Are your photos of birds always blurry? You're not alone. Although modern cameras make bird photography appear simple, many individuals fail to take into account certain techniques to avoid scaring birds away before they capture the moment. Fortunately, improving your bird photography from unsatisfactory to gallery-quality images is often not as difficult as most people think. A few of the many errors most people make can easily be corrected; you may even be surprised to learn that one of the biggest mistakes may be your jacket! Keep reading to improve your bird photography skills.

You Are Shooting Through A Dirty Window

Photos shot through dirty glass look bad. If you haven't cleaned your kitchen window in a while it's probably covered in dust and water spots. And believe me when I say that a photo editing app won't get rid of that cheap filter look. Your glass window will create distortion and reflections that will ruin the best poses. Clean your windows or better yet, just open them a little and take some photos through the air instead of the dirty glass.

Your bright red jacket yells, "PREDATOR!"

A bright windbreaker is perfect for a morning walk, although to a bird, it looks as if it’s an oncoming threat. While bright colors might be a fashion statement for us, in the animal kingdom bright colors represent danger or poisonous. Neutral tones in olive, brown, or gray help you blend in to the scenery instead of being a walking alarm system. Just save the bright clothing for when you are not going to be near wildlife.

You're Moving Too Quickly

Zippy movements create a sense of danger to birds, and every time you suddenly jerk up to change a position or grab a camera to shoot a video, you are saying ''DANGER!'' in bird language. Try to keep your movements controlled, and calm as if you are in a tai chi class, and the birds will eventually consider you a part of the scenery.

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Your camera's automatic flash is the fastest way to scare a bird away to never come back. The flash will not only spook the birds and scare them, but also creates an awful white light that will destroy the photo and make the subject look flat with harsh shadows. Turn off the flash and practice some patience with natural lighting. Your subjects will stick around a lot longer, and your photos will look way better and a lot more professional.

You're Standing Way Too Close

Based on my experience getting close to a perfect shot often results in more photos of branches than of birds. Most birds have a “comfort zone” ranging from 10 to 20 feet or more. If you step inside that boundary, the bird will be gone. Instead of trying to move closer, use your camera zoom or a longer lens. Let your lens do the close walking.

The Zoom Feature On Your Phone Isn't An Actual Zoom

Although smartphone cameras offer many great features and benefits, they are not able to capture wildlife photos, let alone birds. The zoom feature on most smartphones are not actual zoom features, but are digital zoom features, meaning they just crop the image and enlarge it. This results in very pixelated and messy images. Also, by the time the phone's autofocus feature locks onto the image, the bird will have already left. To capture images of birds as a serious bird photographer, a camera with a proper optical telephoto lens is a must.

You're Shooting at High Noon

Taking photos in the middle of the day can be difficult. Bright sunlight creates extremely harsh shadows and washes out colors making even the most beautiful birds just dark silhouettes. The best light to take pictures in is in the golden hour, which refers to the first hour after the sun rises and the last hour before it sets. Light from the sun is angled during these hours and as a result is much softer. The light will enhance the rich colors and textures in the photos.

Your Autofocus Is Incorrectly Targeting A Branch

Your camera's automatic focus can get tricked very easily and end up locking onto something simple like a branch or a feeder instead of the bird. Try using your camera's Single Point Autofocus mode. This lets you decide where the focus is set. This is what you need to do in order to get bird's sharp eyes in focus instead of twigs.

B irds are getting scared by your shadow

Your shadow moving over a feeder can be compared to a hawk flying overhead. Because of the sudden darkness, the birds perceive a threat, and they will flush immediately. It is important to always pay attention to the direction of your shadow. To avoid the birds’ shadows, position yourself so that the sun is behind you and your shadow is in front of the birds you want to photograph.

Your Shutter Is Too Loud

A loud *CLACK* from your camera's shutter can sound like a gunshot to some people. Using a camera shutter is often the reason why bird photographers scare birds away from their perches. To avoid making this noise, you should enable the camera's electronic shutter. Almost all cameras come with this feature and when it is enabled, you can take as many pictures as you want without scaring your subjects.

You're Chasing the Birds

Look up other ways to photograph birds other than chasing after every single one. Consider the strategy of picking a good spot and waiting for the birds to come to you. Location is a great aspect to think about. Try to find a spot near a bird feeder, bird bath, or a branch that birds seem to enjoy. Sit and stay quiet, and once you become accepted by the birds, they will go about their business and you will be able to capture some amazing, natural shots.

Your Background Is a Mess

In a photograph, a beautiful bird can become camouflaged and difficult to spot if the background contains distractions like your neighbor's car, a garden hose, or a bright blue recycling bin. Prior to pressing the shutter button, be sure to check the background. With a background like this, it can easily be changed to something less cluttered and distracting like foliage. Instead of a snapshot, it can be transformed into a portrait. It may just be a matter of taking a quick step to the left or right.

Questions We Get Often (QWGO)

1. What are some of the best basic camera settings that can be used in bird photography?

Aperture Priority mode (A or Av) on the camera dial should be your first stop. For a blurred background and better light capture, set the aperture at its widest setting (lower f-number such as f/4 or f/5.6). Set the ISO to Auto at a max of 3200 to help control the grain. Set your drive mode to continuous shooting (burst mode) for multiple shots at once to select the best. These settings will create a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.

2. What is the best way to take clear photos of birds as they fly?

Birds flying can be a challenge! The best way to capture that is by using extremely quick shutter speeds of 1/1000 of a 2nd, or 1/2000 of a sec (or quicker). In order to get this, you will likely have to shoot in bright light, or increase your ISO. Use continuous autofocus, or as I like to call it AF-C or AI Servo. This is because the camera will keep tracking the bird as it moves. When doing this, select a zone or wide/tracking focus area. This will make it easier for the camera to track the action. Practice moving your camera smoothly with the bird as it flies past you.

3. How can I create that out-of-focus background (bokeh) effect in my pictures?

The professional looking blurred background, or ‘bokeh’, is designed to help the bird stand out. There are three main ways to achieve this. First, use a wide aperture (a lower f-stop number is better — look for f/2.8, f/4, or f/5.6). Second, use a longer telephoto lens (200mm or more). Third, increase the distance between the subject (the bird) and the background. The more distance there is between the background and the bird, the more blurred the background will be.

4. Is it necessary for me to get an expensive camera and lens?

While your budget can help prevent you from spending thousands of dollars on equipment, you can still get high-quality photos. For a great backyard bird photography set up, a good entry-level DSLR or mirrorless camera combined with a 70-300mm or 100-400mm telephoto lens will be a great and relatively inexpensive option. This combination will provide the range and image quality needed to capture stellar images. A lot of amazing bird photos have been captured using inexpensive equipment.

5. What are some ways that I can bring more birds into my yard so I can take some photos?

Creating a happy place for the birds is the best way to get amazing pictures of them. You should make sure to have bird feeders with high quality bird seeds, like black oil sunflower seeds. You can also attract more birds with a birdbath that has a dripper or a small fountain than with food! Lastly, make sure to plant food and cover for the birds with shrubs and trees. Once you get the birds to visit you regularly, taking their pictures will be a breeze!