How to Make the Most of Difficult Light in Bird Photography
We talk a lot about good light in wildlife photography.
That beautiful soft light just after sunrise. The warm glow at the end of the day. Gentle directional light that wraps around feathers, brings out texture and gives everything that lovely golden polish.
And yes, when you get it, it’s wonderful ...
But wildlife is not interested in our preferred lighting schedule - unfortunately!
Sometimes the bird appears at midday. Sometimes the sky turns grey. Sometimes the sun is behind the bird, the background is brighter than you’d like, or the light is coming from exactly the wrong direction.
And travelling, always a mixed bag that you have no choice but to deal with.
And more often than not, the time you get to go out looking for birds is not always the time for great light - but if you're like me, you go anyway.
This is where learning how to work with the light you have can be one of the most useful creative skills you develop.
Stop judging the light and start reading it
When the light isn’t what you hoped for, the first temptation is often to label it as bad.
And I did read a long time ago from a famous photographer whose name eludes me right now (yep, bird brain again 😅) "there's no such thing as bad light, only bad use of light"
So instead of asking, “Is this good light?” ask:
“What is this light giving me?”
This is where shooting on full manual, pushing exposure this way and that and using different creative techniques turns that disappointing light into an opportunity.
Harsh sunlight might give you strong contrast and opportunities for dramatic low-key images.
Flat, overcast light may be perfect for bringing out feather detail and photographing birds with subtle colours.
Backlight can illuminate feathers, create glowing edges and turn an ordinary perch into something much more atmospheric.
Even tiny patches of sunlight filtering through trees can become miniature spotlights if you are prepared to wait for a bird to move through them.
High contrast can make for wonderful black and white shots.
The light may not be ideal for the photograph you originally imagined - and there's no doubt it's MUCH easier getting a great shot in beautiful light, but it may be ideal for a creative challenge and to showcase your subject a little differently.
It's just a matter of working with what you have and taking a different approach.
Change your position before changing your settings
One of the easiest ways to improve difficult light is simply to move.
A few metres can completely change the relationship between the bird, the light and the background.
If the subject is brightly lit, look for a darker background behind it.
If the light is coming from behind the bird, consider whether you can deliberately use that backlight rather than trying to avoid it.
If the sun is producing ugly shadows, see whether another position gives you more even illumination.
And don’t forget your own height. Getting lower can change both the direction of the light and the background behind your subject.
Sometimes the solution isn’t hiding somewhere inside the camera menu.
It’s two steps to the left.
My best bright light tip: use your shadow as a 'compass' and move position so you can shoot in the direction of your shadow - it reduces harsh shadows and creates a spotlight effect. It's amazing the difference it makes!
Look beyond the bird
We naturally concentrate on our subject, but difficult lighting is often easier to understand when you look at the whole scene and pay particular attention to the way the light is falling.
Where are the bright areas?
Where are the shadows?
Is there reflected light bouncing from water, sand or pale vegetation?
Is there a clean pocket of light somewhere nearby?
Watch how your subject moves through those areas.
A bird feeding along the edge of a lagoon, for example, may pass repeatedly through small patches where the light, background and reflections suddenly align.
Instead of following every movement with the shutter firing, wait.
You already know where the photograph is likely to happen.
Harsh light can become dramatic light
Bright midday sun is probably the light wildlife photographers complain about most.
And admittedly, it can be difficult. White feathers can blow out quickly, shadows become deep and contrast increases dramatically.
But those same characteristics can also be used creatively.
Look for a bird in sunlight against deep shade and expose carefully for the highlights. The background may fall beautifully dark.
Look for strong shapes, silhouettes, reflections and graphic compositions.
Rather than trying to make harsh light behave like soft morning light, lean into what makes it different.
The same applies to dull conditions.
Overcast light might not produce sparkling golden backgrounds, but it gives you a wonderfully broad, soft light source. That can be perfect for portraits, detail, behaviour and birds with difficult combinations of dark and light plumage or subtle colouring.
Let the light suggest the photograph
One of the biggest shifts you can make creatively is to stop arriving with a photograph already fixed in your head.
Instead, look at the conditions and ask what kind of photograph they might support.
Bright backlight?
Look for feather edges, translucence and atmosphere.
Heavy cloud?
Concentrate on colour, texture and intimate portraits.
Strong directional sunlight?
Look for shadow, contrast and darker backgrounds.
Reflected light from water?
Watch for colour and movement in the surface around your subject.
This is where photography becomes less about collecting pictures of birds and more about responding to what is happening in front of you.
You can't control the light - but you can control your response
Of course, there will still be occasions when the conditions simply aren’t working. I have a loose rule with bright light:
Once my shadow becomes shorter than me, it's time for coffee.
My 'short shadow' tells me the sun is too high overhead and I'll be unlikely to get an eye catch, colours may be flat and lifeless and there's likely to be a shadow over the face.
But before I pack the camera away, I always spend a little time looking.
Move your feet.
Change your angle.
Watch the background.
Look at the direction of the light rather than just its intensity.
And perhaps most importantly, be willing to change the photograph you are trying to make.
Some of my favourite images haven’t come from perfect conditions at all. They’ve come from recognising an opportunity hidden inside imperfect ones.
Because we can spend an enormous amount of time waiting for the right light.
Or we can get better at using the light that turns up.
Happy birding!! - even on those less-than-perfect days xxx Sonia
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