Use These Tips to Compose a Perfect Bird Photo Every Time

^{Note: This tip comes from Audubon’s article - How to Compose the Perfect Bird Photo}

In the pursuit of making artistic bird photos—it’s essential to think about the scene as a whole and how the parts of the image relate to each other aesthetically.

This is the goal of composition: It’s about framing the scene around the bird in such a way that the final image is pleasing to the eye and conveys essential context, such as where the bird lives, what it interacts with, or other aspects of its behavior that viewers might find intriguing.

Here are a few tips to help you achieve such a shot.

Tip #1 - Get Creative 

While composition adds another level of complexity to photography, it allows you to be creative.

Try changing your shooting angle or the distance between you and the bird. This can make a big difference in terms of both the amount of the bird’s environment you capture and showing how the bird relates to it.

Tip #2 - Know the Rule of Thirds

A common pitfall among beginner photographers is always putting the bird in the exact center of the image.

It’s an understandable impulse that results in all of your photos looking the same. 

Instead, experiment with the Rule of Thirds and place the bird along an invisible line a third of the way from the edge of the image.

Tip #3 - Tell a Story 

In addition to composing a visually appealing photo, you should consider what the image will say to people who weren’t there when you took the shot.

If the bird is reacting to something (such as a potential predator or prey), capturing that in the image will include viewers in the action and give them a glimpse into that bird's life.

For flight shots, consider whether viewers will benefit more by seeing where the bird is going (by putting more space in front of the bird) or where the bird has been (by, say, including the perch it took off from).

People love photos that tell a story.

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!)