Tips And Advice for Photographing Backyard Birds

Images by David Akoubian

Birds in your backyard are a convenient and fun subject for wildlife photographers, and let you get great shots from the comfort of your own home. Let’s look at a few tips and tricks to help you get the most of your backyard bird photos!

TIP 1: Attract Them to Your Yard

Birds love areas with plenty of vegetation, perching spots, water sources, and (of course) bird feeders and suet blocks. Take the time to build a natural and appealing environment that will attract birds to your yard.

TIP 2: Get Up Close and Personal with A Telephoto Lens

The Tamron 15-500mm F/5-6.7 DI III VC VXD (Model A057) is a mirrorless lens for Sony E-mount cameras, with reach up to 500mm zoom. The Tamron 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022) for Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras (and mirrorless cameras with the manufacturer adapter) zooms to 600mm. Both are ideal for backyard bird photography. A powerful telephoto lens is essential for getting close-up shots of birds, since they’ll simply fly away if you get too close.

TIP 3: Use A Tripod

A tripod is essential for telephoto lenses due to their weight and size, so make sure you have a durable, heavy-duty tripod that will stabilize your camera and your lens properly. However, a lens like the 150-500mm is very compact for a lens in its class and offers great hand-holding ability. Additionally, both lenses provide VC (vibration compensation) of up to 4 stops to eliminate blur from camera shake. Additionally, if you are photographing the birds as they fly from branch to branch, you can use the panning mode built into each lens. If you do use a tripod, be sure to turn VC off.

TIP 4: Shoot in The Morning and The Evening

The morning and evening are ideal for photographing birds. If the sun is bright, keep it behind you to avoid shadows on birds. Overcast conditions are easier to deal with, since the light will be more diffused and there will be less harsh contrast to worry about.

TIP 5: Sit Quietly and Avoid Movement While Shooting

Be very quiet and still. Find a place that’s out of the way and avoid movement. You don’t want to scare off your subjects!

Interested in buying new Tamron lenses and taking your backyard photos to the next level? Find an authorized Tamron dealer near you, or visit the TAMRON Store to shop the 150-500mm and 150-600mm and see why the value and performance of Tamron lenses can’t be beaten!

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