Shutter Speeds For TACK SHARP Bird-In Flight Photos!
Are you tired of blurry bird-in-flight photos?
Wanna know the #1 reason for them?
It's picking the wrong shutter speed!
Over the years, I've troubleshot hundreds, maybe thousands, of other photographers' images, and when it comes to bird-in-flight work, there's no question about it: shutter speed is the biggest problem I see. Sometimes it's too slow and causes motion blur. Other times it's too fast and turns the image into an unrecoverable mess of noise.
The key is knowing the PROPER shutter speed for your subject - and in less than 12 minutes, you'll know everything you need to consistently pick the best shutter speeds for your bird-in-flight work!
Also, check out my Bird-In-Flight book:
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Fantastic video Stevo, with actual visual demonstrations, really useful for me in the field. Keep up the good work.
One rule of thumb you taught me was to understand your subject. I was sailing in Aruba and I had my camera setup with me. About an hour before sunset the pelicans were diving into the ocean for the last meal of the day. I followed their pattern, increased the shutter speed and ISO, and walked away with some great photos of pelicans during golden hour. Once again, thanks for your help!
Again, you seem to simplify things and offer great advise Steve! Thank you!
Excellent advice Steve. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos, they’re helpful.
Great video Steve! Good reminders for all of us. Your BIF guide is a wonderful resource and I use it a lot. I know my keeper rate has gone up since I’ve read it. Keep up the great work!
Very important aspect of the Bird photography. I took all the noted to apply in future. Thanks Steve
Excellent explanation of the balancing act in different situations for birds!! I really like your method of explaining photo concepts in a simple format!! Great Video!
Thanks, Steve. Your analysis also applies to wildlife in general. My picture of a bobcat near my home was OK, but too blurred. I'll be following your guidance in the future.
Awesome video, thanks Steve! Very, very helpful.
Some really great tips Steve. I have taken so many blurry shots of birds taking flight from a perch.
Fantastic advice Steve, will put a lot of it to practice tomorrow shooting some red kites in Wales . Keep up the brilliant work!
Fantastic video - thanks for this, Steve!
An outstanding 12 minutes or so Steve, just nailed it, again!
Thank you Steve!! Very helpful excellent tutorial!!
Thank you Steve. I'm not a bird photographer, I do mostly landscapes and architecture. However, I find this information useful in order to get an all-round understanding of photography.
A++ information and presentation! No doubt, you are the best! I'm going to go read the book...again!
Keep it going sir. Everytime I put your tips in practice I can say my day out becomes more enjoyable and more successful. Thank you for the content.
Always great tips - thanks for doing these.
Good info and explanation/justification of some common but-not-always-understood theories. Thank you
So much important information shared here, thank you so much. Have learned a lot by watching your videos. 👍
As always, great advice! Thanks so much!
Great tips and advice! Thanks for sharing.
An absolutely wonderful video... Just showcases how experienced you are as a bird in flight photographer... No substitute for experience/practice... Amazing stuff...
As always excellent advice and tips Steve.
Thank you for this wonderful tutorial that incorporates knowledge of two complicated subjects, cameral technology and bird behavior, and distills that into photographic strategies that don't require a pHD to understand.
Another great tutorial, thanks Steve. In my enthusiasm to try out the advice, I forgot about lens stabilization- hopefully everyone else doesn’t but if they do to watch your video on that too. Thanks!
Well done and informative video that also communicates the importance of practice and technic versus relying solely on technology.
Brilliant video and advice and tips! I hope I can remember this all and put it to good use.
❤As always GREAT STUFF!! I can’t say enough about your teaching!!!❤
Fantastic explanations and demonstrations Steve which I practised for many years when I started out using film, I even worked out distance and speed charts to help remind me as film was very expensive! I photographed motorsports besides wildlife back then and the motorsport panning photography was a great way to hone my skills which are transferable to virtually anything that moves. I must say and I’m not blowing smoke up your exhaust but I have never seen finer bird photography than the images you routinely produce! A combination of excellent gear and well practised technique which you’ve obviously perfected. 👏👍😀 Cheers! 👍
⭐️ this is so well presented and easy to follow that I think I just understood more in the last few minutes than I have since I don’t know when ⭐️ thankyou for sharing your knowledge 👍
Thank you for posting, always looking to up my game. What do you say makes a lot of sense
Once again a great video Steve
Good stuff as always Steve.
great vid & explanation as usual! thank you
Excellent video. Very well/clearly explained and covers so many aspects to take into consideration. Thank you.
