Some theories apply to each style of photography, which includes many creative and creative techniques that you use. However, I think each style has its own nuances and differences. Today, I want to share five creative techniques that are particularly relevant in bird photography. These are not rules – instead, they are ideas that encourage you to use and flex your creativity when taking pictures of birds.
1. Split the frame
If the bird is sitting on a long branch – or on any other long object like a fence or wire – your composition will be divided into at least two parts. While composing, you have a lot of freedom on how the line will divide the frame. Does it pass through the center? Is it flat or diagonal? How much does it leave on both sides? How does it interact with the background?
Different ways to divide the frame can lead to new feelings in your bird photos. Next time you find a bird on a branch, remember this visual division, and use it with different ways to compose!
See how this is not a rule? This is a way to be aware of an important high-level concept in a scene, and make a conscious option about where to keep it.
2. Environmental
I like pictures of birds, but I also like shots that include environment or behavior. These photos tell you something about the species, and it can be particularly interesting. (This is especially true when showing pictures to those who are not as passionate about birds as I am.)
Of course, portrait-style photos often give subtle indications about birds’ behavior and ecology. The composition of the wing structure, color, and overall body is always whisper of mysteries. But sometimes a strong message is the best, and the environment and behavior can actually increase dynamics and life in the animal world. When you spot a bird, look carefully of these elements, and decide how to express the best in a photo.
3. Color
Birds have a variety of every color, so do not let it ruin! For example, I like this english photo against blue sky, because I like the opposite between blue and yellow:
However, a blue sky does not complement every type of bird in the same way. Sometimes, the colors of a bird are better with green leaves or brown tree trunk.
Especially when there are lots of birds all around, I like to choose shots based on color combinations that are possible. Anhinga that I just showed is a dark bird that works good against the bright sky; Meanwhile, the bottom night works well in heron trees:
This picture has a spotlight effect, in which bright birds are hidden in trees. It is also a high opposite form, which seems to be moody to the photo. Of course, it is not just color that plays a role here: even the form of the bird looks slightly moody, staring in all bunch and zero. However, if the dark Enginga from the previous picture was in one place in this way, the color palette of the photo would be very dark, and it could be difficult to tell what was happening in the photo.
4. Change in meditation background
A small change in your camera position or angle can affect how the subject appears in the photo. We all know that. But because the background is also far away, the background is also More Impressed by a change in the camera angle! And this bird is very noticeable with long lenses used for photography.
Pay attention to what happens with the background when you see through the visual -sightedness. This is especially important because there is a possibility, you will be so centered on your subject that you can forget the background. Let’s take the following examples:
In this scene, there were some very bright leaves in the background under the frame. They are not shown in the photo, because I have kept the camera a little less and indicated them to get them out of the composition! Often, after I get a good topic, I spend most of my time to focus on the background and how it can complement the subject, even more than the amount of that time when I spend on the subject itself. The goal is creating a composition in which nothing is far from the photo.
5. Never be afraid to use
With millions of bird photos that can lead your way into your subconscious, switching to “automated mode” is so easy and simply take photos in a certain set of styles you have seen. I am also guilty of this. This is even more difficult because birds are usually not … cooperatives, and so no shot is better than anyone, right?
But not proceed to uninteresting shoots! Perform an enterprise in a strange creative field, especially when you are in a relatively Tamad bird company, ready to sit for a while, or when you see a species you have photographed more than your cat.
The following photos are one of my favorite experiments, which is taken in Sao Paulo. I saw a southern lapwing, and I wanted to express the idea of ”goodbye” because it was getting closer to the time where I was leaving Brazil.
I knew that I was not going to see the southern lapwing for some time, and it made me sad because they are in the list of my top ten birds. Thus I frameed the head sticking from the bottom of the frame, looked away from the viewer (but still turned into enough side to see the eye). This actually gives me a sense of “goodbye”, or perhaps as Brazilian says, “Saudad.”
conclusion
It is not easy to create to express emotions and sensations. I believe that sometimes I forget to think as much as I should be out of there. But when I take a little extra time to focus on what really stands up and attracts my interest, I always feel that I get more interesting pictures. So the next time you are out of there, let those mysterious elements of color and form submerge in your mind and then find out how you want to portray them!
