Birders.. Some Advice Please

[almo]

As some may know, I had a 100-400L IS, but I sold it. There were reasons behind that that I do not care to go over. However, I find myself wishing to shoot birds still. The thing is, I only have my 70-200 f/4L now. A great lens no doubt, but I find it difficult to shoot birds with. I recently found myself laid off, so a new lens is out of the question.

So anyway, I was hoping some of you guys that are way better than I am could give some good advice on the best situations to be on the look out for to use my 70-200 for birds? I hope this makes any sense, as I am quite tired.

Thanks guys!

[AgingEyes]

No expert here, but I do know a guy who mainly shoots with a Nikon 70-200f2.8 as that's the lens he has. Have to say he uses TCs on it, too. For small birds, I think what you can do is to shoot near a feeder, in a zoo, etc. In fact, that's the easier thing to do for most photogs, not to mention many shoot small birds with a setup in their own backyard instead of in the wild. Some also use baits such bird feeds or audio recording of bird calls to lure the birds closer. Shooting small birds in the wild is not easy. But, it's doable even with shorter tele like yours. Only that you may not have as many opportunities as the other.

Or, you can simply photo larger birds that don't require you to get too close to get a good shot of them.

And don't forget common birds like pigeons and seagulls. They may not be exotic, but a good photograph of any bird is still a good photograph.

Hope this helps.

[mjs1973]

I agree with AE about shooting near feeders or at a zoo. I'm by no means an expert, but some of my favorite bird images have been taken at shorter focal lengths. I will set up a blind in my back yard near a feeder, and just sit and wait.

I find myself too big, and noisy to stalk wildlife, so I use the sit and wait method. I let the critters come to me in order to get closer images.

[Martin Brazil]

You might get away with using a 1.4 TC as with this you only lose one f stop and your f4 lens will still give you sufficient speed as long as the light is reasonable. Other than that, as the others have already said, your alternative is to get closer to the birds. If you have a remote for your camera then you can set up the camera in a likely spot i.e. pointing at a feeder and retire back a bit yourself so you don't spook the birds. Hope this helps Almo.

[mjs1973]

If you have a remote for your camera then you can set up the camera in a likely spot i.e. pointing at a feeder and retire back a bit yourself so you don't spook the birds. Hope this helps Almo.

This is a very good idea as well, and one that I have used with much success in the past. Shooting birds close up with a WA lens give a whole new perspective than what we are use to seeing.

Here are a couple of threads I started earlier this spring where I used this technique.

Get closer

Room Service

Sorry to hear about the job situation John. I hope things turn around for you.

[Loupey]

I agree with the others regarding shooting the more common/larger subjects.

IMO, a great image of a mediocre subject is MUCH better than a mediocre image of a great subject. So use this "opportunity" to hone your skills, learn bird behavior, and enjoy your time in the wilderness.

In the meantime, you'll have to crop your images - but keep in mind that you'll have more DOF doing that than using a super-telephoto from the same distance - so use that to your advantage!

[paulnj]

great info thus far.

As with any style of imagery, KNOW YOUR SUBJECT and it pays off.

Find ducks, wading birds, grackles, sparrows, bluejays... all can be shot with a 200mm if you get to understand them and get close. Watch them and learn behaviors , favorite perches and so on.

Patience is the name of the game with nature