Seeking Tips and Tricks for getting photos

[LaikeLouFarms]

I need to get some nice photos of my flock for our webpage and I can never seem to get any. They aren't the friendliest bunch unless there's food involved and it looks like a madhouse. Someone is always blurry and I have a decent camera that I use for photos. What are some tips and tricks you all use to get good photos of your birds? Also, I always feel like my yard looks like trash cause we have no grass courtesy of my 3 dogs and all the birds.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I take tons of photos in order to get a few keepers. I also spend time slowly walking around, while trying to keep up with my subject.

It also helps to have a camera with a sports setting, and to have good natural lighting for the day.

 

[drumstick diva]

Sometimes it helps to have even a short telephoto lens . My old point & shoot cameras had them . They were great if you couldn't get close to the target without scaring it.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Getting good pictures is hard!!! I always take tons of pictures just to get one or two that are good enough to keep.

 

[LaikeLouFarms]

I have thousands of photos and maybe 3 decent ones. I have a Sony Cybershot with built-in 35x zoom but I hate zooming on it very far because it starts to blur. They don't mind me in the mornings and walk all over my feet but I can never get a good shot of them and it drives me nuts. I guess the solution is to take more photos.

I plan on building a little backdrop area in the garage to showcase individual birds.

 

[drumstick diva]

reminds me I really need a new camera

 

[getaclue]

Sit on a bucket, or milk crate, so you are lower to the ground. Toss a very small handfull of treats, to get their interest, and get them close to you. Now take a ton of pics. Rinse, repeat.

 

[The Angry Hen]

It is indeed a complicated mission to get pictures of poultry! I own a Nikon Coolpix B700. I find that the 'pet portrait' setting comes in handy, as does 'bird watching'.
I'm often practicing different settings when I go out birding, but I'm not too knowledgeable of Sony Cybershot.

My biggest suggestions, aside from settings on the device, are the following:

• Zoom. Try to be as close as you can. Zooming is a wonderful feature, but a photo may be too blurred or grainy if it is used when not needed. If you have a skittish bird that won't let you approach, than yes, consider zooming. But you can always take a long-shot view, cropping the subject and virtually zooming. Chances are that this will keep you from spooking the bird, and focusing more clear... without editing the natural photo's beauty.
  
• Capture. Is your business/webpage for egg production, photography, etc? A hen in a nesting box is slightly easier to focus on, especially if you're working with fertile/producing eggs. Free handed or tripod, this would be a great capture. When a bird is sitting, perching, or eating, it's a good time to grasp. If you follow behind carefully, possibly putting down some food, you may just capture a piece of their attention.
  
• Scene. I love to take black and white shots of one of my birds looking toward the sun, or, the sky. For an unfiltered (or colored) photo, the best time is noon preening or feeding time. Try to capture their personalities when they're calm.

You don't need a perfect or proper yard to capture what you're looking to get a picture of. You just need an imagination, nature, and a camera. When you least expect it, you'll find the perfect chance to take a photo. That's how I started loving photography! (http://www.eilenz.com/)
Patience is key... but any surrounding, when produced by nature, is its own art.

Best of luck!! You're doing great already!