Pro BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER SHARES HER SECRET TIPS with me
In this beginners guide to Bird Photography I visit one of the most amazing bird cliffs in the UK
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NIKON GEAR (Main STILLS camera)
Current landscape camera - Nikon Z7 - geni.us/nikonz7
Awesome telephoto lens - Nikon 70-200m f/2.8 - geni.us/nikon70200
Great ultra-wide angle lens - Nikon 14-30mm f/4 - geni.us/1430mm
Hiking mid lens - Nikon 24-70mm Z f4 - geni.us/nikon2470
Sharpest mid lens - Nikon 24-70mm Z f2.8 geni.us/2470mm28
Very long lens - Nikon 500mm F5.6 - geni.us/nikon500mm
FILM GEAR
AWESOME DRONE - geni.us/dji_mavic3
Nikon Z6 - geni.us/z6nikon
Nikon 20mm Z F1.8 - geni.us/nikon20mmz
Nikon 24mm Z F1.8 - geni.us/nikon24mm
Nikon 50mm Z F1.8 - geni.us/nikon50mmz
Nikon 85mm Z F1.8 - geni.us/nikon85mmz
OTHER PHOTO GEAR
Clever camera strap (peak design) - geni.us/PDstrap
Microfibre Cloths - geni.us/microfibre
Rab Downpour Pants - geni.us/rainpants
Awesome sensor brush - geni.us/brush4sensor
GorillaPod - geni.us/Kb9mV
The great printer I use Canon P1000 - geni.us/cIIc
Great bag for hiking - Tenba 24L - geni.us/orPwh
Great bag for travel (carry on) - Tenba 32L - geni.us/tenba32l
Super light Benro Travel Tripod UK - geni.us/Benrotravel
A must have for tripod (L bracket) - geni.us/myLbracket
Lightweight tripod - Benro Mach3 Carbon Fiber Tripod - geni.us/benromach3
Paper I use for all my prints - Fotospeed - geni.us/fotospeed Use DANSON10 to get 10% off your paper.
0:00 - Intro
0:38 - Birds in Flight
4:20 - Tips for Panning
7.00 - Required Gear
10:13 - Hi Key Photos
13:02 - Puffins!
13:49 - Low Key Photos
15:11 - Back lit Birds
16:38 - Tips for Sharp Photos
18.54 - Rachel's Top Tip
20:47 - MPB Sponsorship
21.13 - Print Review and Final Thoughts
I’m glad there are people willing to cart around the Hubble Telescope so we can see their cool bird photos.
Rachel's photos remind me so much of the art of Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I hope she continues to follow her passion. Enjoyed this presentation.
the fact that these photos were al handheld is amazing how good the stabilizer is
"Reasonably good at landscape photography"...Your being so modest 😛 Great to see you experimenting into another kind of photography! The result is amazing!
Well I think this was one of your best videos to date. Not just because of the subject but collaboration with other experts. More of the same please.
Your images were wonderful Nigel! Thanks for having Rachel on your channel and sharing your adventure!!
As someone with a delicate back perhaps you could try using a gimbal on a tripod to hold your camera (a bit like an aircraft gunner). If you balance it right the camera would feel almost weightless. And as a bonus you would get smoother panning shots. The con is that it would restrict you a bit but it sounds like a price worth paying if you can get some shots you would otherwise not be able to. I've seen a guy do this with a Hasselblad and huge lens and it worked really well for him.
Great to see you out of your comfort zone and really pleased you came away with some amazing shots. Thanks for introducing Rachel - I'd not come across her work before. She is highly talented. I'd certainly like to see you do a few more videos like this across other photography genres.
The birds are sublime The setting is so stunning and romantic. And then your guest is an absolute gem. She knows her craft and is an artist with a camera. Pretty nice day for you. The prints are fantastic. Thanks.
A masterclass snapshot! Thank you, Rachel and Nigel.
I really liked this video Nigel, it is excellent to see your photography paths from your comfort zone of land/wood/seascapes over arctic wildscapes, some Luskentyre wildlife trials to high quality bird photography in this video! Thank you for taking us along in your learning process and inspiring us to try out new things! And thanks also for Rachel giving us top tips, she has such wonderful images!
She is an absolute joy. Loved this episode.
nice video Nigel...heres a tip for you when using a big tele, don't hold the camera with lens attached hold it by the lens or you risk damaging the lens mount, great video
Thank you and Rachel for sharing the tips on 🕊️photography.
