Bird Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

1. Equipment

Making the Most of What’s in Your Bag

For most people, the mere thought of bird photography conjures up visions of taking out a second mortgage on the house and forgoing junior’s college education in order to afford a super telephoto lens with a high-performance body to match, a sturdy tripod to support it, and all the other peripherals needed to make great images of birds. Whew! Just the thought of all that is enough to put most people off bird photography. And while it is true that a super telephoto lens gives an image that “certain look” due to its extreme narrow field of view and its shallow depth of field, making the subject pop from a diffused background, you can capture great shots of birds with a prosumer body and zoom lens ...