During the recent survey, one of the reasons often given for not entering competitions is that people don't think they have a good enough camera. Some of my best photos have been taken with a point and shoot style camera (and I have to admit one with an iPhone). Hopefully, this article will help dispel some of those issues and help people to think differently about the equipment they have and how to get the most out of it. And remember, there is a beginners section in the photography competitions because we were all beginners once and in some ways will always be as learning is a none stop process. Regards, Rodney (Vice-President, BLP)

10 Incredible Bird Photography Tips for Beginners

I find myself somewhat torn on this subject, to be honest.

I strongly support the sentiments - that people should focus on the art and process of bird photography rather than equipment, and 'get out and do it'. I also think the article makes some good points about how to improve bird photography.

However, I think we need to be realistic about this. I used to have some sympathy with the idea that 'equipment doesn't matter'. That was until I actually started taking bird photography seriously. Then, I realised that bird photography was (perhaps more than any other type of photography) an area where equipment does matter. Yes, it's possible to take a bird photo with just about anything in the right circumstances but it doesnt follow that any equipment is good bird photography equipment. The article is a bit disingenuous to the extent that it is saying your camera doesn't matter, when a lot of the suggestions put forward need the right camera and lens - eg blurring of the background really needs a telephoto lens with a reasonably wide aperture, and birds in flight photos are difficult with even good, dedicated equipment set up right. I also think that the photos the author has used to illustrate the article were shot with some pretty decent equipment.

You don't need the latest CaNikSon with a 600mm prime lens costing some $15000 to get into bird photography, but you do need a happy medium which balances the cost-benefit equation. A modern APSC or micro four thirds camera with a zoom somewhere in the region of 400mm (APSC) or 300mm (micro 4/3) seems an excellent compromise and something towards which beginners can aspire. The lens needs to be of reasonable quality and the camera capable of being reasonably responsive and focusing quickly. We won't do our members any favours by suggesting that unsuitable equipment will be anything other than a recipe for frustration in the long term. Sure, I can paint my house with a 4 inch brush - after all, its the colour that counts, isn't it? But it will be a hell of a lot easier with a good quality roller...

Simon

I think the point that the author in the article was trying to put forward and I also, is that don't let the equipment you have be the reason for not getting out there and improving your skill set and stop you from enetering competitions. Understand the limitations of your camera and what you can photo. The recent head and bills competition wouldn't have required an expensive or fast camera for a beginner. A trip down to the local duck pond would have given many an opportunity.

And when your confidence grows and your budget allows it then you can look at progressing to the next level, if you wish to take it more seriously. And yes, I agree with you, better equipment will offer you more opportunities which will give you a wider range of images. But it will also offer you more frustrations as you need to improve your skill set further, but then again that is always going to be an ongoing lesson in bird photography and why we are here.

Further to Simon's comments, just for interest the metadata in the photos in the article indicate they were all taken with a Nikon D7100 and 300mm lens, which would no doubt qualify as quite a decent bird photography rig.

Cheers, David

Yes it is a decent piece of rig.

How do we encourage all those members from the survey who feel that they cannot/do not want to participate in competitions and submitting photos to our website because they don't have the "right gear"

Maybe we should put out a challenge for all of our members, beginners and experts alike to see what they can produce with the sort of equipment that a beginner may more likely own. Maybe one of our competitions should be bird photos from a phone. Lets put everyone on a level playing field. Let's do something different. Let's have a Facebook challenge in October for the best photo taken from a phone. What does everyone think? How do we get everyone involved?

I would assume that the mobile phone concept would be no different to expensive vs. affordable camera/lens setups, given that some new phones have incredible cameras, whereas phones that are a year or two in age (or older) have mediocre cameras in comparison. I would imagine that the biggest reason for people not partaking in competitions would be their inability or desire to go driving and walking in search of birds, and thus not having images of desirable birds to share.

Being in lockdown with a very small backyard, I have been forced to improvise dramatically in order to maintain a 'one image per day' upload on Instagram. The backyard creates a level playing field, and perhaps this might provide the impetus to get more people involved - 'backyard birding'? Noisy miners, ravens, magpies, Crested pigeons, Rainbow lorikeets, etc, coupled with a lens that does not exceed 250mm. Another perspective to consider perhaps?

Cheers.

Rob.