Your comments about keeping the subject centered in the frame is really the whole concept of VR and in-camera stabilization. It reduces the motion of the subject relative to the sensor (as you know, of course, just pointing it out) :). The more you can do that on your own the better those will work as well. It's like the cool race car photos where the car being tracked is sharp and everything around it has the speed blur.
I just want to say that you are an incredible photographer!
I shoot a camera in the MFT format and so I'm always attempted to shoot a lower ISO's and shutter speeds but, recently, I've been more inclined to follow your advice and when I really want the shot one of my custom function modes is set to shutter priority (1/3200th) with a floating aperture. This video is a great reminder to darn the ISO, full-speed ahead for better results.
Yeah don't give a crap about the ISO, that's how you get the good shots. If it's extreme, use topaz, if not learn how to live with slightly noisy images. I used to have the same problem and realised that getting THE shot was way more important than worrying about ISO
I also dial in 3200 and just accept the 2 048 000 resulting iso.
Great video! Directly for me! Thank you.
great video Steve!
I enjoyed this video as I have enjoyed all of the previous. I recently added your book on BIF photography to my library.
Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always and awesome tips 🐦❤️🤗
Great video and great pictures!!! Thanks
Great tutorial! Thanks
thanks..lots of good information here and with your book that I am studying right now, I am lookng forward to the spring migration to get some great shots!
Thanks so much! And thanks for the purchase!
I am a Forest Fire Lookout. (at an elevation of 5000 feet.) I keep my camera set at 1/3200 with my 200-500 lens. I have Hummingbirds, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, a wide variety of Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Ravens and tons of songbirds. Any number or combination of these birds can (and do) show up at any time. I have a ringside seek to sky battles. The Eagles generally stay high but sometimes land nearby. The Peregrine Falcons nest on a nearby peak and I am in the middle of their glide path to a lake. Most times they are in a dive. My camera has to be at the ready for any encounter. My only luck is I have a family of Ravens that live in a tree next to the tower that like to perch on my catwalk and stare into the window. I also have a seasonal group of about 25 Turkey Vultures to like to gather on the ground near the tower. Of course I also have other sky activity I get to capture; Fire Fighting aircraft like to buzz my tower. Sometimes they like to fly low and "sneak up", other times it may be several passes very close in (for that "hand wave greeting").
That's so cool!
@@backcountrygallery I have communicated with you before with questions. I have a D500 I keep at the ready in the tower. After I report a fire I immediately document the size and some of the response. Most of the time I take pictures of wildlife. Most local mamals are nocturnal. I run 3 trail cameras that monitor my neighbors (Foxes, Ringtail Cats, Skunks, etc.) Daytime images are almost exclussively birds. SInce I have a water trough set up, much wildllife know of the location. Most of the seasonal wildlife return each year, and their numbers are increasing. Due to the deck grate of my tower catwalk, tripods and mono-pods are out of the question. I have to rely on hand holding my camera with either the 200-500 or a 70-300. Due to these conditions, I pretty much leave my D500 set a 10 fps with 1/3200. Tracking is a real challenge when Hawks fly by within 50 feet playing or fighting. My biggest challenge are the Peregine Falcons when they are in a dive and pass real close to the tower. I have all of your guides and pretty much use your recommended settings, but as you can see, my environment has some challenges. It is difficult for me to capture the sharpest images, but simply capturing so much vairiety of wildlife is fun and rewarding. I recently donated a hard drive to the San Diego Natural History Musem with 147,000 images of the local wildlife generated by my 3 trail cameras. They have started a study of "my local" Ringtail Cats. I started with one Ringtail Cat that cimbed the tower nightly for visits to now having five (with several successful offspring).
