How to Photograph Birds With a Smartphone

You already own a powerful tool for snapping bird photos. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Author

Bill Harris
December 04, 2024

Note: This tip comes from Audubon’s article - How to Photograph Birds With a Smartphone

Last year, the most popular camera on the photo-sharing site Flickr was Apple’s iPhone. Smartphones occupied 10 of the top 20 slots (and 8 of the top 11) in a list of devices the site’s users favored. That trend reinforces what you already know: Phones are handy for taking photos. Great shots require great timing, and a smartphone has two significant advantages: You carry it everywhere and intuitively get how it works.

Photograph by Robert Wilson - A Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, photographed in Centennial Park, Florida, with an iPhone 6s Plus.

Tip #1 – Set your iPhone Up For Manual Control

The camera app on most smartphones can autofocus and even track a subject. But for more precision and power, you’ll want to have manual control. The ProCamera app (for iPhones) and the Camera FV-5 app (for Android) let you adjust the following vital functions. (Tip: Experiment with them in your backyard so they become automatic before you head into the field.)

  1. Timed Shutter: If you’re using a scope to zoom in on a bird, the slightest touch of your camera can cause a vibration that will blur the image. Set the timer on your phone’s camera to delay the shot. Another option is to remotely trigger the shot using the volume-down button on your headphones.

  1. ISO: Smartphones automatically set the ISO (a measurement of the camera’s sensitivity to light) by default. Increasing the ISO will make the camera more receptive to available light if your subject is in the dark underbrush.

  1. File Size: Larger images contain more information, which gives you more to work with when you edit them later. Set your phone to save photos with the highest pixel dimensions and in the TIFF or RAW format so they remain uncompressed.

  1. Shutter Speed: To capture a fast-moving bird, you’ll need a fast shutter speed (and a higher ISO to maintain an even exposure). By playing with the shutter speed, you can also attain different effects, such as a crisp body with blurred wings.

Photograph by Karen Willes - A Barred Owl at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida, photographed with an iPhone 6s Plus.

Tip #2 – Compose Your Shot (Think Vertical Or Horizontal)

Your smartphone will let you home in on a bird, but it isn’t a true zoom—it just crops into the size of the original photo and leaves you with a pixelated image. 

Also avoid shooting square images—there’s no point in cropping out detail prematurely, and even Instagram now features wide images.

When recording video, rotate your phone to horizontal, or sideways; nothing ruins great footage like black bars on either side of the screen.

Photograph by Rusty Watson

Tip #3 – Finetune Your Bird Shots To Make Them Shine

While editing apps can’t fix blunders like a blurred subject, they can turn a so-so image into an arresting shot.

The Photoshop Express and Snapseed apps—available for Android and iPhone—allow you to sharpen images, increase saturation, and change color temperature, among other effects.

The apps also allow you to save the image to your camera roll or share it on social media.

Want more? If you want to learn more about bird photography, and capture beautiful shots of your own, we recommend downloading and printing out Photzy’s 10 Bird Photography Cheat Sheets (Special bonus available now!)