There are four bird photography fundamentals we can keep in mind that help add some interest, action, and drama to our images. Rather than camera gear based fundamentals, they relate to the kinds of behaviours that birds exhibit. To state these four bird photography fundamentals as politely as possible these include flying, feeding, fighting, and fornicating. I like to call these the “four F’s” of bird photography. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should stop photographing perched birds.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

Many of us are fascinated by birds, finding special beauty in the multiple colourations found in their plumage.

Photographing perched birds yields its own rewards.

Even some of the most common birds in our local areas can grace our photographs with their intricate beauty.

Some images of perched birds can capture moments of concentration.

Inquisitiveness.

Or caution and awareness.

Many of us have opportunities to capture images of migratory species that are only visible in our local areas for a limited duration of time.

Capturing images of perched birds is how most of us begin our journey with this genre of photography.

Some people travel specifically to photograph birds in other countries or on other continents.

Others of us visit captive environments to capture images of non-native bird species. Our fascination with bird photography sometimes evolves into a passion. Sometimes we think of bird photography fundamentals in terms of how we use our camera gear.

Let’s examine four bird photography fundamentals that can expand our craft by focusing on the actions of subject birds. The first is flying.

Capturing images of birds-in-flight is often one of the biggest ongoing challenges we face.

We need to develop good eye/hand coordination to photograph birds-in-flight.

It is also important to develop a sense of timing in order to capture images of birds-in-flight where the subject bird’s wings are in an interesting position.

It can also add drama if we capture a bird banking or stalling in mid-flight.

As we become more committed to photographing birds-in-flight our interest in the capabilities of our camera gear tends to increase.

We investigate auto-focusing capabilities and frame rates.

Many of us choose to invest in longer focal length lenses and/or teleconverters to increase the reach of our camera gear.

Computational photography features can become increasingly important in terms of our choice of camera gear. For example, I rely heavily my E-M1X’s Pro Capture technology, and Bird Detection AI Subject Tracking.

Capturing images of birds-in-flight can extend to our visits of captive environments and create additional drama in resulting photographs. Of the four bird photography fundamentals capturing birds-in-flight is the most common pursuit by many photographers.

After flying, our next stage in the four fundamentals of bird photography is feeding. Often flying and feeding are combined in the same photograph.

Photographing birds feeding is not for the faint of heart. Nature can be brutal as the continued life of one bird can come at the expense of the death of another living thing.

Some photographers avoid these types of images as they find them personally disturbing. Some folks are affected more by certain types of prey than others. For example, a bird eating the chick of another species may cause disgust, while a bird feeding on a fish or insect may not.

Images of birds feeding can sometimes document the interaction between birds, often with their young.

After chicks are fledged is usually a good time to photograph this type of behaviour.

Bird photographers that I know tend to be very open and share their successes with other people in terms of where they were able to capture images of birds feeding. They also can be open to sharing their technique and camera settings that they use.

Photographing birds feeding can add a significant amount of drama to images. Shutter release timing, as well as good eye/hand coordination are required. Of the four bird photography fundamentals some photographers will spend the bulk of their time trying to capture this type of action.

The third area in the four fundaments of bird photography is fighting. These moments usually occur very quickly and are more akin to brief skirmishes rather than full fledged fights most of the time. If fights do break out they can result in serious injury or death.

I’ve found that images of fighting/skirmishes are often some of the most difficult to capture given their brevity. It can be very helpful to learn to recognize bird threat behaviours.

Fighting is often not much more than a threat display from one bird to another that then erupts into a short chase or confrontation.

Our final area of the four bird photography fundamentals is fornicating or mating. The act of mating is often very brief and usually involves the momentary mounting of a male bird on the back of a female.

Computational photography technologies such as Pro Capture can allow us to capture this mounting action as it occurs, as depicted in the following six images.

The actual mating time can vary quite a bit with smaller birds tending to have very brief couplings. Larger birds, like swans, can have more extended interludes.

Many species of birds have unique courtship displays which can also make very interesting photographs.

Remembering the four bird photography fundamentals can help add some interest, action and drama to our images. Focusing on the “four F’s” of flying, feeding, fighting and fornicating can also make our time spent with our camera a more creative and enjoyable experience when out photographing birds.

Technical Note:

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Images were produced from RAW files using my standard approach in post.  Images were resized for web use. This is the 1,183 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

How you can help keep this site advertising free

My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to support my work, you can purchase an eBook, or make a donation through PayPal. Both are most appreciated.

If you click on the Donate button below you will find that there are three donation options: $7.50, $10.00 and $20.00. All are in Canadian funds. Plus, you can choose a different amount if you want. You can also increase your donation amount to help offset our costs associated with accepting your donation through PayPal. An ongoing, monthly contribution to support our work can also be done through the PayPal Donate button below.

You can make your donation through your PayPal account, or by using a number of credit card options.

Word of mouth is the best form of endorsement. If you like our website please let your friends and associates know about our work. Linking to this site or to specific articles is allowed with proper acknowledgement. Reproducing articles, or any of the images contained in them, on another website or in any social media posting is a Copyright infringement.

Article is Copyright 2022 Thomas Stirr. Images are Copyright 2017-2022 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!