Wintertime, which often brings chilly conditions and snowy/icy situations, is a wonderful time for bird photography. It doesn’t matter if it’s your backyard or in exotic locations like Antarctica, where I took the opening image for this article. No matter where you take your pictures, the same principles apply, as do the challenges when shooting winter bird photography.
The biggest challenges are often protecting your camera from the elements and staying warm and comfortable so you can concentrate on composing good pictures and getting a good exposure. With those thoughts in mind, I’ll start with some suggestions. Yes, that’s me in the photo, practicing what I preach.
Camera protection
Snow and sleet are not a camera’s friend — even if your camera and lens are weather-sealed. I’ve found the most affordable way to keep your camera dry is to use an Op/Tech Rainsleeve. If you look closely at the photo, you’ll see that the sleeve is pulled tight behind the lens hood. That way, the lens hood shades the front element of the lens while the cover protects the lens and camera.
An Essential Tripod Accessory
Tripod legs get cold. If you are not wearing gloves, adjusting your tripod in chilly conditions is not fun. The remedy is to use a tripod leg warmer, like the set offered by Gitzo. Technically it’s not a warmer, but it does keep your hand from feeling the cold when you touch a cold tripod leg.
Waterproof Camera Bag or Cover
Because you may be setting your camera bag down on the snowy ground, a waterproof bag or cover is recommended. Sometimes I use the cover provided by the camera bag manufacturer. Other times, I just bring a plastic garbage bag to use as needed.
If you are in a situation where you can’t put down your backpack, the Mindshift Panorama backpack, which I am wearing in the photo sequence above, is an option. It has a swing-out pocket that lets you change lenses quickly and easily.
Clothing
A warm waterproof jacket, a warm hat, rain pants and waterproof boots are also important accessories — as are gloves.
Choosing the right gloves can be a challenge because there are so many different styles and models. Also, different photographers prefer different gloves. Adorama offers more than a dozen different types of gloves. In choosing gloves, the most important considerations are access to camera controls and warmth.
Even with good gloves, your hands can get cold. To keep your fingers toasty (as well as your toes), I recommend packing hand warmers.
Get a Good In-Camera Exposure
The most important photo tip for getting a good in-camera exposure of your subject in the snow/ice is to check your exposure with your camera’s Highlight Alert and/or Histogram. This is a practice I followed when I photographed these penguins in Antarctica and this cute owl in Upstate New York.
Basically, you don’t want the subject in your photograph to be too dark. This can happen when photographing in an automatic mode because your camera’s light meter thinks the scene is brighter than it actually is and therefore, sets the exposure for an underexposed image.
Generally speaking, when there is a lot of white in the frame, you want to set your exposure compensation to EV+1 – for starters. After taking a test shot, check your Highlight Alert and Histogram to make sure you have a good exposure of your subject. If not, make the necessary adjustments. That’s what I did when I photographed these sandhill cranes in Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico in December after a light snowfall.
Snow and ice are not the only background factors that can affect exposure of your subject. Water and sky brighter than the subject can have the same effect. I kept that in mind when photographing this owl in Upstate New York and this bald eagle in Alaska. I followed the same checking-my-exposure procedure that I mentioned above.
Sure, you can adjust the highlights and shadows in Photoshop or Lightroom, but it’s always best to get it right in camera.
Basic Bird Photography Principles
Again, no matter where you are and not matter what type of birds you are photographing, the same basic principles apply:
- To capture the most interesting gesture, set your camera at the highest frame rate.
- Set the focus to continuous, as opposed to one-shot.
- Select Animal Tracking, which is one of the biggest breakthroughs in camera technology for wildlife photographers.
- To stop/freeze action, set a shutter speed of at least 1/1000th of a second.
- Concentrate on the eyes. If the eye or eyes are not in sharp focus and well lit, you’ve missed the shot.
I used all these factors to select my settings when I took this raptor photo with my Canon EOS R 3 and Canon RF100-500mm lens this past Decembers (when it was near freezing) in Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico.
Gesture is Key
Here’s another photograph from my winter trip to Bosque Del Apache, NM. I know I already mentioned the importance of gesture, but it really is an essential element in bird photography (and all wildlife photography). I have many other photos of sandhill cranes taking off, but it is the gesture of the bird in this photograph that makes it one of my favorite Bosque images. This is another Canon EOS R 3 and Canon RF100-500mm lens image.
Just a quick reminder: take wide-angle bird shots, too. This photograph was also taken this past December in Bosque. Here I used my Canon EOS R3 and Canon RF24-105mm lens to capture the scene of hundreds of snow geese and sandhill cranes coming in for a landing at sunset. And yes, the aforementioned Basic Bird Photography Principles apply here, too.
Travel Where it’s Warmer
Here’s another bird photography tip, especially for “snowbirds” like me: go to Florida in winter and photograph birds where it is much warmer. That’s what I did this past January, making several visits to the popular wildlife sanctuary Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida. I snapped this picture of a roseate spoonbill taking off from the boardwalk early one morning.
Be sure to stay patience and watch the background. Remember, the background can make or break a shot. And yes, it’s the gesture of this beautiful bird that made me choose it as my keeper from the shoot.
Good luck with your winter bird photography. It can be a fun and rewarding experience to capture elusive avian subjects, both close to home and in more distant locations.
