Why the Obsession With Birds?

Absolutely.

Do you have photos of pets on a wall somewhere?

I would explain it but you really don’t care do you

Marek M said:

Paul B Jones said:

It's fun!

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I understand it is fun and not easy, I am sure it takes considerable skill to get results like these.. But are these really pictures you would go back to over and over? Or, hang them on the wall?

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I look at them quite a bit and think, that was neat! Or, what a cool bird! Or, that sandgrouse was probably flying 80 kilometres per hour - darn I'm good!

But I absolutely understand if not everyone is interested in bird photos. In fact, for me, it's a bit of the other way around, I'm constantly surprised by how many people are, and want prints, which I happily provide..

Member said:

Member said:

Blue and Yellow Macaw - Bolivia


Pallas's Sandgrouse - Mongolia


Inca Tern - Chile


King Eider - Baffin Island, Canada


Northern Gannet - Newfoundland, Canada

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--
Paul B Jones

Paul B Jones said:

Marek M said:

Paul B Jones said:

It's fun!

Click to expand...

I understand it is fun and not easy, I am sure it takes considerable skill to get results like these.. But are these really pictures you would go back to over and over? Or, hang them on the wall?

Click to expand...

I look at them quite a bit and think, that was neat! Or, what a cool bird! Or, that sandgrouse was probably flying 80 kilometres per hour - darn I'm good!

But I absolutely understand if not everyone is interested in bird photos. In fact, for me, it's a bit of the other way around, I'm constantly surprised by how many people are, and want prints, which I happily provide..

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I totally understand what you are saying. I used to go fishing for stripped bass and sturgeon in the SF Bay Delta for the challenge and the sport even though I didn't care for the fish I caught. But I knew plenty of people who cherished the fish I brought them.

Paul B Jones said:

Paul B Jones said:

Paul B Jones said:

Blue and Yellow Macaw - Bolivia


Pallas's Sandgrouse - Mongolia


Inca Tern - Chile


King Eider - Baffin Island, Canada


Northern Gannet - Newfoundland, Canada

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

FluidKnowledge said:

After spending a while here, I have found the most common subjects on DPR discussions is either Phone vs DSLR or photographing birds with the latest camera and lenses. No other subjects are as popular as these two. The endless Phone vs DSLR debates I can understand. But why is the most popular thing to photograph for people here is birds? Either stationary or as I learned the term here, Birds in Flight (BIF).

I don't get the obsession with birds of so many DPR members. Surely a pet dog or cat would be far more interesting and photogenic than a bird? You know, like how most photos on Reddit are of dogs and cats, not birds. But then that would remove the excuse for many here of owning 600mm F4 lenses.

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start a flame war?

possibly because it's challenging and rewarding.

Recently I bought a Panasonic FZ300 for my wife just to see if she would use it knowing that she had no interest whatsoever learning about photography and even less about camera gear.

She started to take some decent shots with it and yesterday got this one :



That is not going to win her any prize but for someone that just wants to enjoy walking around the local park snapping away , she is doing OK.

We don't have a dog nor children or grandchildren.

Cars bore us to death....

(when she shot that I was busy looking at her mate still sitting up on a tree...)

Why not shoot birds? You seem angry that people like to shoot birds, but people also shoot a lot of cats, dogs, people, landscapes, night skies, insects buildings....

Speaking for myself, I paid little attention to birds until I decided to try photographing them, flying birds in particular. It turned out to be great fun, it's a big challenge to learn to get good photos of flying birds in particular, and all this in turn led to a new and fun interest in the vast world of birds that I didn't have before. I wouldn't call it obsession, but it's a hobby, as it is with pretty much all of us who do it.

There's a lot of discussion about it here because those who have also developed this interest and are trying to learn how to best photograph birds, what equipment works best for various situations (this is, after all, an equipment related site), and it's quite enjoyable to share what those of us with this interest in birds are able to shoot— bad, mediocre or good. To give and get suggestions, get critiques, and even get praise where warranted. Most people here are very encouraging and helpful, and one can learn a lot of useful information about whatever the photographic subject.

If you find bird threads annoying or boring, then ignore those threads and concentrate on the specific areas of your own interest.

One more thing....long lenses are really FUN. And challenging. They're not just for birds, either.

For me another reason is that I like animals in general and particularly like getting to know some individualy, so sometime there is a story behind the shot.

For example for months we have seen this pair of larks at the start of our walk around the park.



They are very friendly (some are not..) but for a few weeks the one with the lame wing had disappeared so I was happy to see both of them again.

