Garden Bird Photography With Tamron Lenses

Image taken by David Pritchard with the Tamron 150-600mm lens

Garden bird photography is something that anyone can have a go at in their own back garden or local park. Here, we share some top tips for capturing great shots of your garden birds with Tamron kit:

Lenses

Ideally you'll need something with a long reach as garden birds can be quite shy. You'll need to make sure you can hide yourself away, whilst keeping a good view of where the birds are likely to land - more on this later. The Tamron 150-600mm lens will be brilliant for enabling you to get close-up shots of the birds. 

Setting up

As you may be waiting a while for birds to come down, the use of a tripod will be a great help, allowing you to keep the shot steady and not tire your arms out holding a long lens for lengthy periods of time. If you have a conservatory or similar room, staying inside and shooting out of an open window or door in warmer weather is one way not to spook the birds. You'll need to keep still and let them acclimatise to your presence. If you're serious about bird watching and partake often, it may be worth investing in a hide, letting you stake out at a location without being noticed. 

Set up a bird table/perch

It can be difficult to predict where birds will lend when they come to feed. Of course, to attract wildlife yo your garden you'll need to create an environment where they feel safe. A bird table can be adapted with a natural wood perch, to make your shots look a little more natural, and if you have a tree in the garden that you can place sees on all the better. It's also advisable to provide birds with a bush or leafy area that they can flee to if they feel threatened. This will encourage them to keep coming back, and stay longer in the garden, too. By using a perch, either a branch or log near the bird table, you can give yourself a better idea of where birds will land, making it quicker for you to change the angle of the camera and focus in on the bird. 

Technique

Set the camera up on the tripod and focus in on the perch or tree that you think birds are likely to land. When one does appear, make sure that all of the bird is in focus as although you want a nice blurred background, if the tips of the bird's wings or tail is out of focus it can spoil the shot. Aim for the centre of the focus to be on the eyes. It can be beneficial to use manual focus so you can make slight adjustments as the bird moves. Take several images, as the bird eats and moves around. allow it some time to become comfortable in its surroundings.