INshooter Loc: Indiana

I plan on setting up a bird feeder with a nearby natural looking perch with leafy background to take bird pictures from a blind. It seems to me that if I set this up in a sunny area I would get better feather definition due to the contrasty lighting. However maybe if it were set up in a shady area I would get better pictures. I'd like opinions from guys and gals who are experienced at this kind of photography. What is the best way to do this?

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

The sun will be your friend. You are right about getting more details in the feathers with the sun. I do this all the time..look at my Flickr link. Also, you will get the catch-light in the birds eyes.
Shoot with spot focusing and always focus on the eye.

Good luck!

NormanHarley Loc: Colorado

My first natural perch had a broken end on it and the fresh break stood out like a broken thumb. I put dark brown stain on the broken end and it fixed that problem. I like to shoot with full sun in the early morning hours and late day because the birds are lit more evenly and I can use a faster shutter speed. Birds are fast! I do short burst shots instead of trying to get one pose at a time.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Sounds like fun. As with most photography, morning and late afternoon/evenings are the best time to photograph. This goes for birds as well. Sharp shadows and highlights are to be avoided for best results. You are also going to want to be at the right sun angle, never shooting into the sun, always having at your back. Therefore, if you can set your feeder up so you can work from both sides of it, you can shoot in the AM and PM. Also, there is nothing wrong with working in the shaded, as long as there is enough light to keep your shutter speed up to capture the action. For perching birds, shutter speeds in the 1/500th range should be sufficient, depending on the length of your lens and support, but if you want to stop flight, 1/1500+ will be required. Of coarse, bumping up the iso is a possibility if working in shade, however depending on your camera, higher ISO's will result in more noise and degradation of image quality, but you will have to be the judge on whether it is acceptable or not. Anyway, sounds like a fun project and we look forward to seeing some of you images.

ggttc Loc: TN

When shooting birds...light is your friend as far a detail goes. I have several feeders in my backyard...and fighting light and shadow in the same photo becomes frustrating.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Defiantly go for sunny.

agillot

Norman has it right , low sun will give you a better light , no shadow .also , if you have to shoot in shade , a flash can be your friend [ use a better beamer for extra distance ] .

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

You have gotten a lot of good advise. I have seen so many pics of birds hanging off of feeders , its kind of boring. Like you I stuck Branches in the ground, and left one perch coming off of the side of the branch . with a pine tree in the back I got good shots.

Unfortunately I moved to a condo and cant do that any more.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

What type of birds are you looking to photograph?
I have two feeders set up in my backyard, each with a different type of seed---Wagner's Cardinal Blend in one and Wagner's Greatest Variety in the other. While the larger birds (Cardinals, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, etc.) seem to prefer the Cardinal Blend and smaller birds the Greatest Variety, it's not unusual for each of them to visit the other feeder.
Birds have a feeding hierarchy, I'm not sure exactly what it is, but they like to have some place safe from predators to go while waiting their turn. I have my feeders near shrubs and leafy trees. The smaller birds seem to like the shrubs while the larger birds seem to like the trees.
Birds also like to have a water source nearby. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just wide, shallow and clean.
My feeders are located where they get sun, but are shaded from the hot late afternoon sun. Also, I don't have a blind, I just sit in a folding lawn chair. If you sit quietly it doesn't take long for them to forget you are there.
I hope this helps and I'm looking forward to seeing your bird photos.

DerBiermeister Loc: North of Richmond VA

Good help, as I am doing some of that now.

Also -- your pictures are breathtaking (to me anyway). Part of that is the wilderness where you've been. Looks like Alaska and Banff to Jasper. But mountains can fool you -- it could be the Rockies.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

I spend a great deal of time doing this very folly. I get my better results with the sun as indirect backlighting. The feathers give better definition than when directly lit from the front. One note for you, getting eye-ball focus with feeder birds is extremely difficult. Settle for the head instead. Have fun with it, birds can be relaxing.

Haydon

I'd highly recommend visiting Wild Photo Adventure and watch Season 5 Episode 8. There is an encyclopedia of information that will change your bird photography.

http://totallyoutdoorsimaging.com/portfolio_page/wild-photo-adventures-season-5/

This will transform your bird photography from snapshots to a completely different level.

I'd also recommend a buying a blind and leaving it there full time if you have a short lens.

Don't discount setting up in the shade or in diffused light. High contrasting sunlight may saturate but it removes plumage definition.

Here's an example.

Dark Eyed Junco

(Download)

Quixdraw Loc: x

INshooter -- a possible idea.
I have feeders next to the house, background landscape far away,oriented to the north on an east / west axis. Have been thinking about making a few backgrounds which can mount on a birdfeeder stand -- colored solids as well as some large photo prints of grass, leaves, etc. Started early in the season, the birds should get accustomed to it, and could vary backgrounds depending on colors of the bird varieties in attendance. Anyone doing something similar could comment.

ggttc Loc: TN

This is really true...we set up for hummingbirds during the spring...and jays and cardinals all year...and it takes no time at all for them to get used to you...so a lawn chair and a glass of wine....in late afternoon...

INshooter Loc: Indiana

Thanks for your reply. There are a number of varieties of birds, some depending on the time of the year. Cardinals and Bluejays are there now and most of the year. Various brown birds that I don't know the names of. Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, beautiful Yellow Finches, Northern Flicker, etc. I'll attach a Finch I took last year, I think.

Finch

(Download)

Cedar Waxwing

(Download)