@@davef2975 I agree - your challenges are unique to say the least! I think a lot of it would just come down to technique though, I don't know any shortcuts that would make it easier, at least no offhand. It seems like something you just have to practice - but hawks whipping by at 50 feet are TOUGH!! And man, I'd love to see a ringtail in the wild!
Best vid for BIF photography.
Kudos to another great video! God Bless!
Awesome tips…thanks
thank you! I'm downloading your book as well.
Thanks so much!
Awesome video Steve! Just wondering which af area you would use photographing a group of 3-4 birds in flight, with z9? Thanks again!
Awesome video, thank you!
Great advices 🙏
Very much appreciate this video
Hi Steve. Great video, thanks for such great tips. I use the Nikon D-7200 with 70-300VR GD lens for my bird photography but am constantly disappointed by the softness, exposure, and focus issues. Anyways, I'm curious to get my hands on a good good and easy to use NR software. Thanks!
You’re brilliant 👍
Another awesome video Steve. Am stepping up from the D7100 to the D850. Which CF B cards would you recommend, and is the Vello grip decent? I want to add the vertical grip capacity and add the EN El18 battery to increase the fps. Thanks
Great video Steve I go for 1/2000 sec to start wide open auto ISO, but can go as high as 1/8000 ! Panning as low as 1/30th. Well analysed video 👍
Thanks for sharing your expertise, Steve. The scale is really interesting. I always start at 1/2000 and then work upwards. I'm going to try starting at 1/3200 instead. I'll check out your other video on birds in flight but I wonder what your thoughts are about f-stops and BIF? I also completely agree with you about preferring a noisy sharp outcome rather than a soft low iso one. Modern AI noise reduction tools are amazing (I use DxOPureRAW2).
Best video I’ve seen!
Wow some helpful tips, I wondered why I was getting more blurry shots when the bird was coming directly head on, 1/2000 doesn't quite cut it.
Thank you
Yes!
So much to learn from your video as always. Can you comment on image stabilisation ( on or off) when attempting a take off shot, particularly near vertical one, of birds floating in water.
You probably don't need it. Most of the time you'll be using a shutter speed fast enough that stabilization won't make any difference.
@@backcountrygallery I still need it on because otherwise the image is jumping around because I usually shoot at 600mm with crop sensor lol.
@@catsfpv603 LOL, that's fair :)
I use a shutter speed of 1/3200 and auto ISO. The VR function is also switched off since I use a nikon camera. The aperture is normally set for 5.6. The mode is set to rapid shots and I always get a sharp and clear picture of a flying bird.
Hi Steve, I love and watch all your videos and have some of your ebooks. I purchased a Z9 a few months ago and I am going on a bunch of safaris in Kenya in June. Can I ask what would you recommend for memory cards? What do you use? Thanks!
Thanks so much! I like the Delkin Black cards. I have both the 256 and 128 capacity ones and they have worked really well for me.
Great video, Steve! Do any of these rules have different implications when using a crop sensor instead of full frame? I still shoot with my D500, and that camera seems to rely heavily on ISO
Thanks! I tend to drop my ISO recommendations by about half with crop cameras.
The best part of this video is the caveat that you sometimes want some wing blur. The same Can be said for for other moving subjects.
freaking birds man. i have been trying for a few days to shoot birds in flight for the first time ever. so far not a single sharp image, i was blaming my lens, sigma 100-400mm, but after this video i am starting to realize i should probably blame myself lol. i will go out and try again with this new knowledge
algorithm comment. You're the best Steve!
@1:05 i think this relationship should traduce more into an exponential rather than to a linear function. Small detail but quiet relevant if you can understand it well :D Great vid as always Steve!!
yup,... that was my problem yesterday, insufficient shutter speed even though the focus box after taking the shots were on the birds (big and small)
Ah an answer at last. I had not thought about shutter speed for birds flying straight at you. I will increase it an do some more testing. thankyou.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
Better a sharp noisy image than an out of focus image --- damn straight!
do you have any tips on getting close to birds? also do you know where to place a camo net
Believe it or not, I make friends with them. This worked for a roadrunner that kept showing up in my yard. I would take my Z9 outside and shoot while he was looking for food. It got to the point where I was asking for Roadie for closeups and he would pose
Dear mr Perry. My name is Nick Kountouras, Iam 14 years old and I have been folowing you for years with admiration. I am a fun of wildlife photography and your special personal style. I wanted to ask you if you intend to do a workshop in Europe or if you are going to come sometime in my beautiful country Greece so that I can meet you in person. Thank you very much.
