Photographing Birds in Flight: 10 Pro Tips for Stunning Aerial Shots (2024)

This site is supported by our readers. We may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through links.

With the speed and agility of birds, flying becomes an exciting act to capture through the viewfinder. You will learn how to take breathtaking aerial shots by following these 10 pro tips—mastering camera settings and perfecting the panning technique.

Whether you are a first-time shooter or an avid one, these insights by experts shall elevate your bird photography to levels that leave you stunned.

Ready to unfurl your creative wings, just to capture the raw beauty of avian acrobatics?

Camera Settings Overview

First and foremost, when it comes to capturing birds in flight, nailing the settings on your camera is important. You’re going to want to start with manual exposure mode to give you all the control.

Open up that aperture real wide for plenty of light, and crank that shutter speed up to freeze some action. Place the camera at its highest frame rate; you’re going to need this to snag those cardiac-moment shots.

Metering can be tricky, so meter the sky and open up 2 to 2 1/3 stops. In situations like this, exposure compensation is your best friend. Keep an eye out for the white balance, especially in changing light conditions.

While image stabilization is good when doing static shots, it’s best turned off if the bird is moving. Focus tracking, of course, is very important, but I’ll discuss it in just a second.

Autofocus Modes for Birds in Flight

Choosing the right autofocus mode when photographing flying birds is very key to a sharp picture. You need continuous autofocus or AI Servo/AF-C, which will track your feathered subjects as they soar through the sky. This feature continuously changes focus while holding down the shutter button halfway so that the bird will stay sharp even if the distance changes.

Play around with Group-Area AF and Zone AF to see which one best suits your style. These modes will use more than one focus point to track your subject, giving you a better chance of keeping moving birds in focus. Also, don’t forget to engage your lens’ focus limiter, if it has one; it will speed up autofocus performance by restricting the focus range.

Number of Focus Points to Use

Now, as far as focus points go, you do have some options. When it comes to birds in flight, in general, being able to use multiple focus points can be game-changing.

If you can use your camera’s settings for Group-Area AF or Zone AF, it will give you more coverage and a better opportunity to nail that shot. These modes broaden out the focus area, perfect for tracking those unpredictable avian acrobats.

But single-point AF shouldn’t be dismissed entirely. This is your sharpshooter for focus on the bird’s eye, especially when you’ve got clear eye contact.

Experiment with different focus point patterns until you find one that works best with your style and subject matter. The bottom line is matching your AF point selection to the behavior of the bird and how it flies.

The more you practice, the better developed your instincts will become, and nailing those feathered speedsters tack-sharp in your viewfinder will become second nature.

Ideal Aperture and Shutter Speed

If you want to shoot a bird in flight, the major things are going to be aperture and shutter speed. You’ll want to be working in aperture-priority or shutter-priority mode.

Wanting to freeze motion, you’ll at least want to have a fast shutter speed of 1/2000th second so that every feather is captured—no blur.

For aperture, though a wide opening like f/4 or f/5.6 can help separate the bird from the background, if you need more depth of field for group shots, try stopping down to f/8 or f/11. Remember, of course, that these are all going to be adjusted based on light and bird speed.

Don’t be afraid to bump up your ISO if needed to maintain a fast shutter speed.

The sweet spot will be found with practice, and then the subject sharpness will really come into play with the background blur to deliver stunning aerial shots ready for minimal editing in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Using AI Servo Mode for Continuous Focus

When you’re chasing those perfect bird-in-flight shots, AI Servo mode is your secret weapon. This continuous focus tracking feature keeps your feathered subject razor-sharp, even as it darts across the sky.

To make the most of AI Servo, pair it with continuous shooting for rapid-fire captures. As you track the bird, anticipate its movements and keep your focus point on its head or body. The camera’s predictive focusing will do the heavy lifting, calculating where the bird will be next.

Don’t be afraid to manually override if needed – sometimes your instincts are quicker than the machine. With practice, you’ll develop a sixth sense for subject anticipation, improving your hit rate dramatically.