This is kestrel N3

I see her very often and she lets me walk under her tree only about 3 metres away from her (this on another tree, for a change) :



this is the mate of the brown falcon my wife shot in flight. (from yesterday)

They have a nest there so I am looking forward to see their offspring ;



this is Bert (a female) the first kestrel that has let me get close to her :



This is a wild cocky but often found around that area , we can hear it from hundreds of metres away (BTW, it came down ,closer, to have a good look)



this one from yesterday but I have many shots of this because it comes out from that bush to announce itself when we walk by



I have plenty more photos that have a story attached to them but you should get the idea...

Since I posted the other two kestrels, this is N2 hunting. I can only get to about 10 metres from it when sitting but it does not mind me when hunting.

CMCM said:

Why not shoot birds? You seem angry that people like to shoot birds, but people also shoot a lot of cats, dogs, people, landscapes, night skies, insects buildings....

Speaking for myself, I paid little attention to birds until I decided to try photographing them, flying birds in particular. It turned out to be great fun, it's a big challenge to learn to get good photos of flying birds in particular, and all this in turn led to a new and fun interest in the vast world of birds that I didn't have before. I wouldn't call it obsession, but it's a hobby, as it is with pretty much all of us who do it.

There's a lot of discussion about it here because those who have also developed this interest and are trying to learn how to best photograph birds, what equipment works best for various situations (this is, after all, an equipment related site), and it's quite enjoyable to share what those of us with this interest in birds are able to shoot— bad, mediocre or good. To give and get suggestions, get critiques, and even get praise where warranted. Most people here are very encouraging and helpful, and one can learn a lot of useful information about whatever the photographic subject.

If you find bird threads annoying or boring, then ignore those threads and concentrate on the specific areas of your own interest.

One more thing....long lenses are really FUN. And challenging. They're not just for birds, either.

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You are 100% bang on IMHO. Very well stated.

All the best.

Danny.

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Birds and BIF's https://www.flickr.com/photos/124733969@N06/sets/
Need for speed https://www.flickr.com/photos/130646821@N03/albums

onlyfreeman said:

Trebor1 said:

onlyfreeman said:

I don't think it's anything to do with popularity or obsession, just that this type of photography is really difficult to do well, and also usually requires high performance equipment.

So anyone looking to do it is more likely to post about it, and also visit camera review sites like DPR more often.

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Bats in flight are even more difficult!

"I like big butts bats and I can not lie..."

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Casio left the market before bats-in-flight-at-night became popular as a genre, that's too bad.

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Dang....I missed it.

Beautiful set of photos, all of them.

FluidKnowledge said:

... But why is the most popular thing to photograph for people here is birds?

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Because feathered dinosaurs are more interesting creatures than featherless (and almost hairless) apes, let alone small domesticated mammals hugely degraded from their predator ancestors.

FluidKnowledge said:

After spending a while here, I have found the most common subjects on DPR discussions is either Phone vs DSLR or photographing birds with the latest camera and lenses. No other subjects are as popular as these two. The endless Phone vs DSLR debates I can understand. But why is the most popular thing to photograph for people here is birds? Either stationary or as I learned the term here, Birds in Flight (BIF).

I don't get the obsession with birds of so many DPR members. Surely a pet dog or cat would be far more interesting and photogenic than a bird? You know, like how most photos on Reddit are of dogs and cats, not birds. But then that would remove the excuse for many here of owning 600mm F4 lenses.

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I started doing photography by shooting birds. Yes, it a challenge to photograph them in flight. That was the idea behind it. I then shot landscapes. Eventually going into portraits but once in awhile I like to go back and shoot some.

mamallama said:

Brick Wall said:

Fluid, I must say you consistently post some of the most thought-provoking threads here.

I myself have long wondered about the appeal of BIF shots. Featuring the bird--surprise of surprises--flying, usually with a featureless blue sky as a backdrop, when you've seen one, you've seen 'em all.

About the only photos more boring are planes in flight.

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Photographing BIF is a frugal person's target practice. It's just a sport. No one cares about the pictures. It is much cheaper than trying to shoot them with real bullets. :-D

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I have to disagree. It is waaaaaay more expensive to buy a 7dii and a 600mm f/4 than it is to buy a gun and some ammo.

Mannemarak said:

The same reason there is 1000's of threads on phone vs camera, dsrl vs mirrorless, small sensor vs large. Same topics and same discussions over and over with the same responses from the same people.

Its called old age and got nothing better to do, day in and day out. So you sit on your patio drinking tea next to your laptop/tablet discussing the same topic over and over and while you wait for responses on your post, you shoot a few birds at your birdfeeder and wholla you have done something for the day. After two weeks of this extremely hard lifestyle, you feel you need a break and go on a 5mile trip to your local zoo or pond and shoot a few more birds.