Wow loved this! I love bird photography, I am an obsessed birder and beginner photographer. This was a wonderfully informative video and so happy you are doing some bird photography. I don't have all the equipment but it's just getting out in the bush and watching the birds. I do hope you do some more wildlife and bird photography! Your photos were stunning as are Rachael's. Thanks so much for venturing into this genre!!
One of your best videos in a long time - really excellent. Looking forward to following Rachel
Loved this video. My two favourite things combined... birds and photography
Thank you Nigel and Rachel. Great content and very inspirational.
Thank you for this incredibly enjoyable and helpful video. Rachel was amazing and you asked her fantastic questions. Also, it helped my attitude when both of you talked about discarding so many shots. Bravo.
Great video Nigel, I enjoyed watching and learning from Rachel - she is very talented and her work is stunning!
Beautiful wildlife shots! Its good to see that you are getting into wildlife. Look forward to see more!
So glad your getting into wildlife photography, I love your landscape work, hope to see more like this, wildlife photography has taken over my life👌
A fascinating interview, even though I don't do wildlife photography. I love the artistic style of Rachel's bird portraits, very inspiring
Everything you touch with your camera turns to gold! I loved this! The landscapes where I live are lacking in pizzazz so I do bird photography too! This was a fabulous Sunday morning diversion! Thanks for taking me along.
Loved this video and some of the shots you showed at the end were gorgeous some fantastic advice too thank you
Omg this location is so breathtaking! Amazing.
Love this! Bird photography is my main love with landscapes as a secondary pursuit, so I very much enjoyed hearing from Rachel and watching your experiences photographing these beautiful birds. You made some truly lovely images. Wonderful video! Thanks for bringing us along with you.
Love your black background image of the Gulls. Thank you for sharing Nigel truly inspirational x
Fantastic video, Nigel. Something fresh and new for your channel. I've enjoyed it from tip to toe. Love your photos 🙂
Thank you so much! Such beautiful pictures - both of you
Beautiful Birds !!! Outstandingly sharp that ALWAYS eludes me :) Nigel, great to see you out and about!
wow her work is incredible
Some beautiful shots Nigel really looking forward to episodes 2 and 3. Thanks for sharing with us, and it's lovely to see you so full of enthusiasm.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Rachel discussing getting started photographing birds. You obtained some very lovely images. Hope you do more.
Very nice video, and great to see you exploring other areas of photography. When I got back into it after many years I was puzzled by the sudden classifications of "I'm just a (fill in the blank) photographer." In the late 70's/80's we all just seemed to call ourselves just plain photographers and enjoyed capturing what gave us a joy or a challenge. Great shots for a noob and I'm sure having Rachel as your tutor didn't hurt. Thanks for introducing us to her as I want to check out her other work as well.
Wow so good, we all love her so! I hope you can see her again, because shes brittyest of those birds.
Very nice video ! Stunning shots from both of you ❤!
Just love Rachel - wonderful video Nigel of the two of you thanks.
Very informative. Thanks Nigel. Rachel is an amazing photographer.
Thanks for doing this video. Loved her and found her really interesting. She is great.
Wow,my most favorite is the two in flight like they are talking to each other and touching wings! The others wow great as well, so much character there!
Brilliant! Loved it. Thank you.
Thanks Nigel & Rachel! This was awesome and I love the final images. Anyone thinking this is easy, even with modern cameras and lenses really hasn’t tried it. I’ve been learning photography whilst photographing wildlife and birds for about 9 months now, as a new photographer and it is anything but simple. You need the subject, the light, the skills to find the wildlife, patience and understanding of your subject. Observing behaviour is essential - and if you’re starting out then the birds on your local walks or at a pond are a great way to practice. I can’t tell you how many images I have of robins -because they’re obliging and relatively easy to spot on a branch. Through training my eyes to look for them, and learning more about their behaviour and habits through observation - I can now always get some good (or good for me 😂) photos. And, by getting my ‘eye’ in I now see more birds when I’m out, when previously I would have missed them. Combining wildlife and landscape photography seems a natural fit, and watching wildlife is great way to pass the time whilst waiting on the light for your scene. Do be prepared for the image count on your camera to sky rocket though 😊.
Loved this! I'd love to see more wildlife photography if you continue with it.
Great episode Nigel! Thanks so much!
Great images. The back-lit birds are spectacular!
Nigel, just want to say that lately your channel has blown me away. Been following you on & off, long before your bad back… thanks for the content and lessons learned.
Another great video Nigel & nice to see you branching out to other forms of photography. You soon picked up some good tips, which enabled you to print out some lovely photo's. You can now combine your new found bird photography skills, whilst out & about shooting landscapes when the opportunity arises, birds of prey etc.... What can we say about Rachel's photos, except FANTASTIC! Keep up the good work.
