The art and craft of bird photography

The art and craft of bird photography This page is about making engaging bird images. It is run by Ern Reeders. Now mothballed due to lack of engagement.

I won the Bird in Flight award in the 2020 Birdlife Australia Photography competition, a monthly gong on the Nikonians website for the same image, and provided the reference shot for Susan Skuse's painting in the book Feather and Brush (2nd ed) by Penny Olsen.

22/07/2026

This page is now mothballed due to a lack of engagement.

Please engage with this site if you want it to remain.-------------------Shooting moving flocks of birds and flying porp...
18/07/2026

Please engage with this site if you want it to remain.
-------------------
Shooting moving flocks of birds and flying porpoises is a matter of chance to see what fast bursts net.
With flying flocks of birds you have little control over composition and good composition changes a snap into a picture.

Penguins porpoising - enables them to breathe and swim without stopping. Hope Bay, AntarcticaIf you like what you see h...
08/07/2026

Penguins porpoising - enables them to breathe and swim without stopping. Hope Bay, Antarctica
If you like what you see here, please like and/or comment and/or make the page a favorite.

If you like what you see here, please like and/or comment and/or make the page a favorite.Australasian Darter, Albury NS...
28/06/2026

If you like what you see here, please like and/or comment and/or make the page a favorite.
Australasian Darter, Albury NSW (Anhinga in N America).

An overcast day can work well with birds that have subtle plumage either in colour or tone. Contrast is lower and the h...
23/06/2026

An overcast day can work well with birds that have subtle plumage either in colour or tone. Contrast is lower and the hue is neutral.
White-faced Heron.

An Australasian Grebe feeding its chick a minnow
06/06/2026

An Australasian Grebe feeding its chick a minnow

Taking shots in the sub/antarctic in an era of H5N1, highly pathogenic bird flu ...You are permitted only to stand. You...
03/06/2026

Taking shots in the sub/antarctic in an era of H5N1, highly pathogenic bird flu ...

You are permitted only to stand. You can't even put a bag on the ground/snow/ice. Your cruise company may or may not allow a tripod or monopod.

This was my kit: a harness for the main rig* that held it firm; a 2nd holster on its belt for my landscape rig**; a small dry-bag style day pack holding cleaning gear, filters, teleconverters etc that could be swung around to the front for access.

Shooting at the same height as the wildlife is usually desirable so that the viewer feels part of its world. So down there you have to get creative. Either get lower while still standing (so walk down the beach if you can eg) or look for wildlife on ridges, mounds etc. And learn to use your flip-out monitor and bend over. Do your settings while upright. Horizon levelling is hard and takes practise; do that before you travel. Try and find a non-reflective film for the monitor; when the light is best you get the worst view otherwise.

I recommend camera carrying with a harness that holds the rig without a steadying hard being needed because often you need both hands eg for getting into and out of the zodiac. The only offering I know of is the Cotton Carrier Harness. The CC Skout is an alternative for lighter rigs up to around 400mm f5.6 full frame.

* Z8, 600mm f6.3 & 1.4xTC
** Cotton Carrier Traveller with a Z8, 24-120mm f4 zoom

Image: Gold Harbour on South Georgia Island in the subantarctic, consorting with King Penguins

Antarctic Prions and Antarctic TernAntipodes Island, New Zealand, in the subantarctic
23/05/2026

Antarctic Prions and Antarctic Tern
Antipodes Island, New Zealand, in the subantarctic

Andean CondorsMainly carrion eatersWingspan up to 3.2mDeclining numbers. One reason is the decline in Guanacos - mammal...
12/05/2026

Andean Condors
Mainly carrion eaters
Wingspan up to 3.2m
Declining numbers. One reason is the decline in Guanacos - mammals similar to llamas.

A Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australia's largest raptor. Typical wingspan = 2.3m.They turn black with white underwing flashes ...
12/05/2026

A Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australia's largest raptor. Typical wingspan = 2.3m.
They turn black with white underwing flashes at 6-8 years.
Parachilna, SA

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