Some Tips for Low Light Bird Photography

Sonia - Chief Parrot
13 hours ago
3 min read

Low light bird photography is where dreams are made… and where your autofocus sometimes goes to lie down in a dark corner and whimper 😅 But it’s also where you can capture the moodier, more magical side of birds, those velvety backgrounds, that soft “early-late” glow, and all the quiet drama that midday light just can’t deliver.

Here are my go-to tips for getting sharp(ish), usable, and occasionally jaw-dropping bird photos when the light is doing you no favours.

Photographing birds in low light — Very dim light - but a relatively still subject allowing me to shoot at 1/160th second, ISO 8000, f5.6

Pick the right kind of low light

Not all dim light is equal. Overcast can be beautifully even (hello, feather detail), while deep shade under trees can be contrasty and green-tinted. If you can, work the edges of light: the boundary between shade and open sky is often the sweet spot for brighter exposures without harsh highlights.

Pick the right pose

This is not the time to try for that high-speed action shot. Let the setting tell the story and wait for that pause, that oh-so brief still moment that's not going to push your shutter speed to the max. Look for small details to create interest.

Stabilise

If you're like me and loathe lugging a tripod, consider a monopod if you know in advance you're headed into 'low light land' - such as rainforest. Take a birding stool. Lean up against a tree. Sit down and rest your arms on your knees. Press your eye firmly into the viewfinder. Do whatever you can to take at least some camera shake out of the equation, every little bit helps!

Build a “low light baseline”

When the light drops, decision fatigue rises. Have a starting point you can snap into quickly:

Shutter speed: aim for 1/1000 for small active birds, 1/500 for calmer birds, and you can definitely go lower for perched subjects if your technique is solid, especially if you use stabilisation
Aperture: use your lens wide open (or close one stop if it noticeably sharpens).
ISO: let it climb. A sharp noisy photo beats a silky smooth blur every time.

Be intentional with ISO (it’s not the villain)

Noise is annoying, but blur is heartbreaking. Modern cameras handle higher ISO better than we give them credit for, especially if you expose well. If you’re underexposing and then brightening later, noise gets amplified like a noisy neighbour with a karaoke machine. So… try to get the exposure close in-camera. Don't over shoot the mark with shutter speed when raising ISO. Use only what you need to get the job done.

Expose for the bird, not the vibes

Low light scenes love to trick your meter into making everything too dark. This is where I like to switch to spot or centre-weighted metering, especially with a bird that's lighter than the background or sitting small in the frame. Watch your histogram and your highlights, but don’t be afraid to push exposure a touch brighter than your camera suggests, especially for dark birds in dark places. Check your playback often. If the bird looks like a silhouette when it shouldn’t, bump exposure.

Use backgrounds as your secret weapon

In low light, busy backgrounds become extra crunchy. Your best friend is distance: get the bird far from the background and you’ll get that dreamy separation even when light is flat. Move your feet, change your angle, and look for that empty space behind your subject.

Focus smarter, not harder

Low light makes autofocus hunt, so help it out:

Focus on high-contrast edges (eye line, beak edge, feather boundary).
Use a smaller focus area if your camera keeps grabbing branches.
If the bird is perched, take a short burst and let tiny body sway work in your favour.
Doesn't hurt to rattle off some extra shots if your bird is co-operative, even if you think you've nailed it. Nothing worse than getting a load of 'soft serve' when you get home.

Lean into the mood

Some of my favourite low light photos aren’t clinically sharp. They’re atmospheric: rain, fog, backlit drizzle, silhouettes, soft rim light, low key drama. If the light is low, bump up the story. Show selective detail. Photograph the feeling, not just the feathers.

Low light bird photography is part settings, part stealth, part stubborn optimism. But once you get comfortable letting ISO rise, prioritising shutter speed, and hunting for those cleaner angles, you’ll start coming home with moody little masterpieces instead of a memory card full of “nearlys.” 🐦✨