23 Bird Photography
About this episode
A camera can help you notice birds and the places they belong. Wildlife photographer Coreena Vieth shares bird photography, birdwatching and nature-based travel in Tasmania.
Episode illustration: Green Rosella
Coreena Vieth is a professional nature-based tour guide and talented wildlife photographer. For the past 15 years, she has extended her love of birdwatching into a love of bird photography. Coreena runs Shutterbug Walkabouts with her husband, a company that offers enriching photography and travel experiences in Tasmania. She shares her knowledge and skills so that other people can also capture awe-inspiring photos.
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Kirsty: In recognition of the deep history and culture of Tasmania, I would like to acknowledge palawa, Tasmanian Aboriginal people as the Traditional Owners and custodians of Country. I pay my respect to their Elders past and present and thank them for holding the memories, knowledge, culture and hopes of Aboriginal Tasmania.
Coreena: Welcome to Weekend Birder. I'm Kirsty Costa and I'm a teacher, conservationist and bird nerd. In the last episode, we learned a little bit about bird photography from Kathie Thomas. Today we are going to extend our knowledge with the help of Coreena Vieth.
Coreena: I got first interested in birds, and photography mostly I guess, in a natural progressive way. My interest built over the years because of my love of being out in nature and the outdoors. And eventually my work took me a lot more into that environment as I travelled around Australia as a tour guide. So I was able to see lots more birds and wildlife and just natural environment in itself surrounded by nature. I guess I just became a lot more curious about what I was seeing doing and what I could do. Once upon a time, I called myself a photographer first and a birder second. But thinking about that a bit further, it's probably about equal now because my photography came from my enjoyment of being in the outdoors. That's why I say it's about a natural progression, just being curious about bird behaviour and habitat and then wanting to capture that. I guess to document that moment in nature that I'm experiencing. And then of course, being able to look back on that. I've then got those memories as well. And I think that's the beauty of it all as well, isn't it? That it's something that you can progressively make your way into rather than feeling like you have to know everything from the very beginning. I think that's one of the beautiful things about it, because it's such a fulfilling activity. That's how I feel when I'm out there. It just feels so fulfilling and addressing everything that I love about being outside. I'm certainly an opportunistic bird photographer. If there's birds out there to be photographed, I will have my camera in hand and I would like to go out and learn about the birds - what birds are in that habitat that I'm visiting, finding out a little bit about them. My curiosity comes into play and then I think, you know, like I said earlier, just documenting the moment, feeling that that experience where I am and just being thoughtful about all of that. But I think opportunistic really covers all of that. If I'm at the beach, then it'll be shorebirds. If I'm in the forest and then it's the forest birds. When it comes to the photography side of it, it's experiential. It's like, "Hey, what am I going to do to get that photo?!". I do think about it a lot and think about the settings and what will I do if I'm in that particular environment and how will I go about it. That's pretty much in my mind a lot of the time.
Kirsty: Coreena is a nature-based tour guide. For the past 15 years, she's been pursuing her passion for bird photography and she's here to help us understand some of the basics. You might be like me and use the camera on your phone to take photos of birds. You're going to get some pretty dodgy photos, but you'll have a record of what you saw. Or you can gear up with a proper camera and Coreena says there is a huge range to choose from.
