New to Bird Photography

SAMBALAM

Hey Everyone!!
I have been playing around with photography for awhile now, mostly doing the Challenges on DGrins website. But I have really started to find a passion for nature/bird photography. So I thought I would start posting my favorite pictures here and try to get some ideas on what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong. So here it goes!









Thanks again! Happy shooting!

deb22

Pretty good for "new". I think you are on the right track with most things except composition, with work on that theses images would be great. Also you missed the focus on the heron [ should be on the eyes] but hey we all miss a few [or a lot] every now and then. Your shots are sharp and good lighting so get out as much as possible and have fun.

PGM

Sam, I think you are off to a great start, and it sure is fun, isn't it? As to composition, most of the time a wildlife photo looks better if the subject is not in the middle of the frame. If the bird is swimming from left to right, like in #1, you could place the bird in the left third of your photo, so that there appears to be room for the bird to swim. #2 might have been better cropped as a landscape rather than a portrait shape. The reflection in the water isn't exceptional, and in its current vertical crop, the bird has run out of room and is swimming off the edge of the photo. I like #3 for the light falling on the bird's eye and face and for the pretty colors in the background and the fact that they are soft and "defocused." I like the action in #4, but again the duck is running out of room to keep going. Welcome to the forum and keep posting. I learn from every post I see! Best, Pam

Harryb

You're off to a good start. Pam and Deb already gave you great feedback so I'm only going to add that wildlife photography needs lots of practice. I've been doing it for awhile but I stll learn something everytime I go out.

GOLDENORFE

A good start but composition as mentioned is so important !

SAMBALAM

Thanks everyone for the comments. I bought a wildlife photography book and flipped straight to the composition chapter Can't wait to get back out there!!

Icebear

And . . . fwiw, I like your watermark! More like a signature. Very classy, imo.

NorthernFocus

Most of the useful feedback already stated. Maybe the only thing not already said it to try as often as possible to shoot at eye level with the subject. Which results in a lot of lying down and squatting so hope you have good knees. A pair of light weight knee pads form a hardware store are good to have in your bag. You're off to a good start but beware, it can be very addicting.

I see you are from SC. I'll be looking for some shots of wild turkeys, redtail hawks, osperey, wood snipe, summer ducks, black ducks, great blue heron, cattle eagret, pileated woodpeckers, carolina chickadees, bobwhites.... OK that'll be a good start. You can throw in a tiger or two but please skip the gamecocks...