DYNAMIC MOTION

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS IRD PHOTOGRAPHY ISN’T just about filling the frame with your feathered quarry. It isn’t about having the biggest camera or most expensive lenses. Instead, it’s about trying to convey a sense of wonder and beauty in the form of a single image, capturing character, feeling and behaviour in a single frame. It will test your patience, knowledge and skill, but in return it will give you a huge satisfaction and thrill when you get a perfect shot! Over a three-part series, I’m going to be giving you an introduction to bird photography, to get you started with the knowledge and ideas to help you head out and create some beautiful photos of our superb birds. In this first section, I’ll look at areas including lenses, accessories, the basics, exposure, camera WORDS & PICS: TOM MASON

modes and focusing to help you on your way to capturing some great photographs. To get started, you’re obviously going to need a camera, and there are hundreds to choose from, ranging in prices from a few hundred to tens of Slower shutter speeds can be great for adding some blur into an image, giving it a sense of movement, for a much more dynamic shot