THE SETUP SHOOT A RAPID BURST OF IMAGES
Get set to photograph a sequence of shots that show movement in your subject
01 CAMERA SUPPORT
You’ll need to support your camera to achieve an identical composition in every frame. A tripod is the obvious choice, but you don’t always have lots of space for them in hides. You could use a mini tripod or beanbag to lock off your framing.
02 FAST BURST RATE
While you can get results with entry-level kit, you’ll increase your chances of getting a great sequence of shots with a camera that has a fast burst rate, such as Canon’s EOS 7D Mark II (10fps), or the EOS M6 Mark II (14fps).
03 TELEPHOTO LENS
A lens with a long telephoto zoom is ideal for wildlife photography as you need to be far enough away that you don’t scare the birds and still have the ability to zoom in for a frame-filling shot. A focal length of around 70-300mm will be perfect.
04 WILDLIFE HIDE OR BIRD FEEDER
You’ll need an area you can go to that birds visit frequently. This could even be your own garden, if you have a well-stocked bird feeder. We went to a hide in a nature reserve, where kingfishers are known to visit, to get our wildlife shots.
05 A PLACE TO PERCH
You’re going to need somewhere for the bird to perch as this is the starting position that you’ll frame up on and predict where they’ll fly to after. A bird feeder works well, and if you’re in your garden, you can place the branch close by to help it along.
06 SENSOR SIZE
Canon’s APS-C cameras have a crop factor of 1.6x, which will give you more zoom. So a lens that has a focal length of 300mm on a full-frame body will have the equivalent focal length of 480mm on an APS-C one, due to the smaller sensor size.