HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH SMALL BIRDS: PHOTOGRAPHY top pro tips (using my Canon R5) 

I am not a bird photographer but after watching your videos, I tried to capture a pair of Bluebirds nesting in a birdhouse I installed earlier this year. They are too fast for me to try and track with my 500 mm so I used zone focus, high speed shutter, 1/2000 sec., f/8 and Auto ISO on my EOS R. I shot from a tripod about 70 feet away. Field of view gave me about a two feet space in front of the house opening with a shaded background. The Bluebirds would slow and often flutter just in front of the house. This was my opportunity and I blazed away at 8 frames/second. About 25% of the time, I got useable images and culled these to ones with sharp focus, pleasant wing positions, bright colors or interaction with other birds. I could never have gotten these without the tips and techniques you generously give us. A BIG thank you, sir! This same technique works on hummingbirds except I'm shooting from about 15 feet away. The detail the 500 captures is very amazing. Depth of field is very shallow so I'm shooting at f/11 or f/16 at 1/800 or 1/1000 second; freezing the wing motion is not important to me so long as I get the body or head in sharp focus. Covering the feeder's holes will direct the bird to the desired hole for focus. They are quick and I sometimes miss the shot when they momentarily hover just in front of the feeder. Photographing these birds has been really fun and a good challenge.

Thank You sir, All of your videos are very educsting, and interesting. I am an old guy age 82 with limited mobility, and will never enjoy rambling the woods again. Yet Your Video's are so entertaining just learning about various birds, their habits, Your techinuques to capture them. The seemless unefort ability to use your camera/lens as an artistic tool, while imparting so much information to those of us who love Photography. I use a walker to sit on in High School Gyms & on sidelines attempting to capture action sports. As I enjoy my hobby I shall be trying to use the information you teach in your video's. I appreciate all of your hard work to present these most excellent Professional Video's.

For a recent channel on bird photography, yours has deservedly garnered a large following quite quickly! As the comments amply illustrate, you do a stellar job of explaining things. Also, your photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for being responsible for peaking my interest in bird photography. In my late 70s, hiking into the wilderness with a backpack is no longer so easy, but my home is in an unofficial "nature park" with a beach in front of me and trees around me, so in the years ahead, I plan to photograph the wild life at my door - how lucky am I?

Simon....Very helpful video. Isn't it interesting how one begins birding deriving satisfaction from tack sharp images in classic poses. At some point, a photographer is likely to look at his or her portfolio, and recognize that their photos are worthy of publication, but are otherwise unremarkable. Then the fun begins. "“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” - Pablo Picasso

i give you a thumbs up before video starts as i know i wont be disappointed

Well I have a window bird feeder and just in one day after I cleaned it inside and out....using your techniques at eye level I got crystal clear pics right thru the window! 8 different kinds of birds....great way to practice! House finch, male and female, Purple finch, Spotted Towhee, Old Country Sparrow, Songbird Sparrow, House Sparrow and a Chickadee also. Where I live we have the highest concentration of birds in our state for the size of the land mass. So I have all kinds of sea birds to take pics as well. I appreciate all your tips and will tripod my camera in the spring when my yard is FULL OF BIRDS! I can get them on flowers, branches and so on....so excited this year! I have finally mastered my settings to do this with the Nikon D5300 with the 70mm to 300mm zoom lens on it. My Sony A73 does not have the zoom lens that the other does...have to wait til I can afford it.

You are such a great teacher. Love every video you made. Please keep sharing all the beauty and tips with us. Very much enjoyed and appreciated.

Simon...I really appreciated your advice on backgrounds and best angles for bird photography. I went to a bird blind yesterday and didn't think about the fact that the feeders were up high in the air (so I got a lot of shots of belly's), and how the overgrowth of trees and bushes in the background caused my photos to look cluttered until I uploaded them and then watched this video!. I'm looking forward to finding better places to take photos of birds! Thank you so much for this video.

