Photographing Birds - Light is the Answer

On a recent trip to the Everglades I was getting some great action shots of wading birds feeding in the shallows.  The birds were very active, taking off and landing and dancing around as they worked for their supper.  The action was good enought to keep me shooting until late in the day.

Sometimes action and animal behavior is enough to carry the image.  In this case the Great Blue Heron wading through the shallows makes for an interesting image.  The Lily Pads in the water add some interest and it's a good thing because the water is just plain boring.

The action of the Snowy Egret taking off adds some interest to this image but again the water is dull and the background is a little distracting.

A funny thing happened about an hour and a half before sunset.  The light changed, it got lower and suddenly I was picking up reflections in the water of the light from trees and foliage on the shore.  This added a whole new element to the images and transformed the dull water into a magical backdrop for creating my images of birds.

When light reflects off of an object into water it picks up the color from the object it reflects from and transferres that color to the water.  The results can be dramatic and can add an element to your images that takes them from average to exceptional.

Light was reflected from green foliage on the shore.  It painted the water and created a unique background to showcase this Tricolored Heron.

Suddenly that dull background takes on a dimension that can add excitement and interest to your images.

Getting good images of birds is really demanding.  First you have to find the bird and get close enought to it to make an image.  Then you have to nail the exposure and usually you cannot trust your meter to deliver optimal results.  Catching the perfect moment of action is critical AND the background and surroundings of the bird are also very important to a successful image.  No wonder my shooting average is only about 1 in a thousand!

Hope this advice helps you the next time you have an opportunity to shoot wading birds.  Get out there and make some images!!