Why Bird Photography?

[Roger Clark]

I don't think this question has been asked here, so I thought it might be fun to see how people respond.

Why bird photography?

I'll start. First, I started out as a landscape photographer and while always interested in wildlife, a 4x5 sheet film camera was not a great way to do wildlife (but when it worked, the images were great). In the 1990s I started getting better lenses for my 35 mm system and did more wildlife. I then bought a 500 mm f/4 L IS telephoto for the primary purpose of astrophotography. Once I got it, I realized this is a great wildlife lens too. One trip to Bosque had me hooked. I was always in awe on a beautiful bird, but seeing them in the numbers at Bosque where you could see their interactions were amazing. I still do landscapes (now with digital mosaics to reach and surpass 4x5 quality), astrophotography, general wildlife (e.g. Alaska to Africa) and birds. Over the last decade some personal events made bird photography more special for me (including stress at work and some health issues). The contrast of 4x5 photography where I would spend 45 minutes setting up and focusing, to bird-in-flight photography where tracking, focusing, and composition had to be a fraction of a second was examples of extremes. The thrill of capturing images where one has to make such rapid decision was (and is) quite a thrill. Plus bird photography drew me to new locations and seeing more of the world and conditions where animals live and the impact of humans is an amazing eye opener. So bird photography provides many outlets for me. It gets me out into nature under varied conditions, action provides challenges up to and beyond my abilities and equipment, and there are so many different species, I'll never exhaust seeing new ones. I could go on, but let's hear from others.

(The attached egret image was printed full page in the fall 2004 Natures Best magazine, page 21 in case you have a copy. It was taken in 2003 with a Canon D60 camera, 500 mm f/4 IS lens at f/4, 1/1500 sec at ISO 200, -0.5 stop. The image is a vertical crop from a horizontal image. I gotta go back with my more modern equipment, :) Actually, I have several times, but never got an image I liked more than this one.)

Roger

[Jay Gould]

While there are differences to be seen in every aspect of our lives starting with the simple fingerprint (no two are alike), the design, color, and combinations of bird feathers throughout the avian world fascinate me to the point of asking the "how coud it have happened" questions. I don't have the answers; I don't buy into "intelligent design" in part because no one has answered the question who designed the intelligent designers; I am simply fascinated by the amazing varieties of feathers in their various combinations and permutations.

On another note, being an avid SCUBA diver, I have the same fascination for shells.

[Ed Cordes]

I too love the beauty and grace of the avians. I also love the chance to interact with them. They are relatively accessable and a super challenge to do right.

[Don Hamilton Jr.]

MClark, i really enjoyed your summary of the "Why"! Yesterday, i went for the first time to a wetlands preserve, and had a huge "eye-opener". Man it was such an awesome sight to see. A newly found love, and appreciation of the Avian species kept me awake most of the night!
So much to learm, and the challenge is extreme, it will make your heart pound like my wife did the first time i saw her! :) :)
What a great new found world! Conservation, and ecology is now on my brain!
I'm Hooked!!!
Don

[Rob Miner]

My reason differs from the submitters above. I have tried photography since 1957, but something was always lacking. A couple of years ago I got a look at digital - it was the answer for me. I chose birds because I could take numerous pictures every day and therefore I could shorten the learning time over landscape which required more miles, time and money. It wasn't long until I realized that I was not only enjoying shooting birds, but the excitement had returned to my life...

Rob...............

[Flavio Rose]

(a) My eyesight is not so good (ever since childhood) -- I'm quite nearsighted, the problem is not very correctable with lenses, and so my interest in nature never led me to birding. I discovered not very long ago that taking photographs makes it possible for me to identify birds and so my 400 mm lens has let me take the first steps towards becoming a birder.

(b) Bird photography is relatively simple in that once you are sufficiently close to a perched/swimming/wading bird and your shadow is pointing at it, a good picture is generally possible -- at least if the bird got the memo about the head angle police.

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

I too love the beauty and grace of the avians. I also love the chance to interact with them. They are relatively accessable and a super challenge to do right.

I could not have put it any better than that.:)

[Harshad Barve]

I love the beauty , variety , different distrubutions and challenges in Bird photography

[Kerry Perkins]

I have been a bird fan since childhood and started learning photography while in the Army, over 40 years ago. I started paying more attention to both interests about a year ago and one visit to BPN convinced me that I could combine them. I love birds and wildlife and now have the opportunity to photgraph them and what could be better?

[hybeagle]

It was taken in 2003 with a Canon D60 camera, 500 mm f/4 IS lens at f/4, 1/1500 sec at ISO 200, -0.5 stop. The image is a vertical crop from a horizontal image. I gotta go back with my more modern equipment, :) Actually, I have several times, but never got an image I liked more than this one.)

Roger

There is proof Camera bodies DON"T matter.