After watching this, I now understand that the exposure compensation dial does work in manual mode if the ISO is set on auto. That's a game-changer for me! Thanks for more great birding photography tips and insights. Love your videos!

Started out about a month ago. All blurry pics when checking the bird's head. I had to force myself to always go above 1/1000 s. The combination of distance (having to use 600mm) and quick moving small birds (in flight or swiveling their heads very quickly) makes at least 1/1000s necessary.

Another well thought out tutorial. What really attracts me to uour channel, is the fact you don't tell your viewers "they are doing it wrong". You merely state you prefer not to... (shoot in the high sun, for example). There are plenty of other photography channels that always say "you're doing it wrong". A bit like the chefs who rant about how we've been cooking roast potato's wrong for the padt 20 years. I like to think I may do something different, but that doesn't always make it wrong. Well done Simon, you manage to nail it every time. 👍

I took 2 photos of a Wren the other day at the reserve I go to.. 1 of it sat on the top of a bare tree. A stick, essentially. I then took one of it sat in the middle of the tree where the reeds were taller and the tree had some growth. It was a completely different photo. This tip is 100% on point for taking better bird photos. It worked for me. I saw the difference between 2 photos and it clicked.

As, always, a superb video. Any beginning bird photographer would benefit from visiting your channel first. You demo things clearly and simply in ways other RU-vidrs tend to gloss over. I think that yours is truly the best bird photography channel out there. Keep it up Simon! Thanks.

Dude, the magnolia warbler picture at 4:21 is amazing

Really enjoy your videos, picked up some great tips and hopefully put them to use.

Great tips Simon. You are one of the titans of photography instruction. 🏆

Ah yes... the good old days. Excellent content and pedagogy, but with half a million less subscribers and not quite the same self-assured polish to the delivery. You've worked hard, you've done great, and you've helped a lot of folk - self included - along the way, M. d'Entremont. Congratulations richly deserved - from a cabin a swamp in a rainforest in New Zealand.

I’m an avid bird watcher and have gotten lucky at picture taking. It’s a dummy proof camera. ( LUMIX dmc), with a decent 25-600 lens. But now that I’m retired I’m really trying to improve my photography and your videos are so well explained and you don’t talk so darn fast like some of the other videos I’ve seen on RU-vid. Thankyou

Love the Black Throated Blue photos. One of my favorite warblers, such cool birds. I have been a hunter and bird watcher for a long time and my full time job is as a photographer and videographer, but just recently combined hobbies and got into bird photography, your channel has been an incredible resource. Thank you for all the helpful info!

Love this 'in the field" format

The tip you gave about shutter speed between the different kinds of birds from large slow ones to small fidgety ones is fantastic

Very informative! I am about 3 years into my bird photography adventure, initially starting with the largest birds/raptors I could find in my area, and realizing after a while that approach alone was becoming repetitive and boring. I started chasing smaller birds and immediately found it to be more challenging in certain ways and a lot more fun! Like everything else, it is a learning process. When I look back at some of my earlier attempts, I have to wince. A few thousand shots later, I find the whole process coming more into focus! Ha ha! Happily, on those occasions when the subject, light and composition all line up it is a truly an entertaining and rewarding experience. I look forward to your future videos. Thanks!

Nice video with original content focussed on the environment rather than the camera. I would love to learn more about taking the video that you show.

Simon, I enjoy returning to your channel, and watching videos again. I never find them boring, and always learn something new. Thank You so very much.

The practical in field advice was very valuable.

Nice video! I find my property to be pretty good for birding. One of my favorite methods is to get a hose and spray the trees and bushes. The sound of water brings birds right to you! Also, my deck is up kinda high, so I can shoot into the trees to get eye-level with the birds that come around to my feeders. I also tie interesting branches and perches to my deck for the birds to land on. Then I sit in a deck chair with my coffee and take pics. Great fun!

