Light is the basis for photography and photographers are constantly looking for the best light possible to photograph their subjects. If you are a photographer who will only shoot under brilliant light situations, then you are missing out on a lot. Imagine you are on a safari or travelling and if you confine yourself to only shooting during the golden hour, you will be missing on the beauty and stories that unfold during the rest of the day.
The same applies to bird photography. Although bird photos turn out great when the light is soft or falling from the side at a lower angle, you can still use available light during any time of the day to get the best shots possible. Understanding light is of paramount importance and if you are struggling to use any light to your advantage, we recommend you to check out this eBook “Understanding Light” by Photzy, and discover how to produce amazing images.
And for your inspiration, here are 23 bird photographs there are shot with a good understanding of light.
Photo by Nitty Ditty
Photo by Rob Potter
Photo by Jonny Gios
Photo by Harshit Suryawanshi
Photo by David Clode
Photo by Tristan chatagny
Photo by René Lehmkuhl
Photo by Huzeyfe Turan
Light changes constantly throughout the day and if you observe carefully. it alters the mood of a scene as it changes. So, when you understand light and start using it, you will be able to alter the mood in your images or use a particular type of light to bring in a certain mood to your images. This eBook, “Understanding Light” by Photzy has 88 easy-to-follow pages packed with training, illustrations and assignments.
Photo by Hansjörg Rath
Photo by Jeremy Hynes
Photo by Rob Potter
Photo by Harshit Suryawanshi
Photo by Anna-Lena Helbrecht
Photo by René Lehmkuhl
Photo by Rohit Varma
Photo by Bob Brewer
When you understand light, you will be able to work around with the available light by either using reflectors or diffusers if necessary to change the intensity of light or to fill in areas where light is less. Understanding light is very interesting once you start to understand how it works and if you are worried where to start, check out this eBook “Understanding Light” by Photzy that will teach you about all the qualities of light and how to use them to your advantage.
When it comes to wildlife photography, birds, especially the smaller ones are the most difficult to photograph. In general, birds are the most difficult subjects as they are small, stay in between the foliage most of the time and are always moving or flying around. Bird photographers make it look easy and a lot of YouTube videos (not all) also make it look quite easy but practically being in the field, carrying a heavy lens, focusing through the natural obstacles and capturing the right moment, can all be quite a daunting experience.
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge
Besides the photography techniques part, learning about birds themselves can be very helpful in terms of photographing them at the right moment. Observe and study their behaviour and be very discreet when photographing them.
Wearing the right coloured clothing is also important for bird photography and wildlife in general. Most importantly, be patient and persistent – do not give up if you do not get good shots during your early days in bird photography.
In terms of camera settings, the one that has worked for me personally is, shooting in Aperture Priority mode using back button focusing technique and always shoot raw. Here are some valuable bird photography tutorials, that will help you get in the right direction.
Photo by Ingo Doerrie
When photographing birds, the images are more compelling and effective, if you capture their natural behaviour in the wild. Birds portray some very interesting behaviour and traits that if observed patiently, can be photographed as well. This article talks about bird photography basics followed by actions you can do in the field to create better photographic opportunities and a few tips on honing your skills.
Photo by Patrice Bouchard
Mastering bird photography is a long process that has a lot of factors that need taken care of. They are some of the most difficult and trickiest subjects to photograph and once you get the basics right, making use of the right settings is important for successful bird photography. This article discusses the best settings for bird photography.
Photo by Zdeněk Macháček
Birds can be photographed in many ways – capturing their actions, capturing their portraits up close or capturing an environmental shot that includes the environment they are living in, birds in flight, etc. Action photography can be quite difficult when compared to portraits, but again it depends on the type of bird and its behaviour. This article talks about two types of bird photographs that will help to improve your skills.
Photo by Jay Alexander
Wildlife photographs can boost any photographer’s portfolio because it is a genre admired the most by many photographers and non-photographers alike. In order to capture wildlife at its best, the photographer needs to have reasonable gear to start with. This article talks about the gear you need to pack when you go out for wildlife photography.
Photo by R. Mac Wheeler
Wildlife photography includes photographing birds, animals and other small critters in the wild. While bird photography may require slightly more skills with focusing and longer lenses, the techniques required are quite similar. This article discusses some quick beginner tips that will help you capture some stunning wildlife photographs.
Photo by Boris Smokrovic
Wildlife photography is not something that is commonly taken up by most photographers because they think that capturing wildlife is very difficult and that it needs very expensive gear. You can start off with the lens that you have in hand and then invest in a slightly bigger lens when you are confident enough in photographing wildlife. This article provides four tips that include emotion & attitude, nature’s frames & backdrops, unique features and taking advantage of the weather.
Photo by Rob Potter
Once you have come back from a bird photography session, you will need to check your images and make some edits before you can present them or even print them. Lightroom is a versatile tool that helps with culling images and also processing images easily and if you have a personal preset that you like to use for your wildlife photos, then that can cut down a lot of editing time. This article talks about editing your wildlife photos in Lightroom for magical impact.
Tickets for the second Go Diving Show ANZ in Sydney are on sale—and there’s a two-for-one early bird special on now for a limited time. The show happens to coincide with Australia’s Father’s Day weekend—September 6th–7th—so it’s the ideal opportunity to grab dad and show him lots of mesmerizing gadgets—and awesome dive vacation deals! (Bring mom, too, obviously.)
Of course, one of the big highlights is the announcement of the winners of the Underwater Awards Australasia 2025, the Australasia-focused competition organized by DPG, Underwater Australasia and UW Images. Underwater photographer and UW Images owner Brett Lobwein will return to the Photo Stage for the big reveal. Once again, alongside the Photo Stage, we’ll be exhibiting stunning metal prints of the finalist entries in the photo categories. Like last year, the prints, made by the competition’s Printing Partner PhotoMart, will be available for purchase at the show, with the proceeds going to Environmental Partners Australian Marine Conservation Society and Take 3 for the Sea.
Organizers are expecting 100-plus exhibitors and the show will see dozens of speakers giving talks across the four stages (Main Stage, Photo Stage, Tech Stage and ANZ/Inspiration stage) as well as try-dives and in-water skills demonstrations in the on-site dive pool. If you’re in the area, make sure to swing by the DPG booth (#304)—which is shared with The Underwater Club—and say hello!
