Distance Matters: Why Close-Up Shots Can Be Detrimental To Birds
Discover why it’s best not shooting birds up close isn’t always a good idea.
Bill Harris
February 18, 2025
Note: This tip comes from Audubon’s article - Why Closer Is Not Always Better When Photographing Birds
Photograph by Daniel Dietrich
A True Story
The author spotted a Great Horned Owl while hiking. The owl was still on its perch when he returned from his car with his camera.
He weaved through the brush to get the best position to photograph the bird.
The owl flew from its perch into the open air above a treeless field as he reached the optimal spot.
In the blink of an eye, a dozen ravens launched their assault. They dove at the owl at a staggering pace, pulling at its tail feathers during the pursuit. They attacked from above, below, and both sides as the owl hastened its retreat.
The author was mortified.
Did I do that, he thought? Did I flush that owl from its perch and subject it to that relentless attack from the ravens?
In the ensuing years, he learned a lot from experiences like this—not just with birds but with bobcats, elk, and many other creatures he loves photographing. The number one lesson has been that closer is not always better.
Photograph by Daniel Dietrich - Keeping your distance when photographing owls allows for more opportunity to capture natural behavior. In this instance, by staying back and being patient, Dietrich could wait for the Great Horned Owlet to perform a wing stretch.
Observing wildlife from a distance not only best serves birds' interests but can also provide enormous benefits to our photography.
What we gain most is knowledge.
We can learn patterns in their behavior by watching our subjects for extended periods.
Understanding these patterns allows us to determine where we can best place ourselves to have the least amount of impact on our subjects and where we have the best opportunity to capture the desired behavior.
Patience also sometimes rewards us with the heavily desired close-up images.
For example, Great Gray Owls like to hunt along roadsides. They perch on low branches or fence posts and listen intently for rodents.
If they don’t detect prey quickly, they launch and fly parallel to the road to a new perch, where they start the process over again.
If you remain still, their hunting pattern may very well cross right in front of you.
Photograph by Daniel Dietrich—One winter evening, while searching for Great Gray Owls, Dietrich found this individual perched a fair distance away. Instead of moving closer, he waited, and the bird flew toward him. He captured this shot as the owl sat listening for a meal. He photographed the owl successfully hunting at very close range when it eventually flew toward him a second time
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