One of the questions we get asked most often is how we photograph so many birds right here at home.
The answer is surprisingly simple.
You don’t need to travel to a wildlife refuge or spend hours hiking through the woods. With a little planning, you can create a backyard bird photography setup that attracts birds naturally and gives you endless opportunities to practice your photography throughout the year.
Over the years we’ve refined our own backyard bird photography studio, and while it’s certainly evolved, the basic principles have remained exactly the same.
Things to Consider When Creating a Bird Photography Studio in your Backyard
1. Start with the Right Location
The most important decision you’ll make isn’t what camera you use or which feeder you buy. It’s where you put everything.
Whenever possible, position your backyard bird photography setup so the birds are illuminated by good light for as much of the day as possible. Ideally, the sun should move across the front of your setup rather than behind it.
If that’s not possible, don’t worry. Many photographers successfully photograph birds using only morning light or only afternoon light. On heavily wooded properties, overcast days often produce the most beautiful, even lighting.
Good light should always be your first consideration.
2. Give Birds Somewhere They Feel Safe
Birds are much more likely to visit your feeding station if they have nearby cover.
Shrubs, trees and dense vegetation provide a place where birds can wait before flying in to feed, and somewhere to retreat quickly if they feel threatened.
If your yard doesn’t already have this kind of cover, even something as simple as an old Christmas tree secured nearby can make birds feel much more comfortable.
3. Pay Attention to Your Background
Beautiful bird photographs aren’t just about the bird. The background plays an equally important role.
Try to position your feeding station so there’s plenty of distance between your perch and whatever lies behind it.
That separation allows your lens to throw the background beautifully out of focus, helping your subject stand out.
Small changes in position can make a huge difference.
Designing the Feeding Station
Our permanent bird photography studio setup consists of three basic elements:
- A feeding station
- A dedicated woodpecker station
- A photography perch
The birds become familiar with this arrangement because it stays in place every day.
When it’s time to photograph, however, we make one simple change.
Instead of using a large feeder that allows several birds to feed at once, we replace it with a much smaller feeding cup. Only one bird can access the food at a time, which naturally creates a queue of waiting birds on our photography perch.
That simple change dramatically increases the number of opportunities to capture clean portraits.
Choosing the Right Perch
The perch is where your creativity really comes into play.
Rather than photographing birds sitting on artificial feeders, we replace the standard perch with carefully selected natural branches, flowers or seasonal vegetation.
Some perches tell a story about the season.
A snow-covered pine branch immediately says winter. Apple blossom announces spring. Milkweed pods, ferns or colorful fall foliage each create a completely different mood.
When choosing a perch, think about where the bird is most likely to land. Most songbirds naturally prefer the highest comfortable point, so plan your composition with that behaviour in mind.
Sometimes the simplest branch creates the strongest image.
Other times it’s worth investing extra time waiting for a bird to land exactly where you imagined.
Photograph Through a Blind
Our permanent backyard blind allows us to photograph birds without disturbing them.
Inside, the setup is surprisingly simple. We mount our tripod head directly onto a shooting platform, giving us a stable and comfortable place to work for extended periods.
If building a permanent blind isn’t practical, don’t worry. Portable blinds work extremely well, and many photographers successfully photograph birds straight from inside their home.
A window or sliding patio door can become an excellent bird photography blind with the right feeding station positioned outside.
A Zoom Lens Makes Life Easier
One advantage of photographing birds from a fixed position is that everything happens at a known distance.
We prefer using a zoom lens because it allows us to quickly adjust for different species.
A tiny chickadee fills the frame very differently than a Blue Jay or Cooper’s Hawk. Being able to zoom without moving the camera gives us much greater flexibility while remaining hidden inside the blind.
Photograph Birds Throughout the Year
Every season offers something different.
- Winter is one of our favorite times to photograph birds because food is scarce, birds visit feeders more frequently, and snow creates beautiful, clean backgrounds.
- Spring brings fresh blossoms and breeding plumage.
- Summer offers lush green backgrounds and active families of birds.
- Fall introduces warm colors that complement many species beautifully.
Changing your perches with the seasons is one of the easiest ways to keep your backyard photography fresh throughout the year.
Watch the Full Video
Photographing backyard birds is fun and easy.
In this video, we show you exactly how to do it, from selecting your location and creating the feeding station to countless tips on exactly how to make dramatic images of these beautiful subjects.
We take you behind the scenes of our complete backyard bird photography setup. We’ll show you our permanent blind, feeding station, and photography perches and explain exactly how everything works together to create natural-looking bird portraits.
We also share practical tips on choosing backgrounds, positioning your setup and encouraging birds to land exactly where you want them.
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve & Nicole
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