Come on Nigel this was your best video in my opinion in the last few month and Rachel seems to be such a good teacher because the images you got are just awsome. Thank you very much.
An interesting departure from your norm Nigel. Thank's for sharing. Bempton is an amazing place which I visited once and got to appreciate how "difficult" good bird photography is - well for me at least! Definitely need the longer lenses in my opinion. Your enthusiasm is always contagious.
Your bird photos are as captivating as your landscape. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Just learning bird photography so chuffed you did this. Amazing shots.
Nigel, when you start chasing around warblers and other small birds, you have officially crossed over to the dark side 😂!!! Oh and be cautious about lens weight and your back ( you mentioned it early in the video). I did a 200km walk over 10 days just carrying a 120-400 Sigma lens and ended up with months of 'tennis elbow' and lower back pain. I now use a black rapid sling and that helps a lot.
From the set of prints,I loved the first picture and from Rachel's prints I loved the second pic...beautiful location
Really enjoyed this video. Glad to see you give bird photography a go. Truly not as easy as someone like Rachel makes it look! I do really like your Gannet and Razorbill inages. Nice work!
Rachel’s shot at 15:02 is fantastic! Learned a lot in this video, thanks!
Such a great video! And what amazing shots! I didn't realize that Gannets were so graceful and tender in their interactions.
The gannets at Bempton are great, and you got some good shots. The pair you showed near the start included one with a black iris to its eyes. They have found this means it has had - and obviously survived - bird flu, which killed so many of our gannets last year.
Yes - there were a lot with black eyes... such a shame but they made it
I loved this video Nigel! I’ve just recently got into wildlife photography so watched this video on my way down to Bempton Cliffs. I used some of the techniques in the video and they helped massively!!
For those on a budget the Nikon D500 + 200-500mm f5.6 is a superb combination for bird photography. Lots of used DSLRs available now with many photographers switching over to mirrorless. Spend the money you save on a trip to Shetland!
Total price pls
I bought mine a few weeks ago for around 1500€ in almost perfect condition
@@GTAGJimbo I paid 1600 but got a 50mm and tripod too
Man that second of the high key with the two birds was incredible!
Such a wonderful video!! Thank you, Nigel for providing, yet again, a video with wonderful information for photographers like me who love to explore new genres and who love to "stretch our wings." Much respect from Canada🇨🇦 Kim
Excellent video with lots of great advice. Thanks for posting
Rachel. Nigel a great tutorial loved it
You got some beautiful pics there! Well done. Great tips as always, thank you.
After landscapes, bird photography is my second favourite. My Z7II with the 200-500 works so well and I love the shots. One thing, hold the camera by the tripod collar to safeguard the mount. Lovely to see Rachael’s work and something different.
Many thanks Nigel, another great video. Love bempton cliffs
Brilliant video. I live 20 mins from Bempton and have taken 1000 and 1000 of images, but Rachel's (out of the box) and high key images has given me a totally new approach. thank you so much
Bird photography is amongst the most difficult of photography genres to master. Patience, repetition, bird spotting skills (binoculars are a must for spotting), mastering your camera settings, learning to pan smoothly (gimbals save your back!!), peace and quiet away from daily tourists (early mornings are best!), and sharpening up those post processing skills are all key to improvement. More wildlife trips now and again, please!
Stunning photos & great video. And who’s inspiring Rachel? Love this human transmission of knowledge & passion.
Your Videos are amazing and entertaining because they are so full of enthusiasm. Getting ready to take my conversion up to Scotland I can't wait for the campervan vids. Keep doing the things you love
Fantastic video, well done! Loved the collaboration.
This is the best wildlife photography video I have seen in 6 months!
Love this video!!!Bird photography is so cool!!
Great video. Love all the learning points you can add to enhance any landscapes with wildlife in. High key shots were lovely. Amazing shot of kittiwakes in flight as they are so fast. Take care though as it is addictive. I am not very strong and have size 6 and a half hands so I find a monopod with monopod gimbal really helpful with weight of camera and lens while still giving freedom of movement. Linda Di Maio
Love this Nigel as lm dipping my toe into a bit of wildlife photography!
Thank you for trying bird photography. The level of difficulty is so under appreciated, especially for those of us with older cameras that do t have the eye recognition! Birds are everywhere, majestic mountains, rivers and landscapes not so much.
Lovely video, with the incredible Rachel. Glad to see you saw the resident Bempton barn owl too.
