BEYOND BIRDS ON BRANCHES: 10 IDEAS TO SPICE UP YOUR BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

If you are on social media, you have seen it. In fact, if you are a bird photographer you might have done it. It goes something like this: find a pretty bird, get it to land on a ‘bespoke’ perch (the mossier the better), make sure you have a clear background, take a photo, crop in, boost the colour, post it to social media and Bob’s your uncle: sit back and watch the ‘likes’ and gushing compliments flow in.

But ‘bird on branch’ images are like a tub of decadent toffee-crunch ice-cream, if you have too much you can start to feel queasy. They are, as one person described them to me, the ‘fast-food’ of bird photography.

The best bird photos, like the best food, require patience and perseverance to create, an eye for quality and presentation and the use of only natural ingredients; and they leave the ‘viewer’ wanting to come back again and again for another helping. Each photo is different. Each photo tells a story.

So, are you ready to spice up your bird photography and go beyond birds on branch images? Then here are ten ideas to help you get started.

BACKGROUNDS: LOOK THROUGH THE BIRD, NOT AT IT

We are often so focussed on the bird (pun intended), that we overlook the fact that the background