Table manners

Max Pickering takes a break from chasing kingfishers and explains how you can capture incredible bird photos in your own garden

- Max Pickering

Most photographers drift towards their favourite genre of photography naturally, and mine turned out to be wildlife. Birds tend to be more prevalent than mammals, particularly if you like to pursue your quarry out in the wilds, like me, rather than sitting in a hide all day. That’s not to say either approach is right or wrong though. Find out what suits you and your style of photography best and make that work for you.

We have a tremendous variety of bird species in the UK and although I’m a bird photographer, not a birdwatcher, I do get a kick from capturing a shot of a more unusual subject. I’m particularly obsessed with kingfishers, it gives me great pleasure to track them down along the riverbank. However, all of the birds presented here are known to frequent gardens, making them accessible subjects for most bird photography beginners.

Food for thought