Thanks for the kind words :) At this time, I'm not personally running any workshops and am concentrating on other projects. However, I may end up doing something in Europe someday. Right now, the better bet is Africa in a year or two :)
Thank you very much for your answer.
Great stuff Steve, But I don't understand why some people don't use auto ISO as you can miss a shot if a bird goes from light to shadow? I'm always in manual mode and auto ISO and just adjust my exposure compensation if needed.
I was one of the first channels with a video about how to use M + Auto ISO, so I've been a fan for awhile. :) However, it really depends on the scene. Most of the time I'll use it, but if the bird is flying against mixed backgrounds that are fooling the meter, I switch to full manual ISO.
You are a treasure!
I shoot horse races. I use APERATURE priority, and crank my lens open to the widest f-stop. That way, my camera will give me the highest shutter possible for the available light. Since I'm focused at the finish line, depth of field is not a priority
That works - and it's how I used to do it. However, I have been using M + Auto ISO for the same thing for a long time now. Instead of letting the camera pick the shutter speed, I do (as well as the F/stop) while it floats the ISO. You have to keep an eye on the ISO, but it prevents shutter speeds from dipping too low. As I mention in the video, I'd rather push ISO a bit and use noise reduction software than to have a "blurry but clean" image.
I had some hand held waterfowl flight shots ruined last week by blur that was very characteristic of the jitter you see with vibration reduction. I had taken the advice of someone who said to use normal VR setting and not sport. My theory is that those shots that were ruined had some vertical movement and the VR glitched on my Z9. I am going back to the sport setting. It might be interesting to hear your advice on VR settings. That same person said there is no reason to ever turn the VR or IBIS off, even on a tripod, if your lenses are not older (mine are). I know from experience I can't leave the VR on on my 500 PF lens on a tripod.
Both Sport and Normal will detect horizontal panning and only compensate for vertical movement. The main difference between the two, as far as I can tell (Nikon never gives specifics) is that in Sport mode, the VR group doesn't re-center between shots. I also usually try to remember to turn VR off if I have sufficient shutter speed (basically anything you saw in the chart in this video). As for VR and tripod, that does vary by lens. Sony goes as far to not recommend IBIS and tripods, although I think they mean locked down tripods.
I own an A1 and had a D5, I almost like the images from the D5 here that Steve has taken over the A1 :)
The D5 has a special look to it IMO.
@@backcountrygallery Steve, In an unrelated question, Im having huge problems transferring files from my A1 onto my mac, I used sandisk 128gb SD cards, would the efexpress type A cards make that much of a difference to transferring speeds? Many thanks, Sean in NZ.
@@grassrootsphotographysean4474 It depends why the transfers are slow (if it's bus problem with the computer for instance). However, generally yes - the faster the card, the faster it'll transfer. I see a VERY noticeable difference between my fast SDs and my CF Express A cards.
Steve, how/where and I purchase your book? Thanks
Thanks for your interest! Here ya go: bcgwebstore.com/product/secrets-to-stunning-bird-in-flight-photography/
Friend, please guide me whether I will be able to click such photos with 70- 300 ED VR lens. Please, waiting for your reply!
"No one ever seems to tell you" => it's something I tell people all the time, in forums too, that if they can follow the subject in the frame better, then they can reduce the shutter speed because it will appear to move less, so the motion blur will be reduced. Also some information is missing: 1) there's another size that matters than the bird size = size of the bird in the frame. If the bird is quite small in the frame because you're too far away, then you can lower the shutter speed because it will move by fewer pixels than if you could zoom in more. 2) the output resolution matters a lot. If you plan to output small images, then it's actually fine to lower the shutter speed because for ex if the motion blur is 4px in the horizontal direction, once you resize the image to 1/4th the x-axis size, the motion blur will be reduced to 1px. Basically there are many factors to find the ideal shutter speed, in addition to the ones mentioned in the video.
