For close-up birding: Bring an 18-55mm and Be There!

All you birders out there, or wannabe birders who keep seeing all the great wildlife photos, might be wondering how to get those amazing, close-up bird portraits and photos - what crazy lenses must these birders have? ; Well I'm here to give you a quick birding lesson, so you can get out there and start getting those amazing shots too. ; Here's how to do it:

Spot a bird way off in the distance...one you know you want to photograph. ; Some people like to travel to the same place for weeks, getting the birds accustomed to their presence; some like to set up hides and wait silently for hours with 1000mm lenses. ; I find the best method is to casually and loudly march right up to the bird - get within a foot or two of him...wear loud colors, and even travel with a pack of 3 or 4 other people, all talking loudly. ; Once you get right up next to the bird, where you can count his feathers by hand...whip out your 18-55mm kit lens, and take a few snapshots:





Because you're only a foot or two from the bird, you'll get really stunning, closeup photos that other bird photographers will be jealous of. ; They'll start wanting to get into conversations about 500mm lenses, teleconverters, tripods, etc. ; Ignore them - they're wasting their time and money with all their big kit, when you can get stunning closeups with your 18-55mm lens. ; If your DSLR isn't handy...no problem...whip out the iPhone and take a photo of the bird's eye filling the frame - just stick the phone right up to the bird's eye, though be careful not to have him take a chunk out of your finger with that sharp beak.

Here are a few examples of shots you can get with your 18-55mm kit lens, using the above method:

55mm, kit lens, mirrorless camera, from 3-4 feet:




Get out there with your kit lens, P&S, or phone and get those amazing bird closeups, and enjoy! **


**Above method may only work in South Florida, where birds are just slightly more tolerant of human presence. ; Above methods do not guarantee results where you may live. ; No refunds.

 

It will work John, BUT they might peck your eyes out first! LOL! ;

 

I couldn't help but take a shot of that...I am used to seeing some of the birds let people get close to them here, but I happened to be about 50 feet farther down the boardwalk with my 300mm +1.4tc when I noticed this guy getting all up in the bird's face for a shot - I just had to snap a few shots of it because I knew so many other birders in other parts of the country would scarcely believe it! ; I missed another funny shot - someone actually sat down on the lower rail right underneath the bird and had a friend snap a shot of them with a P&S pocket cam, with the bird standing directly over her head. ; It can be pretty surreal around here sometimes! ; (Don't even ask about what I had to go pull out of my swimming pool last weekend). ;

 

Hey if you are going to drop a tidbit like that, you might as well tell us, besides, didn't you take any pictures of it before you took it out?

 

No...it wasn't quite the mysterious wolff creature. ; And no - I actually never even thought to take a photo of it...I'm quite used to seeing them in my yard, but usually they're smart enough to avoid the pool or at least can figure out how to get out. ; This one...not so much. ; It was a good-sized adult green iguana - he was about 4 1/2 feet - his color had gone black and he was vehemently avoiding me despite the fact that I was his rescuer...he kept swimming to the opposite side of the pool when I tried to get him. ; They swim extremely well and very fast - so it took some doing. ; We haven't had much rain in the past month or so, so my pool is lower than normal - I think that's why he couldn't get out the sides like normal, with the water riding down about 5 inches it's just out of reach for them. ; After some doing, I managed to get him to swim to a corner where I was able to reach him before he could get away - grabbed him by the tail which doesn't feel good since they're covered in spikes...and he can whip that thing. ; Finally got to the body and then had to suffer several tail whips as I carried him out and back into the yard. ; He was fine afterwards, and ran away under my fence...he'll be back I'm sure. ; He looked about the size and age of this one:

Just to give an idea of what it looked like. ; Picture Godzilla coming out of the bay to march on Tokyo...that's about what it looks like when you first see this in your pool!