Adjusting ISO for Changing Lighting Conditions

Now that you have conquered AI Servo mode, let’s deal with ISO settings for varying light. When photographing birds in flight, you more often than not are going to encounter lighting conditions that change very fast. That’s where Auto ISO will become your closest friend. That will adjust sensitivity on the fly—allowing you to focus on nailing that perfect shot.

But it isn’t of the set-and-forget type; you do need to keep an eye on your ISO compensation. Now, if you’re in a situation with a very bright sky, you might need to dial it down a bit.

Worried about noise? Most of the available modern cameras today are ISO invariant—high ISO settings shouldn’t degrade the image that much. Experiment to get the sweet spot ISO range on your camera. Remember, a little grainy is better than a total blur.

With practice, you’ll develop instincts about when to make ISO adjustments that will take your bird photography to the next level.

Importance of Custom Shooting Modes

Custom shooting modes are your secret weapon for capturing stunning bird photography action. They’ll help you nail those split-second shots without fumbling with settings. Here’s why you need to embrace custom modes:

• Save time by instantly recalling your perfect bird-in-flight setup
• Adapt quickly to changing conditions with pre-configured modes
• Reduce missed shots by eliminating manual adjustments
• Share custom modes with fellow photographers for collaborative learning
• Experiment with different setups without losing your go-to configuration

Maximizing Depth of Field for Sharp Images

Now that you’ve set up your custom shooting modes, let’s dive into maximizing depth of field for razor-sharp bird images. Manipulating DOF is just about the single most critical technique at your command to get every feather in detail.

One way you can maximize your depth of field is by increasing your ISO. This may seem a little counterintuitive, but actually, this is one of those hidden secrets behind these shots of birds: you’ll be able to maintain a smaller aperture without any loss in shutter speed. The higher your f-stop, the more of your subject will be in focus. But don’t crank up ISO either. Experiment to find your sweet spot regarding settings for your personal camera.

Other advanced focusing techniques, like zone focusing, can also help in keeping the bird sharp throughout its path of flight.

With these very useful tricks of bird photography, you’ll be all set to master the art of aerial shots.

Effectively Capturing Motion With Shutter Speeds

Want to capture birds in flight? Well, shutter speed is going to be an ace in your hole. That’s what’s going to get you some seriously striking aerial shots that will leave everyone speechless. You have two main options:

1. Fast shutter speeds: To freeze every feather in mid-air, 1/2000s or higher is used.
2. Low shutter speeds of 1/15 second to 1/60 second: Ensures artistic motion blur is created
3. Panning technique: Blend slow speeds with camera movement for dynamic effects.

Fast speeds are perfect to freeze the action, letting you capture intricate details of birds in mid-flight. Though don’t dismiss the slow ones, as they offer creative license. With the slower shutter speed and panning with respect to the movement of the bird, you’ll be creating images that speak of motion and conditioned energy. Call it dancing with light! Play around with different speeds to find that sweet spot where your bird photography soars up to new heights.

Practice Tips for Improving Bird Photography

Now that you have mastered shutter speeds, it’s time to fine-tune your skills. Practice makes perfect, and the same applies to bird photography. You’ll have to develop techniques on focusing, backgrounds, and shooting angles in order to capture those astounding aerial shots. To master the art of capturing birds in flight, understanding bird behavior patterns is essential to anticipate and prepare for the perfect shot. Of course, to really elevate your bird photography, mastering techniques like the rule of thirds can help you create visually appealing compositions, avoiding centered subjects with the rule of thirds, and not forgetting the wind effect and lens stabilization while you perfect your craft, here are three key practice tips to help take your bird photography to the next level:

1. Practice initially with stationary subjects until you perfect the focusing and composing.
2. Progressively work your way to slower flying birds before moving on to higher speed fliers.
3. Join a community of bird photography enthusiasts to share tips and to get feedback.

Use apps or computer programs specifically designed for bird photography to plan your outings and identify species. Experiment with plugins and filters to enhance the images from after the shoot. Every outing is an opportunity to learn more and do better next time. Gas up, head out, and don’t get discouraged when flight shots aren’t perfect instantly. With persistence, a lot of practice, and tons of patience, you’ll soon be able to capture stunning bird-in-flight shots like a real pro.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)