Bird Photography Tips in Rain & Snow

Bird Photography  •  Photography Tips

When the weather is not quite favorable, it’s easy to play the blame game and stay indoors. But instead, you could go out and take some breathtaking photos. Bad weather conditions can help add that missing ingredient to your photos and make them look wow! This is the exact reason that keeps bird photographer Mike Lane motivated for outdoor photography during bad weather. In today’s video, he demonstrates how you can plan to take bird photos during bad weather, and also shares some tips to help you take better photos in such conditions:

“Photographing wildlife in bad weather gives an extra element to the picture. It creates an atmosphere, and it’s lovely to get a bird with raindrops bouncing off its back.”

Lane starts off by sharing the setup for the feeding station. A key point that he shares is to ensure that you set your camp against a dark background. That way, whether it’s raining or snowing, the raindrops or snowflakes will come out beautifully in the photos. He also shares a basic guideline you can follow when setting up your feeding station and that is to make it as spacious as possible. This is so the birds can conveniently enter and strike a pose for you to photograph.

When photographing the birds in bad weather conditions, don’t be afraid to experiment with shutter speed. It’s natural to be tempted to photograph at faster shutter speeds. But, it can be worth trying your hands with slower shutter speeds as well. If the bird in the frame is stationary enough, you can get beautiful streaks of rain or snow in the background. This can add so much drama to your image. On the other hand, if it’s pouring down hard, try to capture the water drops bouncing off the birds’ bodies using a faster shutter speed.

So, stop taking bad weather conditions as an excuse to remain indoors. Instead, try taking it as an opportunity to take better photos. But, be sure to take precautions for the safety of your gear and yourself.