Coreena: There are just so many cameras out there and so many varieties of camera. And of course, it all depends on what your budget is, in being able to afford the biggest and the best. You really do not need the biggest and the best camera. When you're first starting out, think about what you want to achieve. Whether you've got the budget to actually go on that bit of a rollercoaster of increasing or upgrading your gear all the time. Certainly I didn't start out with the best camera of all time and certainly I was taking what was it back in the day when digital cameras were first coming out, a whole three megapixels we had to play with. And I look back on those photos and think, "Ouch!". But, you know, I enjoyed it still because I was still getting some photos and I was learning. That enabled me to learn about a bit more about what I was photographing at the time when I was doing digital, When I was doing film, you had to be a little bit more decisive about what you were doing if you didn't want to spend a fortune. Certainly on the digital scale, there are so many cameras out there, so affordability, how it feels comfortable in your hand when you go to the shop, ask them to use the display camera and hold on to it, See how it feels in your hand, because that's going to be a big part of whether you're going to enjoy it if you're comfortable because there are so many. I'd rather focus on some of the features rather than the actual camera brand or model itself and cameras that actually have a good focus accuracy (because that is something with cameras). If you've got something that's got a little bit blurry, you can always ask yourself, "Why are my photos always blurry?!". And it's going to deter you a little bit. It's going to start to have a play on how you feel about your photos and it might not be you. I'm not saying it's all about the camera. It could be you - it could be the way you're seeing it. But the rapid shoot, the continuous focus and continuous shooting potential... What is the speed of that? What is the buffer between photos? Because some cameras, especially some of the early day and entry level cameras, they have a very slow buffer. What that means is that just trying to record the photo to the card, that can actually be addressed by making sure that the card is appropriate. But some of the entry level cameras may not be able to handle a faster card. It's about finding that combination and understanding more about the types of things you want to achieve and then selecting the gear appropriate for what you want to achieve. So if you're wanting those birds in flight, then don't bother with a slow shutter speed and a slow focus. I will mention just here, there's a lot said about the super zooms. And there's a lot of cameras out there with super zooms. Super zooms are great because you can zoom right in and you can get 100 millimetres in. In all reality, the features of those cameras is not quite (in my opinion and in my experience) up to the game of getting the best possible photos. If that's what you want to go to. Great to start with, great to get started to understand how you go about photographing. If you're into that technical aspect, you might actually start to progress a lot more quickly. So do you want to get on that roller coaster ride of spending more money, or do you want to find something that's within your budget that will suit the purpose for, say, three or four years while you save up for the next one?
Kirsty: Coreena says that the first step to bird photography is getting to know your camera.
Coreena: You start with what you've got and where you're at. At that moment in time. There's a lot of banter about saying, "Take the photos with manual. You've got to be on full manual to get the best photos". No, you don't! Honestly, I think that there's a lot of expectation out there that you have to be doing something in a particular way, understanding the fundamentals. And what I'm talking about there is what's called the 'exposure triangle', and that is about ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Now all of that comes into play no matter which mode you're using. Apart from auto, because auto does it all for you and program mode does a little bit of that for you as well. But if you actually understand some of that, that's probably about the most of the technical, I would say is a good place to start. You may not understand it at the beginning, but reading about it and understanding what might be going on might be a really good start. And then once you've actually driven your camera a few times you've practiced with your camera for, say, 10 minutes a day to work out where the buttons and dials are.
Kirsty: The 'manual mode' on a camera is when you have complete control over all the settings. It's maybe not the best place to start as a beginner because it can be a little overwhelming. Another option is 'auto mode', where your camera will try and select the best settings for the photo. Or you could start by experimenting with the exposure triangle that Coreena just mentioned. The triangle is made up of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. These three things work together to produce a photo that has the ideal brightness and detail.
Kirsty: Shutter speed is the amount of time that your camera spends taking a photo. A long shutter speed lets in a large amount of light and a quick shutter speed only lets in a small amount of light. The downside of using a long shutter speed is that your image might be blurry because birds move really fast. Aperture works in a similar way to the pupil of your eye. It can open or shrink the amount of light that passes through it. The larger the aperture, the brighter your photo. You can also use aperture to create depth of field, which is making things closer to you or further away look sharper in detail. The final part of exposure triangle is ISO and it can also be used to brighten your photos.
Coreena: It's just about understanding the combination between the aperture and the ISO and then the shutter speed. And then if you're adjusting the shutter speed, you just need to know what sort of shutter speed you're chasing to be able to get the shot that you're looking for. However, there are ways that you can use your camera to help you determine that. You know, you don't have to go full manual. There are modes on your camera that you can use to pick and choose which one you prioritise. I use aperture priority pretty much 99.9% of the time, probably 100% of the time with my photography. But occasionally I switch across to shutter priority if I feel I need to. And the reason for that is because I do want to have my subjects standing out. So I do want that lovely natural blur behind the shot. I want my bird to really stand out, especially when you've got the small birds because you want them to really stand out in their environment By understanding those three elements and how they interact together, it will become much easier to understand what you need to do and you'll see that result in your photos as time moves on.