FANTASTIC! You did an AMAZING job 👍🏻📷
Great video as always...gorgeous shots too!
Really enjoyed this video, and the results!
Bempton is an amazing place. I love Flamborough as well. Stunning views and wildlife.
Beautiful. Thank you
Very refreshing to see something different then only landscape, woodland og product reviews, Thanks
Enjoyable as ever. Have shot at bempton many times. A word of advice with long lenses. Be careful just lifting using the body and having the full weight of the lens on the connecting ring of the camera body. It can weaken the body and lose connections with the lens. I know because it happened to me😱
Outstanding video Nigel and thanks for introducing us to Rachel, she is amazing!!!! I recently invested in the Sigma 150-500mm lens and really love it!! I got it from mpb and they are awesome👍🏻👍🏻
Great vid, and thanks for the intro to Rachel! I recently got a refurb RF 100-400 and am excited to start dabbling in this world for relatively cheap. I haven't even taken it on a trip yet, but even with some test shots around the house, it's interesting to test yourself outside of your comfort zone of go-to focal lengths and apertures.
She’s fantastic….. and a lovely person too.
Birds photography is a world apart, because you have to know birds behaviour, breeding seasons, and stuff like that, and to be the first time, you got amazing photos. Great Nigel!
Interesting to see you trying something new. Rachel has some very good advice to offer.
for someone who doesn't capture these stunning animals, you're still pretty good, bro. mad respect ❤
I could watch this video a thousand times!! This is a beautiful place! As a wildlife photographer, I would be there every day if I had the opportunity. Gannets are fun to shoot. I was recently on a 14 day cruise in the northern pacific and they tempted us constantly! I got a lot of shots..! And thanks for introducing your subscribers to Rachael. I did get the ebbie jeebies when you two were close to the edge of the cliffs!! The images were fantastic.
I love the gannets. I still have a couple of scars on my hand from when I saved one on the beach. It had gotten tangled up in fishing net. Stuck around the neck and deep in the open beak. Watching it fly away unharmed was fantastic.
What an exciting opportunity to learn from a pro bird photographer! Bird photography is such a fascinating field, capturing the beauty and unique behaviors of birds in their natural habitats. I bet those secret tips are incredibly helpful, especially for anyone keen on improving their photography skills or simply appreciating the art of capturing wildlife. The patience and skill required to get just the right shot of these magnificent creatures is truly admirable. It's always wonderful to see professionals sharing their knowledge and passion with others! 🐦📸✨
Great video, Rachel is a fantastic photographer, love the way she uses the light. You are not half bad either 😜
There are a lot of videos on settings, cameras, lenses, etc... but what I find lacking is the footage that you gave us, where you are taking the photos of birds. It's good to know it's normal to have trouble when starting out to catch a bird in flight in your view finder, and it's normal to be whipping your camera back and forth trying to accomplish that. Thanks for showing us what it actually looks like to take the pictures, along with all of the great tips and info!
13:03 Amazing shot, Nigel!
This looks wonderful and Bempton is an amazing place
You captured superb images especially when just branching out to wildlife photography. Another good tip is to research locations and migrations patterns for bird photography. One of the biggest challenges is capturing birds in flight especially small birds. As you pointed out in the video just finding a fast moving bird in your view finder is extremely difficult. A slow flying Great Blue Heron is hard enough at 600 or longer focal length but a fast moving sparrow is something else again. Especially when they need to be so close to fill the frame. There is a piece of equipment that will double or triple your keepers at a reasonable price. It is a dot tracker that attaches to your cameras shoe. It projects a dot or symbol that you place on the moving bird. Once it is calibrated you you hold the camera about 4 inches away and with both eyes open you follow the bird. When the dot is on your target you shoot away. You do have to depend on your cameras focusing system but that is not a problem with todays animal eye detect systems. I use back button focusing with animal eyes detection and 8 in 10 images are most always tack sharp with my R5. If you should decide to get a dot tracker I can recommend a type anyway. I am not pushing a particular brand but I am giving an example just for research. Most trackers mount on the camera shoe with the standard screw down connector like a flash. The problem with that is it allows a small amount of movement which will throw off the calibration each time it is attached. A tracker brand like PGD is made for photography and has a spreader mount that will keep alignment and calibration every time it is mounted. So you only have to calibrate it one time. Butch
Watch out Nigel, It’s so addictive!! So jealous of that gorgeous Gannet shot … I always try to catch the personality of whatever bird I’m shooting! Could spend all day watching birds…so relaxing and challenging at the same time!