Shooting Birds

What do I need?

1) Lots of money: I am not kidding. If you want to do serious bird photography you need at least a 400mm lens with a minimum aperture of not more than f5.6. Sigma and Tamron make cheaper lenses but cannot compete in terms of quality with Canon and Nikon. The Canons and Nikons cost Rs 70000 plus. You can use the 400mm plus a 1.4x extender which will make it around 560mm but you will lose speed-the aperture will become f8 and autofocus in most cameras won't work (which is a must for shots of birds in flight)

If you have lots of money get the 500mm or 600mm. These are tack sharp but you have to use them with a tripod. Hand held is almost impossible as they are more than 5 kg in weight. Did I mention that these lenses will cost you upward of 2-3 lakhs?

2) A GOOD tripod: When I say good I mean a carbon fibre tripod (light but very sturdy) with a Ball head so that you can manouvre your lens in any way quickly. I am not talking about tripods which have three different screws for moving the camera horizontally, vertically and adjust height. Again these will set you back by about Rs 20-40 thousand

3) Lens with IS: Only if you are going to shoot hand held (which is not a great idea anyway) and useless if you are buying 500mm or more

4) Camera: Make sure your camera has at least 7-9 focusing points or more. this is necessary when you want to take shots of birds in flight. Cameras also have a movement tracking focus system but I have not had a great experience with these. Also make sure the camera has burst mode and at least 4fps or more

5) Excellent command over camera modes and functions: On the field you will be required to make changes quickly and probably for every 2-3 shots. If you take your own time the bird ain't waiting...

6) Loads of Patience: You will get terrible shots most of the time as your camera might not have focused right, the bird might have moved and created blur, you miss the moment, exposure not correct, camera shake, the list is endless. So be prepared to spend hours of looking through the viewfinder and click at the right moment. You will love the shots you get

Method that works for me:

1) Wait and watch: Move very little and try to be in one position for longer times so that the birds are not disturbed and take you for granted. If you have to move do it very slowly and without making noise

2) Aperture priority mode: I set the minimum aperture of the lens so that I get maximum speed. I generally do not hike up ISO more than 300 as grainy bird shots are terrible

3) Overexpose: I generally overexpose by 1/2 or 1 stop so that if I am shooting against the light the bird does not get underexposed

4) Go to the place again and again: This tells you about the habits of the birds, their time schedule and the best vantage points

5) DO NOT pelt stones to make birds fly or feed or disturb them in any way... Please!!!