Kirsty: If you are feeling confused by what was just said, don't worry. There are heaps of websites and videos online that will help you get to know your camera. Coreena says it's also best to start by having a play and taking photos of what is around you.
Coreena: Most importantly, when it comes to photographing the birds, choose the easy birds to get by, starting with, say, seagulls on the beach. We know where they are - just find the closest fish and chip shop! You know there's going to be seagulls nearby. Seagulls are great because they often sit still, but they also fly off. So they're great to be able to get a bit of a variation on using your photography skills to get those photos. They're bigger birds as well. They're easier to focus on if you start on your smaller birds. They are incredibly hard and flighty, so it's hard to get those shots off the smaller birds. More often than not, I'm very lucky where I've got six and a half acres in Tasmania where I get a lot of the birds at the big birds, the smaller birds, all of that in the last 11 years. That's what I've focused on. I would say start in a park near home, the beach somewhere where you feel comfortable, somewhere where you know that you can be patient, somewhere where you know that you can just sit and wait and see what birds shown up, learn about that habitat and and just see if you can find out when the birds might actually be there. Because if you're in the forest and you know, it's a really hot and windy day, then chances of seeing the birds is probably slim. Same with on the beach on a middle of a really hot day. But early in the morning you've got all the birds sort of wondering out.
Kirsty: After you've had a go at taking photos of the birds around you (like seagulls or magpies), Coreena says the next step is to go somewhere different. When Coreena arrives at a place where she wants to do some bird photography, the first thing that she does is enjoy what she can see and hear and become familiar with the environment around her.
Coreena: For me, it's about enjoying where I am to begin with. It's really important that we get comfortable with our surroundings because with that we then start to feel that habitat and sense it a bit more. And by being thoughtful about what's around us, we start to get an understanding of what there is to capture. And of course, there's those times when a bird will sit on a branch right in front of you and you pick up your camera in a rush and you kind of go down and click away. If we expect that bird to turn up, then there's a chance. So that might and you can be actually preparing yourself for that moment in that environment. So you can be thinking about the light, you can be thinking about where you're sitting or standing or waiting, where you hope that the bird might sit. I'm talking to birds all the time saying, "Sit on that branch right there, please. Come on! Fly in and sit there". And when they start coming in, I start saying, "Okay, now I'd like you to hop onto that branch because that's in better light. Please? Can you?". So I start talking to the birds. People must think I'm crazy, honestly, especially if they're out there at the same time. So that approach, by being not having expectations and just being mindful of where you are, what you're doing, enjoying that moment, I think it's important to being able to get that photo with comfort by being patient about it. You start to realise that, "Hey, I'm really enjoying this," rather than just saying, "Oh, I've got to get that photo". And believe me, I've been there. I've been there where I said, "I've just got to get that photo". And I come away so disappointed because it's just so frustrating when you think that you had this ultimate aim and you just couldn't achieve it. I've learnt from my own experience, believe me, it's taken a while, but I got there eventually.
Kirsty: Coreena lives on six and a half acres of land in Tasmania and can also drive to the coast or the mountains within twenty minutes. She loves taking photos of some of the birds that are endemic to Tasmania. Endemic means birds that are only found in that location. Tasmania has twelve endemic bird species, including the Green Rosella, Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Tasmanian Native Hen and Tasmanian Thornbill. Coreena and her husband also run Shutterbug WalkAbouts, a tour company that offers photography experiences.
