How to Photograph Flying Birds of Prey in a Studio

Bird Photography  •  Photography Tips  •  Studio Photography

When the Cascades Raptor Center in Oregon wanted to update images of their raptors, they turned to photographer Jon Meyers. Rather than shoot the birds at the center, they chose to use his studio, where they could control the lighting and look of the photographs in this very interesting session:

A lot of planning and testing was required for the shoot to overcome such problems as freezing the birds in flight, getting the correct exposure, and setting up the lighting to get the right look. For the in-flight shots, the birds started just 15 feet from the camera with the aim to get the actual shot at around 5 feet away This, as you can imagine, is challenging and required a lot of practice and patience.

The final images are nothing short of stunning, bringing out the savage beauty of these beautiful birds.