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If that's the life they chose and it makes them happy, then why mock them? Maybe what ever you do they might think is silly.

Fwiw I don't shoot birds.

FluidKnowledge said:

After spending a while here, I have found the most common subjects on DPR discussions is either Phone vs DSLR or photographing birds with the latest camera and lenses. No other subjects are as popular as these two. The endless Phone vs DSLR debates I can understand. But why is the most popular thing to photograph for people here is birds? Either stationary or as I learned the term here, Birds in Flight (BIF).

Click to expand...

It's all personal preference for what people like to shoot. And the complexity of BIF/Birds/Wildlife photography and video are far more challenging when you have no control over the weather (wind direction), light, and the critters. Also, birds or wildlife require a lot of expensive lenses to get exceptional photo/video Perhaps this is why a lot of photo forums talk about wildlife or bird photography.

FluidKnowledge said:

I don't get the obsession with birds of so many DPR members. Surely a pet dog or cat would be far more interesting and photogenic than a bird?

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Not really, it all depends on the shot. And to some the value of getting a wild animal shot is much more challenging. To get amazing unique shots of animals takes a lot of time, patience, understanding of animal behavior, and the right light and weather, location, and season to shoot in.

With pets you can create good light, and pose a critter at anytime anywhere and get a great shot. But with birds, you are in their world, and they dictate what you can see. With pets you know their behavior (or should), and they are a lot easier to snap for success. Wildlife will give you more failures than success. Again, it all depends on what the environment will allow.
Which bring me to FOCUS or SHARPNESS. With Wildlife and wild birds most cases, you can't get close enough with a short lens. They require long lenses. And the smaller the bird, the longer the lens needed. When the small birds are skittish, they are almost impossible to nail a shot. But when you do, it's one of those special shots, that only a few will have.

FluidKnowledge said:

You know, like how most photos on Reddit are of dogs and cats, not birds. But then that would remove the excuse for many here of owning 600mm F4 lenses.

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The fact is, bird photography is all personal preference. It is driven by the desire to be outdoors in nature, and connecting with nature/wildlife/environment. What I gain from the excitement of Bird Photo/Video is many things. Knowledge of wildlife is a huge one. Leaning the photo techniques of bursting, tracking AF, and developing skills to acquire targets at long distances, and tracking them smoothly are all part of the challenge that makes wildlife/birds a lot of fun.

Sure, I do the cat video too. Not as amazing as the top cat video people. But, still good cat content in 4K with them doing strange and unique stuff. One of the coolest experiences is when you've studied the movement patterns of a specific animal, learned their feeding behavior, check the weather, the location, the wind direction in relation to the sun, mapped out the GPS, and spent a day preparing for the long road trip, and when you get there everything comes together, and the bird(s) are there, they acknowledge your presence, and allow you to follow them as they hunt, feed, play, mate, brood, etc..., you know they've let you into their world, and allowed you to be part of their event. And, it becomes a great success when you capture the content of that moment. That is why I Photo/video birds. Once you learn about specific species of birds, you'll start to see the fascination.

Scott Milso said:

mamallama said:

Brick Wall said:

Fluid, I must say you consistently post some of the most thought-provoking threads here.

I myself have long wondered about the appeal of BIF shots. Featuring the bird--surprise of surprises--flying, usually with a featureless blue sky as a backdrop, when you've seen one, you've seen 'em all.

About the only photos more boring are planes in flight.

Click to expand...

Photographing BIF is a frugal person's target practice. It's just a sport. No one cares about the pictures. It is much cheaper than trying to shoot them with real bullets. :-D

Click to expand...

I have to disagree. It is waaaaaay more expensive to buy a 7dii and a 600mm f/4 than it is to buy a gun and some ammo.

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Bingo.

Birds never smile in pictures because they hate being in them!

The reason is mainly an extension of why birdwatching is so popular:

1. There are about ten thousand birds, just enough to see a fair amount of them but enough around the world to make many of them difficult to find and a lifelong pursuit
2. Birds can be found in nearly any environment and any continent, and in sufficient numbers to make watching them a challenge. Compare that to mammals, which are quite difficult to see in many places
3. Many birds are very colourful and make beautiful photographic subjects
4. Most birds can fly, and natural flight is one of the most fascinating motions of any living creature. In particular, the flight shapes of birds makes for outstanding beautiful forms

~ A twitcher

Ok, I get the challenge, but even when you get a great shot, it’s still just a picture of a bird. You really hang these all over the house?