Kingfishers photography – a few useful tips

Hi everyone,

After being asked for several times about my kingfishers images, here are a few useful tips:

WHERE TO FIND THE LITTLE GUYS:
In my country there are three species of kingfishers: the pied kingfisher, the white breasted kingfisher, (these two species you can find here all year long) and the common kingfisher – between August and November they are here in large numbers.
You can find them near water places - lakes, rivers, streams and etc.
These species are very common all over the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

EQUIMPENT:
1. SLR/DSLR camera, recommended. P&S cameras will not give you good results because it's not easy to get shallow DOF with these cameras.

2. Tele lens. I like to use my Sigma 300 f/2.8 and my Canon 300 f/4 with or without 1.4 / 2 TC's. But any tele lens 300 mm or longer will be fine. I think that using a 200 mm FL lens is too short and you may find yourself too close to the bird…. this could be an interesting intimacy…but I'm not sure the kingfisher would think so too :)

3. Tripod.

4. A hiding place. It doesn't have to be camouflaged.

5. A good looking branch! Since it's a very important element in the final result – try to find an impressive one.

6. Release cable – optional.

7. Good shooting mood and patient.

LOCATING:
When you get to the shooting location, find a place near the water where there is no high vegetation and where there is a good background (long distanced trees or other vegetation are just perfect). Now, stuck the branch in the shallow water, about 1 meter (3 feet) from the water line. Locate your hiding place 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) from the branch and keep the sun in your back! Put the camera on a tripod inside the hiding place and look through the viewfinder for the perfect composition – your good looking branch on the foreground and smooth, clean background.
The best hours for shooting are at early morning and at late evening when light is soft and not contrasting.

CAMERA SETTING:
I usually use the Aperture priority mode (AV) at f/8. Set the ISO value to get a decent shutter speed – at least faster than the focal length. Exposure compensation - usually at -1/3 to avoid overexposure of the bird's white feathers.

Now, all you have to do is to wait for your model to come to your branch. If you are lucky he will come with a fish…:)


Good luck and happy shooting!
allon