Coreena: You know, Tasmania is awesome! I mean really we have so many different species of birds and I'm not up with exactly how many. There's lots. I guess I'm still on that note of wanting to try and increase the number of species that I want to get. So I haven't got all of them yet and I'm far off getting them all and even all the pandemics, but I'll get there eventually. I've been lucky to travel around Australia as well. In the last 15 years. I've been lucky to both live in places where I can engage in my bird photography and one of those was in Central Australia. I think Central Australia has so much to offer the nature photographer in general, but certainly birding there is phenomenal with the different types of birds and I fell in love with some of the birds. I think that's when it really did take off a lot more for me on the photography side. Last year I went to the Broome Bird Observatory. If I could go back there in a heartbeat, I would. I'd be on a plane. I've just been up to Darwin and enjoyed being up around there. I love the outback! I love.... can I just say anywhere? Anywhere there is nature and natural habitat for birds. I could keep rambling on, but honestly, there are just so many places around Australia that we've got that are just so unique for the birds. I'm yet to visit a lot of them, but I will get back to a lot of these places as a bird photographer one day. And that's what my ultimate aim is to do, is to now that I've got a lot more skill and knowledge. I want to take that and go back to these wonderful places that I know, where I've seen some amazing birds. And then of course, there's internationally. Oh my gosh! I was so very lucky to be able to go to this wonderful place called Antarctica. And on that trip we also visited the Falkland Islands in South Georgia and all around that Patagonian and southern Patagonian area. Absolutely stunning. I was able to focus a lot on my photography and we saw birds and birds and birds and more birds. I think if I was to actually nominate a time that that's when my bird photography really did take off because I had three months just to focus on bird photography. In that three months, no bird was safe. Every bird was getting snapped, including every penguin. If I could tell you how many penguin photos I've got, you'd probably roll over off your chair.
Kirsty: Through all of her photography adventures, Coreena has learnt that the two most important things are to get comfortable with your camera equipment and get comfortable with your environment.
Coreena: If you're in a comfortable place that you can focus on what you're wanting to focus on and not feel bad about it. It's about being kind to yourself, about nurturing what you want to get from the experience and fostering that approach to just being able to be comfortable about what you're actually doing. If you're sitting on a beach and you're sweltering and you're hot and you're getting sunburnt and you're not comfortable with that, you're not going to do your best work in anyway, whether you're starting out or otherwise. It's important that you choose a location that is good for you. If you're going on a birding holiday and you want to get to know your camera, probably don't buy your camera two days before you leave. Buy your camera a year before you leave because there's a lot of learning to do. Especially if you're just starting out. You're thinking that's what you want to do when you're actually thinking about what you're doing. Think about what sorts of bird photos you'd like to get. What I mean by that is, are you getting photos just to get an ID? Or are you getting photos that you'd like to put in a book? Or would you like to make them bigger and put them on prints on the wall? That type of thing will also help you define what sort of photos you might look for. And by having a little bit more of a goal or an intention, you will actually find that your work will be easier to say. It's easier maybe, maybe a bit of a stretch, but certainly give you some direction as to what you need to learn rather than trying to learn it all at once and everything at once. It is a challenging thing to combine both photography and birding at the same time. If you haven't sort of spent a bit of time doing one or the other first, just get out there. Just enjoy the process and take great comfort from your successes. Celebrate them. We can all do a bit of that a bit more, even including myself you know, just getting out there and enjoying everything that bird photography has going for it because it can slow you down. It can give you that break from the busyness of life. I think that's what I love about it. It just allows me to get outdoors. It gives me an excuse to say I'm going out for the day. I'm going to take my camera and go and photograph birds. It also gives me a chance to sit in one spot for 2 hours and not think about much. But that bird that's going to land on that branch when I want it to. Hopefully!
Kirsty: Many thanks to Coreena for taking the time out of her busy schedule to share her love of birds and photography with us. I'd like to celebrate all the bird photographers out there, the ones that post on the Facebook group 'Crap Bird Photography' and the ones that are taking the most incredible photos of birds for us all to enjoy. And a special shout out to my dad, Mark, who is an amazing photographer and also provides me with a very extensive library of photos for Weekend Birder social media. On the Weekend Birder website, you will find a transcript of what was said if you would like to go back and review. And you'll also find some handy bird photography information which can also be found in the notes of this episode.
