Break the Rules: 5 Unexpected Ways to Elevate Your Bird Photography

Sonia - Chief Parrot
Aug 7
3 min read

If you’ve been working hard to master the technical side of bird photography - nailing sharp focus, clean backgrounds, and perfect exposure ... most of the time anyway - no one is perfect! 😅 You might be ready for the next creative step: breaking the rules woot woot!

(😄 Owl pun intended 🦉)

I’m not talking about chaos for chaos’s sake. I mean breaking the rules intentionally, with purpose and play, to unlock new creative potential in your bird photography.

Here are five classic rules of photography you’re officially invited to break, plus a mini-challenge for each to help you experiment in the field.

1. Break the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a great composition guide - until it isn’t. Sticking to it too strictly can make your images feel predictable.

Try placing your subject dead centre or right at the edge of the frame. A centred bird looking directly at the camera can feel powerful and confrontational - like this Masked Lapwing dive bombing me! 😅 Or push the bird right off to the side to create visual tension and curiosity.

🐦 Challenge:

Create two versions of the same shot: one with classic rule-of-thirds placement, and one with the subject centred or off-balance. Which one feels stronger?

2. Shoot Into the Light

We’ve all heard it: “Have the sun behind you.” But when you turn and face the light, you open the door to magic, glowing feathers, halos of light and dreamy silhouettes.

Break the bird photography rules of light

Backlight works beautifully during golden hour or in misty conditions when the light is soft and diffused. You might need to over or underexpose slightly - or even a lot more than slightly! But the results can be worth it.

🌅 Challenge:

Photograph birds with the early morning or late afternoon light behind them. Play with exposure and angles to create rim light or silhouettes.

3. Use the “Wrong” Shutter Speed

Sharpness is important - but not always. Allowing a bit of intentional blur can give your images a sense of energy and movement that razor-sharp shots can’t.

Break the bird photography rules of sharpness

Try slowing your shutter to blur wingtips in flight or pan with a bird to blur the background while keeping the subject semi-sharp.

🐦 Challenge:

Use shutter priority mode and dial in 1/60th or 1/125th or just manually slow your shutter speed while photographing birds in motion. Embrace the blur and see what happens!

4. Embrace the Mess

Clean backgrounds are a goal for many bird photographers — but real habitats are often messy. And sometimes, that mess is part of the story.

Break the bird photography rule of clean backgrounds

Including branches, shadows, or layers of foliage can create depth, mood, and a stronger sense of place. It can even evoke a sense of discovery as if the viewer is peeking into the bird’s world.

🌿 Challenge:

Seek out a shot where the environment is not tidy. My favourite is grassy fields. Use a shallow depth of field to soften the chaos, but let it remain 🙌

5. Get Too Close — or Go Too Far!

Perfectly framed portraits are great, but don’t stop there. Try zooming right in on textures, feathers, or bird feet. Or pull way back and make the bird just a tiny part of the landscape.

try and bird photography close up portrait

This shot is bittersweet for me as it shows an Osprey's feet wrapped in fishing line 😢

Both approaches can give your work a fine-art feel and tell a more powerful story than a standard crop.

📷 Challenge:

Take one ultra-close abstract shot and one wide-angle environmental shot of the same bird or species. What mood does each create?

Give Yourself Permission to Play

Rules are there to guide you, not box you in. I do think it's important to know what works and why, but once you understand the fundamentals, breaking rules is where your own creativity can begin.

Not every image will be a winner, and that’s okay! The goal is to stretch, experiment, and rediscover the joy of creating.