Four Ways to Get Frame-Filling Shots in Bird Photography

When all goes well, bird photography can be absolutely exhilarating. Yet birds are small and skittish creatures. Hence, a common problem faced by bird photographers, beginners and experts alike, is simply getting close enough to capture an image.

Even with longer lenses, attempts to photograph a bird often result in tiny specks in the final image, not to mention a very frustrated photographer.

However, never fear, there are several simple techniques that you can use in order to capture frame-filling images of birds. Using these approaches, you should be able to radically increase your success when it comes to bird photography. You don’t have to own a huge lens to do it, either!

Also, before I begin, I’d also like to emphasize that the welfare of the subject should be your top priority. These techniques can often get you close enough to birds in a non-threatening, non-invasive way. But if a bird begins to show signs of agitation, such as moving away rapidly, calling, spreading its wings, etc., then give up.

If you are set on capturing the image, try coming back on a different day, with a different technique, one that is less likely to disturb your subject.

Without further ado, here four ways to help you get frame-filling images of birds.

1. The slow, low approach

This technique is simple, and is often suprisingly effective. It goes like this – move slow, and stay low.

I got close to this Roseate Spoonbill by moving slowly through the waters of the Florida coast.

As I said earlier, birds are quite skittish. But if you move slowly enough, oftentimes a bird will eventually accept you as a non-threatening aspect of the environment, rather than as a dangerous intruder.

You spot your subject across the lagoon. You (slowly!) take a few steps forward. Then stop and wait. Take a few more steps. Once you’ve gotten significantly closer, I suggest that you get on your knees (or even your elbows), and shuffle forwards.

I crouched low and moved across the beach towards this Oystercatcher, who wasn’t bothered at all.

Every so often, check on the bird; you can do this with the naked eye, or through your camera viewfinder. If it begins to move away from you, then that is a sign that you should slow down.

Go really slow!

I also recommend taking a couple of pictures with your camera every few feet. This will allow the bird to become acclimatized the sound of the shutter clicking, and will prevent it from flying away when you begin to photograph in earnest. Once you’re close enough, start shooting.

Now, I said that you should go “slow,” and when I say “slow,” I mean slow. Oftentimes it takes 10, 20, maybe even 30 minutes to get close enough to get usable images. The key here is to be patient; if you can do that, the rewards will be worth it.

A slow approach allowed me to get close to this White Morph Reddish Egret as it waded in a lagoon.

2. Position yourself and then wait

This is a favorite of mine, partially because it’s so non-invasive, and partially because it’s so successful.

The key fact to remember here is that many birds follow a general pattern of movement. Shorebirds, for instance, will usually forage while moving in a single direction. If you watch them for long enough, you’ll notice that they’ve shifted a good ways down the beach.

So, from a distance, observe the movement of the bird. Think about where it will be in five or 10 minutes. Then, simply place yourself in a position to photograph the bird when it gets to that spot.

I took note of this Tricolored Heron’s movements, and sat in the water until it waded past.

Often, if you stay still enough, the bird won’t mind your presence in the slightest, and you’ll find that it may even stray too close. I’ve had tiny shorebirds get within the minimum focusing distance on my camera, at which point it becomes an amazing experience of a whole new type.

This Black-bellied Plover ventured so close that I couldn’t fit its body in the frame.

3. Using a blind

As hunters will know, a blind is a shelter that you sit inside, and will shield you from the eyes of animals. But blinds aren’t only good for hunting; they can be great for photography as well.

This one may seem out of reach. You might think that you don’t have access to blinds, nor can you afford to have one of your own. However, this often isn’t true.

For one thing, local parks may have blinds that you can use for free, or that you can rent. For another, it is often extremely easy to make a blind, one that you can use in your own backyard.

All that it requires is an old tent of some sort, or even a strong box. Cut a hole in the box or the tent, put it in your backyard, and voila, you have a fully-functioning blind. Let the birds have a few hours to get used to the blind, and they soon won’t even notice it.

I like to use this alongside my backyard feeders in winter. I put out some perches, and I am pretty much guaranteed that several birds will fly by and pose.

I took this image of a Northern Cardinal from a tent-turned-blind in my backyard.

4. Using a car

Your car can work as portable blinds, of sorts – oftentimes, birds hardly notice when cars are going by. Hence, you can approach birds on roadsides very closely without them taking flight. Then you can wind down the window, and begin your photography.

This often works best if you are in the passenger seat of the car while somebody else drives. This allows you to focus on the photography, while they focus on the driving. However, if you’re alone and on a public road, I suggest that you pull off and stop in a safe position (near the bird, of course!), before bringing out your camera.

You can also use a car to approach closely, and once you have stopped, you can slowly open the door and approach from the safe side of the car.

5. Take an environmental portrait

Now you’ve gotten four techniques for ensuring that you can get close to birds. But sometimes, it’s best to put away that telephoto lens and take a step back. Do not try to fill the frame. Instead, compose with the environment in mind, aiming to capture not just the bird but the beauty of the surroundings.

This works especially well if the environment complements the bird and thus enhances the overall aesthetic. I like to search for this type of image in areas that are already photographically powerful, where the scenery can carry the image on its own, and the bird simply adds something extra.

Next time you get the opportunity, try it. You may even find that the resulting image is more pleasing than the one you would’ve captured with that long telephoto lens.

I used a 100mm lens to photograph these swans on a misty autumn morning.

Conclusion

If you are having trouble getting close enough to capture frame-filling portraits of birds, don’t worry. Using the techniques listed above – approaching slowly, lying in wait, using a blind, and using a car – you can capture excellent images, I guarantee it. So I urge you to get out and get photographing!

Have any tips of your own for getting close to birds? I’d love to hear them in the comments section below.

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