I don't own a big lens but my 300mm on nikon d5600 beginners camera has given great pic. I went to the forest every two days and put wild Bird food down and after a week took my camera to get pic of birds not feeding but looking for food. I was rewarded with many different types 😁. Thank you for the lessons I am learning so much.

Best Bird photography creator out there

Great informative video. One of the settings I typically use is continuous focus mode and continuous drive mode set to low of medium. This helps improve my chances of capturing a unique moment of the bird in flight if it decides to take off.

Great tips!!

Great content!!! Love your videos. Keep them coming please

Glad I found this video.

Super advice! Thanks!

You are really making your mark with these superb videos. Absolutely fabulous. Keep them coming!

Thank You, Simon! Your videos are very motivating and inspiring.

Thanks Simon!

Great video--I'm glad I'm not the only one who faces the problems you note. Of course I have more questions, but knowing that small birds are difficult to photograph helps with my patience. And I love photographing small birds! Thanks.

You always emphasize the importance of artistic value and photographic skills more than the birds and the equipment. That makes you the guru. If I follow your guidance, I can take good pictures of anything with any camera.

I was looking for someone with the same love and passion for wildlife like me, i am so glad i found your channel ... photography is so calming, i love to watch wildlife and share it forward through photos. Thanx to you, all my photos are more interesting, i really learned a lot. Forever grateful, i wish you all the best regards, Cristian

Yet another great video, with very helpful tips and insight Thanks

Outstanding presentation. Thank you!

Shooting angles and overall composition helped me the most!

as usual amazing!!! i take better bird photos tnx to you

Great tips and beautiful photos! Thx! Two things I would mention, but maybe you covered them in "introduction to bird photography": It takes a lot of time and patience outside, but just as much time back home going through the shots, choosing a few good ones, process these and get rid of the rest with ease ☺.

Great tips! I enjoy hearing the birds and seeing those birch and spruce trees so common in Eastern Canada.

A great video. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you….very helpful information I will apply to improve my photos.

Thank you , Simon . Very insightful videos . It is time to put your ideas to test.

This is exactly what I needed today. :)

simple direct to the point tips .. keep sharing videos please.. beautiful photos!!

Thanks for the very useful tutorial. Learning a lot from your channel indeed. Very much appreciated.

Excellent advice! Thank you for sharing these invaluable tips. God bless, Simon.

As always thank you. Great info

Inspirational. Every video makes me want to go outside. And so I will :) Thank you.

Your tips on including some interesting elements along with birds was very useful to me. Thanks a lot.

Love this

I love taking pictures of small birds, though they can be difficult to find in good light and suitable angle. Great video, thanks. I use my hand held , Cannon 700D with 70-300 lens.

Fantastic, thank you for the wealth of knowledge from personal experience.

I'm always learning something from your videos. Explaining how your eye sees light in the environment is particularly insightful. Thank you for making them!

Another great video. Lots of great tips and suggestions. Thank you Simon.

I've followed your work for awhile now and I'm so glad you started doing videos. You're doing a great job with lots of info. Thank you for the work you put into it.

Great video! Thanks!

Love you videos! Thanks for the tips!

Fabulous video, Simon. Thank you!

Thank you Simon for another great tutorial! It is so helpful to watch you out in the field and watch the things that you are looking for!! Excellent video!

As ultra beginner it helps me to practice by outside dinning areas, where there’re a lot of small birds and they aren’t afraid of people.

Thanks Simon - another great video. I also did not know exposure compensation was available in manual mode when using Auto ISO. Please keep the videos coming.

Buddy, my love for small birds has grown even more after watching your video,nice tips buddy,thanks

I loved all the tips for bird photography.

thanks for sharing your knowledge, just starting out.

Hi! the whole idea of keeping the background in mind, and moving to the sides and find different options is a big, big take. Thank you!

