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Don't just shoot wide open! Here's Why – Bird Photography Secrets Revealed



One of the main topics in the comment sections of my bird photography videos has been why I almost always shoot stopped down to F8 when I have a big and expensive F4 lens. So I made this bird photography video to show you exactly why and why you might want to consider it as well for your bird photography!

Let me know in the comments what you think about this approach to bird photography and also how we should name my new helper!

Check out my video on Manual Mode Video for further details on how I use it and how it helps me to be a better bird photographer.

Wondering about exposure? Check this out!

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47 responses to “Don't just shoot wide open! Here's Why – Bird Photography Secrets Revealed”

  6. If you are trying to separate a bird from a busy background; such as the bird is in a bush, you need wide aperture to soften everything not-bird. But you lose depth of field (the whole point of this technique). Focus stacking to the rescue but there's quite a bit of luck, and some skill, involved in focus stacking. Several photos in rapid succession adjusting focus. Sometimes I'll just put the camera in fast continuous and manually focus through the sharp point while shooting photos. Then combine the sharp bits together in post-processing. It helps if you are using an internal-focus lens that does not change focal length when focusing.

  7. A closeup examination of the images would show why not to shoot at f16 at ISO 3200 or higher: Noise! Cameras vary widely in susceptibility to noise. Full frame sensors almost always have considerably less noise for any particular ISO as compared to APS-C or smaller sensors (cellphone!). But even at full frame considerable variation exists; my Nikon D850 sensor seems to have only about half the noise as my D800; which means I can shoot at twice the ISO and still have acceptable quality. Where it matters is of course the size of the finished product. On a web page we see no difference at all up to ISO 1600; but it will show up if you print large or crop tight.

  18. Hi Jan, from the gloomy UK. I follow your outstanding tutorials, they are simply the best. One I eagerly await is the one using flash, is this tutorial still in the pipeline. Best Regards Tom

  20. Would the flash really be that beneficial at the distance your perch example was set up? I’d be interested to see examples with and without flash. Max min Distance etc. how to adjust flash after ambient exposure etc

  22. Actually, the need to have these super-fast telephoto lenses is non existent with the advent of digital cameras. Simply double your ISO and use a slower, better quality lens. The higher ISO has a degradation on the image, obviously. But so does using a fast telephoto lens. And they are both comparable. So which would you rather do? Spend a few extra thousand on a big-ass lens (unless, of course, you're a show-off) or simply dial in a high ISO? However, I do enjoy the camouflage on the lens…..just in case the Russians are around the corner. LOL

  24. Lovely video Jan! This will help us to come out of the myth to use wide open when shooting wildlife to gain over shutter speed and bokehlicious background. But then we compromise on the main bird itself to get it in reasonable depth of field.

    Thanks for this video. Will be helpful if you can do a video on use of flash in bird photography.

  29. This is such an underrated tip, so many of us come to the conclusion that longer telephoto lenses with wider maximum aperture = better in all scenarios. While there are absolutely scenarios/situations where F/4 or F/2.8 might be great, F/8 really is one of the best "fair weather" apertures to aim for with small subjects. Not only that, but if you have a zoom lens, chances are that wide-open is not the sharpest aperture available, with F/8 usually being the sweet-spot for sharpness.

  32. What about diffraction at f/11? Cameras with high MP tend to hit diffraction earlier than lower mp cameras. Myself, if I shoot wide-open depends on the background, lens and subject. If I have a busy background, then I'll shoot wide-open in order to blur the area behind the bird, unless the bird is of sufficient distance away from the background.

  39. Sometimes you just need someone to point out what you already know. I have a Canon 500/4 and shoot wide open all the time, often with a 1.4x TC too.
    I need to get a better beamer too, to substitute for the lack of light here in UK, which is primarily the reason for shooting wide open.
    I need to update my body also, an original 7D it's soooooooooo noisy ☹
    Great video.

  41. Great tip Jan. most of the time I don't go beyond f 7.1 with my Nikkor 200-500 with Nikon D500 to keep my shutter speed decent enough for the action (I usually starts at around 1/500 S) and possibly keep my ISO as low as possible for the given situation.

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