Thanks for the comment :) I do talk about #1, a couple of time in fact. For #2, that's an excellent point.
oh wow 1/3200th, very good to know. i haven't been anywhere near that, i've been much closer to the 1/500th mark. thank you so much for that one simple starting point. i will try to accept that digital means i can go up to 6400 ISO to get over 1/2000th and closer to 1/4000th. thank you!
Thanks, Steve. How can you have it both ways for VR to stabilize your Z9 viewfinder, but not blur your image, especially at higher shutter speeds?
VR has come a long way :) See my recent video about it here: kzhead.info/sun/hNCTetykkZx7p4k/bejne.html&lc=Ugy5BMrGk3dMu0TZrqp4AaABAg
@@backcountrygallery Woops. I posted my comment to the wrong video. It was meant for the video you linked. My question was regarding your recommendation to not use VR at high shutter speeds, but use VR if it helps you keep the viewfinder stable, seemingly without concern for the shutter speed. I guess your saying the tradeoff it worth it, although keeping the viewfinder stable is more of a nice to have thing than a must have.
@@joshuaziff3302 Basically, yes. It's a trade off. The key is that not every (or even most) images will necessarily suffer a loss of acuity. There are a lot of variables at play, but with modern glass you don't see it as often - it's certainly not every time. Still, I think it does happen so the safest bet is turning it off - but only IF you're good without viewfinder stabilization, and that varies by situation. Just the other day I was out and turned it on due to gusty winds. The next day, it was off.
Interesting. I didn't realise that there are drawbacks to the max shutter speed of my D750 (1/4000th) other than not being able to use a lens wide open when there's a ton of light.
The good news is that I rarely go over 1/4000th. It's almost never needed, especially once you get a bit of practice under your belt :)
"i'm not saying you should be out with a radar gun and a calculator" hahaha.
We would all love to shoot BIF at 1/8000, f 5.6 and ISO 100 but we all know that's not going to happen. ISO seems to be the most logical of the three to sacrifice a bit - like you said a sharp but noisy BIF shot is recoverable but a blurry clean photo is usually not. I will now turn this comment into a question - what if I shot all my BIFs in Manual mode, with those settings 1/8000, f5.6 or f/6.3 and ISO 100 - would I be able to recover the underexposed shots in post assuming RAW on a FF camera?
Those speeds in the chart would be too fast for a Sigma/Tamron 150-600mm, where the best aperture is around f/8 or f/9. You must be basing them on a 500 or 600mm f/4 prime lens
Not necessarily, it really depends on the light levels. At the edges of day, stopping down to F/8 ~F/9 is problematic, there's no question. However, early evening / mid morning light is usually OK. In addition, I sort of thought the newer versions of those lenses were fine at F/6.3 - although I don't own either one, so I can't say for sure. I can say my 200-600 sony is sharp enough for me at F/6.3. Finally, keep in mind point #2 in the video - your shutter speed selection is HIGHLY dependent on your ability to keep the bird in place in the frame. If you're good at that, you can usually use speeds on the left side or even slower. I presented the speeds you saw simply because over the years of teaching people, I know they are "safe" and will give a good keeper rate. However, it's certainly possibly to use slower speeds with good technique.
Still remember my Minolta… max shutter speed at 1/500! Upgrade my camera to a better model with a uge 1/1000 sec…. Nowadays…. Stat at 1/3400!!!
It is there where people underestimate the need of faster lens… at F 6.3 or F8.0… 1/3200… you need a uge amount of light!
I started listening and then started scanning quickly through the video. I have let to hear anything about the focal length of the lens. Shutter speed for a 100mm lens is much more forgiving than for a 800mm lens.
