I tend to take a lot of photos of birds. As a life-long photographer, I have applied myself to wedding photography, landscape photography, portraiture, and architectural photography. Given this background, I honestly believe that bird photography may be the most challenging and, at times, quite rewarding. Many people think that wedding photography is the most challenging because you don’t get any “do-overs”. Wedding moments are present and then they are gone. But a wedding photographer has the benefit of being able to recon the venue, set up lights as needed, talk to the bride and wedding party to give instructions – all within a reasonably confined space. Bird photographers generally get none of these benefits. Birds fly in unexpectedly, land in the shade or partial sunlight, face away from the camera and fly just as the camera gains focus. Sure, we can set up lights and draw birds to a photo stage with food but true, in-the-field bird photography leans heavily on technical camera mastery, knowledge of the subject(s) being sought, and, frankly, a lot of luck.
Social media opens up our eyes to a global variety of amazing birds. There is no shortage of masterful photographers who show their work to the world on a daily basis. I marvel at the colors and patterns of birds I have never heard of as I admire the clarity and beautiful light the photographer used to give me their photo. I am frequently inspired as I scan through dozens of photos each night and try to reverse engineer how a photo was taken.
Bird photographers tend to be a passionate bunch. As one’s skills with camera technology improve we begin to challenge ourselves to do better – gain better focus, recognize the moment a bird provides a great pose, know that light will only show magnificent feather iridescence for a fleeting second, and that patience is key to success. So is a willingness to repeatedly fail. Behind every great bird photo there are millions of pixels in the digital bin.
As a case study of the passion and patience of a master bird photographer, I’d like to introduce you to Mike Forsberg, a Great Plains photographer with a penchant for birds (https://www.michaelforsberg.com/). I learned about Mike when I was researching American Dippers and looking for needed background information about this amazing bird – America’s only aquatic songbird.
Our fast-water, Cascade streams and rivers are home to many American Dippers. I always wonder what this bird does underwater. If you have watched them dive and surface with a hellgrammite in its beak, you have probably wondered about the “how” of the bird’s submerged chase.
Mike Forsberg was determined to get a photo of an American Dipper underwater. Possessing the requisite skills and equipment allowed Mike to pursue this challenge over time. He teamed up with a local guide on the Poudre River in Colorado and produced an amazing collection of stills and video to show us the remarkable “Trout with Feathers”.
I admire bird photographers. You exhibit such patience!