How to improve your bird photos

From sharp portraits to subjects in flight, learn the tips and tricks needed to capture stunning images of our feathered friends

- Ralph Lightmen

Bird photography might be considered one of the more niche genres, but it has a dedicated community of shooters and provides the nature lovers among us with so many shooting opportunities. Bird species come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, and display such a wide range of fascinating behaviour to capture. And while it's easy to find winged subjects in most parts of the world in parks, gardens, and reserves, birds aren't easy to photograph.

Their small size makes it a challenge to fill the frame, and while long telephoto lenses can go some way to overcoming this problem (turn to p96 for our group test of bird-friendly zooms), even with the best kit you still need excellent technical skills to capture sharp, tight close-ups.

Birds are, by nature, flighty and fast-moving, so strong focusing abilities and techniques will also make it more likely that you'll capture a sharp result. In this feature, we'll cover top focusing techniques to track birds that are both stationary and in flight, and help you to understand the settings on your camera body and lenses.

As well as an inside-out knowledge of the camera, bird photographers also need patience, and knowledge of natural history, which is where fieldcraft skills come in.

Over the next few pages, you'll learn - with tips from two pro photographers - how to get nearer to your subjects, hone your practical shooting techniques, get creative with composition and light, and shoot some stunning bird photography.

Get the right gear

The essential items you need for birding - it's not all about cameras!