You're right about the focal length of course - but it works a little differently with bird in flight and that's why it's not mentioned. The thing is, if you're using a 100mm lens, you're dealing with a flying bird that's almost close enough to reach out and touch. At that range, it's incredibly difficult to keep it in the viewfinder, much less in a more or less stable position in the viewfinder. So, even though you're using a short focal length, you'll still need a lot of shutter speed, even with the shorter lens.
@@backcountrygallery The way I think about it is in terms of focal length as my starting point. Perhaps I should rethink things. A graceful swoop of a bird with a 400mm lens I believe I can capture reasonable consistently at 1/800 -- the reciprocal of twice the focal length. A hummingbird that is stationary likewise. I only need to remove the camera shake in those situations. But if I have an 800mm lens, I will need 1/1600 just to get to the same point. Then add (or multiply) for the effects that you mention in the video... is the bird flying fast across your lens? Is this a tight shot on just the bird or are does it have a lot of the environment in the frame? etc. The "down" pressure (why not just go 1/6400 or higher all the time?) is both ISO and artistic. I often want something blurred: the wing tips or the background or something so I can capture the sense of motion. The down pressure is also why I think in terms of a base starting point based upon the length of the lens -- especially with respect to the desire to capture some sense of motion. A shorter lens will require a lower shutter speed if I want to have the same nice motion blur that I got with a longer lens. On a different topic, my suggestion to myself is to "chimp" my photos. I need to frequently review my photos I've taken so far and seriously judge them. Not just a quick glance. Are the things I want sharp really sharp? Am I capturing the desired motion blur? I'm horrible at this. I get out and get "lost" in taking pictures and looking at the birds and come back home only to find that I needed to correct something.
@@pedzsan Focal length can definitely come into play with really slow or hovering birds, no question. I think you're using the focal lengths where I'm thinking about it more in terms of distance / speed. I too try to chimp a bit in the field to make sure I'm getting the effect I want. I find that it takes me more than a few outings with a camera before I really can translate what I'm seeing on the screen vs what I see on the computer (in terms of sharpness). All I can say is that I think it's something that takes practice before you really can predict how a photo not eh LCD will compare to that same shot on a computer screen. I find it varies by camera too - with Nikon I'm more confident than with Sony - or at least I was at first. Once I get used to the a1, all was fine.
"keep your ISO out of the stratosphere" lol.
Very easy if you have a D5 with a 600 f5,6 prime and ISO 6400! The same does not work for us deadly.But thank`s anyway.
Did you miss the shot of the Ibis at ISO 11,400 was F/6.3? You don't need a D5 and 600 F/4.
@@backcountrygallery, My point is and I am sure you understand what I mean is that not everyone can afford that kind of equipment that it takes. Try the same with a 7d mkII and a Tamron 150-600 and you be dissapointed. The images you are showing are taken with the D5 or Sony A1. Bird photography with that equipment is easy. Again, I’am sure that everybody who has the same equipment that you have already now all about shutterspeeds and ISO.
You can not ask for a like before you even began with the content Damn, in general if somebody ask for a like i intentionally dislike no matter how good the content was. Just let the content be judged
Let's pretend you are using F8 lenses, and not 2.8 or 4. Pretend that you are speaking to normal people. Could you do the video again? Still shooting in the golden hours of sunrises/sets though 😊 1/3200 is dark 😬
As I mentioned in the video, the table is simply a starting point. Remember, there are other major factors at play. Before we even got into it, I mentioned that my recommendations would sometimes require alteration. With the first point in the video, I mentioned how as shutter speed increases, so does keeper rate, so it's not black and white where you're at 1/3200 and getting a 100% keeper rate and 1/2500th and getting 0%. There's a LOT of grey area where you can use slower shutter speeds and still get keepers, just not as many. The second point I make in the video is even more critical - how good are you at keeping the bird in place in the frame? I routinely shoot birds at half the speed most would require simply because I have had more practice and have been doing it for so long. Your skillset comes into play here for sure - the better you get at panning, the slower the shutter speeds you can work with and still get a high keeper rate. With practice, you can use far slower speeds than what's on the table when necessary (heck, maybe you already have that skillset). The table is just a staring point I've used over the years and it has worked really well with anyone I've tutored on BIF work.
Great video thank you!