The above settings are my general rules of thumb, but you will need to fine-tune your aperture, shutter speed and ISO depending on your camera, lens, personal preferences and unique conditions. Remember, there is no one special recipe that works for capturing all birds. Play around with your aperture, but a good rule of thumb for small birds at a close distance is to stay within the F2.8-F5.6 window. Even though a large aperture like F1.4 can be tempting, if you shoot wide open on a bird at close range, you will probably find that your bird’s beak or eye will be in sharp focus, while the rest of its body will be blurred due to the shallow depth of field.
For the best, sharpest images, and to keep the separation between my subject and the background, I usually work with the following settings: Apertureįor bird photos, my favorite apertures are from F2.8 to F5.6. The SIGMA lenses I mentioned before - the 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art and the 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Art - allow me to achieve my preferred settings, and the stellar image quality of the Art line glass brings out every last detail. Considering how fast they move and scarce sunlight during prime feeding hours, your camera settings are especially important in capturing quality images of your feathered friends. Small birds tend to dart about and take off in the blink of an eye. So how about settings? Your aperture, shutter speed and ISO are especially important when photographing such fidgety subjects. However, during the winter months, food is scarce, so they visit the feeder all day! Small birds tend to travel in groups and arrive at the feeder together, which provides the opportunity to photograph many different varieties of birds. Most backyard birds are active year round in the morning and late afternoon. This all sounds expensive, right? Nope! You can buy a HUGE 50-pound bag of black oil sunflower seed for around 20 bucks! And in turn will have birds seeking out the feeder. It is high in protein, fiber, calcium, vital vitamins and minerals, which are especially important during the winter months. Black oil sunflower seed also has a much greater nutritional value for the birds than cheaper mixed seed. I prefer to use black oil sunflower seed specifically as it attracts the greatest variety of birds and deters the less favorable ones.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take long as birds absolutely LOVE sunflower seeds! Once my box is all set up, my camera is mounted on my tripod and the front of my lens is resting securely in the hole of the feeder, then comes the hardest part… waiting. Shooting Great Bird Photos from Inches Away A SLIK Sprint 150 tripod with ball head, Nikon D800 with SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 | Art attached, a Nikon Z7 II with SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art attached (w/ FTZ Adapter), and of course, plenty of black oil sunflower seed!
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