Behind the print

Wildlife photographer Ben Hall shares how he got his beautiful winter birds scene ready for print

- Ben Hall

Several years ago, I set up a bird feeding station on the edge of some mixed woodland. I made a permanent hide close to the feeders in order to get within shooting distance of any potential subjects without spooking them. Over the years, this simple but effective set-up has allowed me to capture some of my very best woodland bird images. Harsh weather brings in more visitors, so in winter I like to spend as much time as possible photographing birds interacting and squabbling over the food. On this particular morning, the conditions were perfect. An overnight freeze had coated the surrounding foliage in frost, and the snow on the ground acted like a giant reflector, bouncing light upwards and filling in any unwanted shadows. Soon after I arrived, a pair of green finches landed on a nearby bush covered in red berries. One bird flew to the feeder, then returned, hovered, and fed the other as it perched on the frosted branch. It was a wonderful moment which provided me with the perfect opportunity to capture both birds interacting in this beautiful winter setting.

1 as possible, so framing the image correctly in-camera is crucial. I shot in portrait orientation to create a balance between the perch and the birds

2 Whilst plenty of detail in the bird's plumage is evident in the raw file, this can be brought out further in Adobe Lightroom

3 Th The majority of tones are pale, so I increased the exposure by two stops in-camera to prevent under-exposure