Bird Photography by KK Hui ARPS

Bird Photography 1.Why Bird Photography?Why Bird Photography? 2.Ethics of Bird PhotographyEthics of Bird Photography 3.What Makes a Good Bird Photo?What Makes a Good Bird Photo? 4.Equipment ConsiderationsEquipment Considerations 5.TechniquesTechniques 6.ReferencesReferences

1. Why Bird Photography? creation of fine art images for display, publication or sales documentation/ record for rarities study of plumage and behavior other personal reasons (for example, memories of birding trips) …

2. Ethics of Bird Photography  Birds and its habitat are more important than photo  don't stress birds by getting too close  don't distribute the nests  don't create a path for predators to follow to a nest  other good common sense be observed …

3. What Makes a Good Bird Photo? basically it’s the one that meets the needs of the photographer attention to the basic qualities of the photograph: proper technique and good composition Technical factors: exposure, sharpness, accurate color, details Aesthetic Factors: lighting, composition, background, decisive moment, artistic feel consideration, habitat & surrounding the photographer's technical and artistic abilities

4. Equipment Considerations Inappropriate equipment can limit the results...  35mm SLR format for superb optical quality and portability  Auto focus, motor drive, TTL exposure modes  Choice of digital and/or film SLR  Camera Support

4.1 Equipment Considerations (cont’d)  choice of lenses: focal length, max aperture, min focusing distance, converter/extension tubes compatibility  400/5.6 AF lens - good choice for portability and hand held flight shots. Highly usable with 1.4x to make an usable 560/8 lens in good light  300/2.8 AF lens - for versatility (works well with 1.4x or 2x converters) and portability  500/4 or 600/4 AF lens – lens of choice for bird photography  avoid mirror lens

4.2 Equipment Considerations (cont’d) Camera support:  rigid tripod eg Gitzo 1325CF, 1548CF  Wimberley Head – gimbal type  quick release system for mounting lens to tripod head – use of "Arca-Swiss" style plates

4.3 Equipment Considerations (cont’d) Other Accessories:  Tele converters - 1.4x and 2x  Extension tubes - 12mm, 25mm  Electronic TTL Flash Unit  Better Beamer flash extender

Techniques Long lens technique Shooting Film - choices Shooting Digital - DSLR Getting Close Exposure Lighting Composition Decisive Moment and Timing

Long Lens Techniques  Use a sturdy tripod whenever possible. Tighten all controls knobs  Ensure tripod can handle the weight of your camera, lens, tripod head and other accessories with plenty of margin.  Wimberley Head is preferred to Ball Head  Use your arms, hands and face as vibration dampening  Use Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration Reduction (VR) if available  Use faster film, MLU + self timer + cable release

Film Choice  Slide Film [Fuji Provia 100F] -original & first generation images for sharpness, contrast and colors -a reference for printing -pushability by 1 to 2 EV stops (E-6)  Print Film [Fuji Superia 200, 400, REALA, NPH] - retain max retrievable highlight and shadow detail -wider exposure latitude +/- 3 EV stops -widely available and processing (C-41)

Shooting Digital - DSLR RAW Format Photoshop CS [version 8]Photoshop CS [version 8] Curves & Levels Image Sharpening Filter Web Presentation

DSLR Shooting Format - RAW RAW format provides a "digital negative" Retain the maximum amount of data in your images Use Software to convert RAW files e.g. Adobe Photoshop CS, File Viewer Utility, Capture One etc. On to Photoshop for final processing

Photoshop CS Powerful and flexible Work in 16 bit TIFF image Run NeatImage for noise removal if necessary Perform levels & curve adjustments to maximize the tonal range Add sharpening as needed using the unsharp mask, USM, filter

Levels Adjustment

Curves Adjustment

Summary on Level/Curve Adjustments 1.Use Levels before Curve to clip off the flat parts of the histogram. 2.If you intend to use Curves for tonal control, don't shift the gray point (gamma) in Levels: you will unnecessarily lose information. 3.Use an S curve to increase contrast in the midtones. 4.Push up the midpoint of an S curve to brighten an underexposed picture, while nailing down the shadows with a control point to the left. 5.Pull down the midpoint of an S curve to darken an overexposed picture, while nailing down the highlights with a control point to the right.

Image Sharpening Filter Selective sharpening Make use of magic wand for part selection and only apply sharpening to it Leave the background alone Avoid the formation of halos at interfaces with high contrast Use (A)/ (R)/2-6(T) for most images

For Web Presentation Downsize using the Bicubic algorithm to a size of 600 or 640 pixels on the longest size at 72dpi Change the color space to sRGB (Image -> Mode -> Convert to Profile ) at this point if you've been working in Adobe RGB For print, upsize to the target size at 300dpi

Further Reading – (I) Adobe Photoshop 7.0/CS by Martin Evening Real World Photoshop 7 by David Blatner & Bruce Fraser The Complete Reference Photoshop 7 by Greenberg [McGraw Hill]

Further Reading – (II) Art Morris - The Art of Bird Photography, Amphoto John Shaw - Nature Photographer's Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques, Amphoto Outdoor Photographer magazine NatureScapes.net