the images are intended for. If they are meant for display on a computer screen, for the internet or a website, the resolution required is a little less than if they are to be made into large prints. The focal length (magnification) of the lens also makes a difference. If a photographer is able to use a lens with enough focal length, then there is less need to approach very closely.
Remaining at a distance that is comfortable to the bird brings more than one benefit. Most importantly, if the subject does not fly away, the photographer is able to take more than one picture and refine the composition and settings. It can also mean that interesting behaviour may be captured because, instead of reacting to the photographer, the bird continues to do what it was naturally doing.
For the purpose of this article, I would consider focal lengths from 300mm up to 1200mm as being typical.
There was a time when almost the only way to get maximum focal length and good image quality was to make use of the very expensive fixed focal length super-telephoto lenses made by Canon, Nikon and Sigma. Thankfully that is no longer the case and there is a variety of less expensive options available.
This story is from the July - August 2020 edition of African Birdlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July - August 2020 edition of African Birdlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
footloose IN FYNBOS
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
