Hello everyone. I've been an avid birdwatcher since I was 7 years old, in fact I was a member of Birds Australia and the Bird Observers Club of Australia for much of my childhood. 2 years ago, after over 20 years birdwatching, I decided to get an entry level camera setup to capture what I'd been observing for so long. Just two days ago, a relative gifted me a semi-professional camera setup. I thought I'd get more serious about my photography, so here I am! Looking forward to learning from you all
Right now, in lockdown, it's only birds in my backyard I can photograph with the new camera which is a bit frustrating, but I get King Parrots, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Pied Currawongs, endless Eastern and Crimson Rosellas, Long-billed Corellas and more. So it's not too bad! Maybe one day I can get back to Rotamah Island...

Hi Miriam,

Welcome to BirdLife Photography. Sounds like you already have a wealth of birding knowledge and we can certainly help you build a wealth of bird photography knowledge.

Don't underestimate what you can learn in your backyard. It is a great place to learn about camera settings and manipulating camera controls. You can then head into the field with a level of confidence in your handling of the camera, allowing you to concentrate on things like lighting and composition.

Best regards,
Craig

Adding my welcome, as a relatively new Melbourne member (three years' membership) but a relative newcomer to birdwatching and bird photography, so I am always trying to learn from life-long bird watchers. Despite been a keen bushwalker and photographer from youth, I am only now realising what I have been missing all these years in not looking closely enough to birds and birdlife, and the importance of understanding as much about them as possible to take really good bird images.