Your videos have helped me a lot improve my bird photos and fast thank you! Upgraded from a D3200 to a D750 so I wanted to try birds again since my older camera wasn’t great for birding and my new camera had better focusing capabilities and I wanted to utilize my 200-500mm more. Aiming towards birding and portrait photography in tandem. So far I’ve taken photos of Osprey’s, Hairy woodpeckers, Black capped chickadees, waxwing, northern flickers and blue herons. Im up in Alberta so I may try the mountains again soon. Definitely going to keep watching your content!

Very, very good. Thank you.

Breathtaking photos. Wow.

Thank you for the wonderful tips and ideas. I've learned so much from your videos!

I am your fan, absolutely. Your videos are beautifully done, the videos and the pictures of the birds are gorgeous and the way you explain is the best. You are a great teacher and I am so glad I found your channel. I also just upgraded from CanonR6 to R5 and love the detail it provides. Each feather and a little feature of the bird is illuminated. I will be watching all your videos for sure. Great job, have a great day.

I've had a love/hate relationship with small bird photography and the first tip I've adopted is auto ISO - this instantly improved my "keepers" - I will now progress to improving backgrounds, lighting effects and hand on exposure compensation dial (I think that's a brilliant idea). I'm looking forward to watching and learning from your range of videos.

I could watch this stuff all day!

I've just recently found your channel. Very helpful and informative. Thank you.

Awesome video Simon. I absolutely love wildlife photography, especially wild birds. I have learnt a lot from this episode. Thank you.

Another awesome video

Great vids. Enjoyed every single one...

Glad you showed up on Gavins channel. I also prefer the small birds. Totally agree with the shutter speeds, especially as distance increases or there is a breeze that can "rattle" the lens. Occasionally it affects my shot negatively, but a blurry eye or bill definitely makes a neat shot go to the trash bin. Definitely a difference between a birder and a bird photographer. I seldom look up as there isn't a shot I want up there anyway and as you point out, bright light or blue sky seldom make great backgrounds.

Simon, thanks for yet another great video. It was nice to get a different perspective. The tip that’s always worked well for me is how you shoot. I also shoot manual with auto iso. I’m using the Canon R5 so typically with my 100-500 so I have the new collar ring (not sure if that’s the tech term but that’s what I call it) set up for changing my exposure compensation. This way I can change the compensation without ever taking my eye off the viewfinder. Truly appreciate your content.

Great video, thank you. Very useful tips on how to manage light, subject & background in wildlife photography.

Great tips augmented by examples. Talking about the background and the light was really helpful to me.

Excellent video. Thank you for sharing these tips...I think it’s been very helpful. I’ll look for more of your videos

Thank you!

Thanks for the tips

Great tips, your videos and tips are great info for any photographer. They work whether you have the latest greatest equipment, or an older DSL. Thank you Simon

Thank you sir. You really make great videos about photography

Hello Simon, greetings from Calgary. As a beginner, your videos sure help to shorten my learning curve. I like your presentation style - easy to follow. P.S. Your Bird Breath video is fantastic!

Thanks Simon, another video with some great tips for photographing small birds. I started taking pictures of birds about 3 years ago after retiring and now I find my keeper rate has dropped but it is really satisfying when I get a photo that I would call a framer.

Full manual with Auto ISO is the way to go. I use almost all the time.

Excellent video! You demonstrate "mindful photography" and thinking about the position and backgrounds vs. just going out and shooting pictures of birds! Well done, keep it up!

Great tips Simon. I’ve unintentionally used some of these tips already but now that I know what they are I can actually be intentional in how I am approaching photographing small birds in the future. Thanks

Thanks Simon, finally subscribed. Your video often reminds me not to go for boring "bird-on-a -stick" composition. After saying that, like you, I happen to love chasing smaller birds with my Nikon 1 v2/300mm pf f4 combo like Verdin, gnatcatchers, Kinglets, and Warblers. Thanks for sharing!

🎯..... like always ...

another great one Simon. Here in ontario we have the same birds I use these environment techniques with great success .thanks for a great video, great interview on Keys show ..