The photography of birds in flight is more complicated because you have to take two types of movement into account simultaneously.
- The bird’s displacement
- The movement of its wings
And some birds flap their wings very fast!
What Do I Have to Take into Account When Photographing Birds in Flight?
If you want to be successful in bird photography, you must have the statistics on your side: the more times you shoot, the more possibilities you will have to capture a spectacular photo. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you go to places where there are large populations of birds such as natural parks, lagoons, wetlands, or roosts. Light is also significant. During the first hours of the morning and the last of the afternoon, the sun is not too high, and its own shadow will not cover the bird.
We recommend that you always shoot with the sun at your back, the light is better, and you will avoid looking at it directly in an oversight.
Settings for Photographing Birds In Flight
The key to achieving this is to use breakneck shutter speeds. These are just a guide but will serve as your guide:
- With large birds: 1 / 1000s or 1 / 1500s
- For birds of prey in flight: from 1 / the 2000s
- With small birds: from 1 / the 2000s to 1 / 5000s
To shoot at breakneck shutter speeds, you will have to open the aperture of the diaphragm wide (even to the maximum that your lens allows) and raise the ISO to compensate for the exposure. Don’t be too afraid of noise (if you raise the ISO too high, the image will get a bit of grain): it’s easier to fix it in the later editing process than trying to edit an underexposed photo. You can learn more from the link here https://skylum.com/blog/best-photoshop-filters-and-plugins-for-creative-effects.
