articles/Nature/birdsinthegarden-page2

Photographing Birds in the Garden - part 2 of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

by Jon Ashton Published 01/04/2012

Location Location

There are several considerations to keep in mind before deciding upon a location for the hide. The following will help reduce the requirement for additional apparatus and also reduce subsequent time spent on the computer:

The time of day you will be using the hide
The position in relation to hedges and trees
The position of the sun
The background
Any garden 'traffic'

If you intend to use the hide during the morning, for example, you may find that the sun is not ideally positioned in relation to your surroundings. Ideally the sun should be shining directly onto the subject and it should not produce strong highlights in the background. Sometimes a slight degree of back-lighting can be attractive. Beware that strong side-lighting can lead to dark shadows and a loss of plumage detail. Placing the hide reasonably close to a hedge or bushes will give the birds a sense of security - you will notice that they are happy to dart in and out to the feeder(s). Lastly ensure the hide is located in a position where the rest of the family will not be continually walking by, or worse still where someone might steal it.

Now we come to the bit where we get to work with, as to opposed against, nature. The hide will provide you with some degree of comfort: protecting you from the elements, concealing you from sight and offering you the opportunity to make yourself at home. Depending upon where your hide is going to be located, and indeed for how long, will determine how much effort it is worth investing. For periods of weeks or on very wet ground you may wish to consider placing something like duck boards in the hide.

This will keep your feet from being in the mud and help keep them stay a little warmer (assuming it is winter). You will need a seat or stool in the hide and again a firm grounding footage, or base, will prevent the legs from sinking in to the ground. A flask of tea or coffee, maybe some sandwiches or biscuits will also be very beneficial. I do not usually take a book with me - it is inevitable that something will happen when my nose is buried in the text! You will find there are flurries of activity followed by eriods of inactivity; I use this time for a little careful chimping - this helps reduce time editing and comparing images back home on the computer.

I would stress, however, that I only delete images that are obviously unsharp or where the bird is not in the frame, if there is doubt over whether the image is usable or not then I would leave it and make that decision on the computer.

• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 1
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 2
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 3
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 4
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 5
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 6
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 7
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 8
  
• Photographing Birds in the Garden page 9
  

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