Tekulsky - Backyard bird photography : how to attract birds to your home and create beautiful photographs

Copyright 2014 by Mathew Tekulsky

Photographs copyright 2014 by Mathew Tekulsky

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-62873-740-0
eISBN: 978-1-62914-101-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Printed in China

Thanks, as always, to my mother

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged me with my bird photography. At Skyhorse Publishing, a warm note of appreciation to my editor, Kristin Kulsavage, and to Tony Lyons. Thanks, as well, to my literary agent, Peter Beren.

Scrub Jay

Introduction

Nanday Parakeets

"The very idea of a bird is a symbol and a suggestion to the poet."

John Burroughs, Birds and Poets

One of the great joys in life is to watch birds. People have been doing this for as long as people have been on this planet, and humankind reveres the bird in virtually every culture on earth. With the advent of photography, we have had the ability to capture these beautiful creatures on film, and now digitally, and to enjoy looking at these images and sharing them in various ways, either on social networks on the Internet, through print publishing, or even in a frame on our walls or in galleries or museums.

In this book, you will learn how to set up your backyard in order to take the best photographs of your own particular birds as you can. In addition to guiding you through the first steps of setting up your plantings and birdfeeders, this book will describe the types of photographic equipment you will need to get just the right image; how to maneuver yourself into just the right position to create a quality bird photograph; how to compose your shots for the greatest visual effect; and how to use more advanced techniques such as macro lenses and external flash techniques.

My bird photography journey has taken place over the better part of twenty years, starting with film and transitioning to the digital age. As I look back over the years, I marvel at how rudimentary my knowledge of birds and bird photography was at the beginning, and I am proud of how much I have learned since then. You can follow this same path and enjoy the rewards along the way.

The most important aspect of this whole activity is the process, the actually doing of it. When I am engaged in photographing birds, nothing else matters to me. Its all about getting the shot. Whatever Zen is, thats it. All of your cares wash awayyou dont worry about yesterday or tomorrow. There is only the now. And in a funny way, I think this is how the birds think as well. Of course, the birds are busy foraging for food and making sure a predator does not attack them, but beyond these immediate concerns, I believe there is a part of bird psychology that is observant and even playful. Especially when theyre interacting with me.

Part of the challenge, then, in taking a great bird photograph is to capture that emotional element of the birds life and how the bird is interacting with the photographer. As in all great art, it is the emotion that counts. If there is no emotional reaction to a work of art, then all the technique in the world is of little significance. What gives the backyard bird photographer an edge over the photographer of birds in wilderness areas is that the birds in your backyard are familiar with you, they are your friends, even your family. They have been living next to you for years, and in many ways, they own your abode as much as you do. They get up in the morning as you do, and retire at night not far from where you sleep. Its no wonder that a great bird photograph taken in your own yard can rival a bird photograph taken anywhere in the world, and by anybody. So I encourage you to take advantage of your own natural surroundings and experience the Zen of bird photography as I do.

Scrub Jay portrait

House Finch

Allens Hummingbird at Mexican sage

The Ansel Adams of bird photography was an Englishman by the name of Eric Hosking, who lost his left eye when a Tawny Owl attacked him during a photo shoot. He was then just 27 years old. Within twenty-four hours of being discharged from the hospital, where the damaged eye was removed, Hosking was back at the owl site, but the young owls had already flown. The following year, he returned to the same place and photographed those very owls. He continued to photograph birds for the rest of his long, illustrious career.

Northern Mockingbird on sprinkler head

Hooded Oriole