Our most important camera settings must be shutter speed and aperture; and they are the most variable. They provide a constant balancing act that tends to dominate our attention as we encounter birds during any day of photography or any photo session. To start with, bird photography tends to require a fast shutter speed, especially when birds are flying, so in the case of birds in flight, we want to use as fast a shutter speed as possible. But for perched or standing birds we can get by with comparatively slower shutter speeds, and that’s when we can emphasize the effects of aperture on our bird photos.
An f-7 aperture created a narrow area in focus that blurred the background into a uniformly colored grass green. The action of the Barn Swallow’s fluttering wings was stopped by the fast 1/1000 shutter speed that also provided a sharp, clear look at the small swallow’s beak, eye, and face (400mm telephoto lens, f-7 aperture, 1/1000 shutter speed, 200 ISO).
We don’t often have a lot of time to make adjustments to our camera settings, but let me begin by explaining that I never use an automatic setting and wish to encourage you to follow that plan. Instead, I use the superior aperture priority setting, usually denoted as an Av setting on your camera. On days with clear sunlight I pre-set my aperture to f-8 and usually get an appropriately fast shutter speed, which the camera sets automatically to balance the f-8 aperture setting. I hope to get a shutter speed faster than 1/500 of a second, although 1/1000 to 1/2500 is better for action photos, when possible. I monitor the shutter speed periodically as I photograph through the viewfinder and adjust the aperture if necessary to get a faster shutter speed.
As this regal Peregrine Falcon turned in flight, the blue sky provided a uniform background while late afternoon sunlight provided a super-fast shutter speed that stopped all motion as its wings began a strong downstroke – even showing the flight feathers bending in the process (400mm telephoto lens, f-9 aperture, 1/2500 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
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That’s when the give and take between shutter speed and aperture begins. Although the Av setting is named aperture priority, you can prioritize shutter speed simply by changing the aperture. Turn the aperture dial left to f-7, f-6, or f-5, and the shutter speed becomes faster and faster. Turn the aperture right to f-9, f-10, f-11, or more, and the shutter speed becomes “slower” and slower.
You can monitor the changes through your viewfinder, on the LCD monitor on the back of your camera body to get an understanding for how these values interact. Finding the balance between the shutter speed and aperture is the most important and most variable technical aspect of operating a camera, and it can make a big difference in your photographs.
Don’t worry, if the last paragraph seemed a bit too involved, the process is simple; and it will become automatic for you in a very short time. So why not just use the Automatic setting instead? My answer is always: “No camera can think better than you. No camera knows what you are trying to do. No camera will bracket photos intelligently for you.” Bracketing is simply the matter of taking different photos of a bird using different camera settings; perhaps to keep the background in focus in some photos, and to try to blur the background into a fairly monotone color in other photographs.
To get the best range of shutter speed and aperture, and the best quality of photographic color reproduction, I limit my bird photography to periods when there is cloudless sunlight. As sunlight intensity dims in the afternoon or early evening, in response to the lower light quality you simply turn the aperture dial to an f-stop that increases the shutter speed to the level you think will work best under the current conditions.
To get all 13 Redhead ducklings from front to back in focus, a f-10 aperture provided a wide area in focus front to back. When photographing a group of birds like this, it’s important to focus on the closest birds (400mm telephoto lens, f-10 aperture, 1/800 shutter speed, 400 ISO).
Sometimes, especially when a trusting bird provides you an opportunity to photograph it during an extended period, you can make adjustments in the moment, and even try a couple settings to test what works best for you. Start with a portrait-like background using an f-5 aperture, then change to an f-11 for an “au natural” background that embraces the background for example. With time, you will have your own preferences and appreciate what works best for you under different conditions and in different habitats. That tends to be where you pre-set your camera so you are ready in the moment when a bird surprises you and a photo opportunity suddenly presents itself. (Again, I start with a middle of the road f-8 as my pre-set aperture.)
Similar to portrait photos taken in a studio, you can take a bird portrait that “pops” the bird out of the background vegetation. By using an f-5 aperture, it was possible to create the monotone background color because the Sharp-tailed Grouse was standing about 20 feet in front of the dry grass. As a result, the grouse was sharply in focus, but the grass was far outside the narrow area in focus (400mm telephoto lens, f-5 aperture, 1/90 shutter speed, 100 ISO).
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Aperture dictates the area in focus, mostly behind your subject. In some cases you will want a broad depth of field in your image, in other cases you will want to limit the area in focus. Aperture is described by f-stops that may range from f-2 to f-32, although the range of f-stops will differ depending on the lens you use. Simply put, a small f-number (f-4) provides a narrow area in focus; a larger f-number (f-14) provides a wider area in focus. Likewise, another example would be to point out that an f-8 has a wider area in focus than an f-5.
When using a telephoto lens, say a 400mm telephoto, your f-stop range will be more limited when photographing birds. Using my telephoto, I find myself using apertures between f-5 and f-11 almost exclusively, and most often I use an f-8 setting for general settings. An f-8 aperture provides a good workable area in focus for all-around bird photography, including photos of large birds in flight.
Background Focus
When photographing birds, we are often provided with fairly uniform backgrounds via the sky or water. Other times, backgrounds in wooded or grassy areas can be attractive, but they might be distracting at times too, even unattractive. That’s when a narrow area of focus can produce the most pleasing photo by blurring the background out of focus, say by using an f-5 aperture, which will effectively blur the area behind the bird to a fairly monotone color. A pine forest can be turned into a pleasing green background, or a dry grassland is transformed to a fairly uniform tan background that emphasizes the bird. This technique produces portrait-like photographs of birds in much the same way a studio photographer creates their portraits.
The 1/640 shutter speed was adequate to stop the motion of this Semipalmated Plover in mid-step, while the f-8 aperture provided a wide enough area in focus to keep the mirrored reflection and mudflat clear. The position of the plover in front of the blue water background also adds to the quality of this image (500mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/640 shutter speed, 400 ISO).
There is one catch though; this technique is most effective if the landscape or plants are a few feet or more behind the bird’s position. When that’s the case, by using an f-5 or f-6 aperture, the background will blur to provide a fairly monotone coloration. Conversely, if you use an f-14 aperture, the background will show some level of detail in the grasses, branches, leaves, rocks, and other landscape elements. That can be effective in certain contexts too – it’s up to you as you put some thinking into the creative process of photography, when you have the extra time with a bird. And when you have a little extra time with a bird or group of birds you can always bracket a few photos, trying to blur the background in some photos and attempting to show the background details in others.
A combination of camera settings that included using the aperture priority (Av) setting, an f-6 aperture that provided a narrow area in focus to blur the background, and the resulting super-fast shutter speed that stopped all motion created this detailed, sharp image of a Common Nighthawk in flight (400mm telephoto lens, f-6 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 400 ISO).
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As noted above, aperture doesn’t work independently. Aperture is linked to shutter speed, so for each aperture adjustment you make, your shutter speed setting is affected. That’s not a problem, that’s your opportunity to be creative and to do all you can to get the photographs you prefer. Again, an automatic camera setting cannot make these decisions for you, but it can make serious mistakes without your input. Use your personal creativity and let that creative streak grow and grow as you photograph the birds you encounter with your camera.
To help you visualize the effects of aperture and shutter speed, you can refer to the photos that illustrate this article to get a better appreciation for how to use the aperture setting in the best possible ways to get preferred photo results. Keep the sun at your back, focus on birds’ eyes, and enjoy all your photo experiences as spring progresses.
Article and photographs by Paul Konrad
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