The Value of Planning a Project Shot

Sonia - Chief Parrot
12 minutes ago
6 min read

There’s a lot of satisfaction in coming home with a beautiful bird photograph you didn’t expect.

A chance encounter. A bird landing in the perfect patch of light. A split-second behaviour you happened to catch.

But there’s another kind of photograph that can be even more rewarding.

The photo you planned.

The one you thought about for days, weeks, months, perhaps even years. The image that began as an idea rather than an encounter.

I like to think of these as project shots.

A project shot might involve a particular species you want to photograph well. It could be a behaviour you have been hoping to capture, a difficult technical challenge, a particular landscape, or simply an idea for showing a familiar bird in a completely different way.

The finished photograph is only part of the project.

The real value lies in everything you learn while trying to make it and the inspiration to get out with the camera when you might otherwise not bother.

And let's face it, it can be difficult to maintain enthusiasm over the years, especially if you don't travel a lot and go back to the same places over and over - as I do.

Giving you something to work towards

One of the easiest traps in bird photography is to become completely reactive.

We go somewhere birds are likely to be, wander around with the camera and see what turns up - there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It can be great fun!

But having a project running quietly in the background changes the way you photograph.

Instead of asking:

“What can I photograph today?” you begin asking:

“How can I make this photo possible?”

That question leads you deeper into observation.

Suddenly you’re not simply looking for subjects. You’re studying possibilities!

And this is where bird photography becomes particularly interesting.

I was staying at a campground with very tame, almost aggressive Kookaburras. They were often at my feet scouting for snacks so I set myself a challenge of taking a shot from above over the course of the week. I managed to get myself in an elevated position after a couple of days and get the shot. I used a mask to darken the leafy clutter for dramatic effect - a fun little project that kept me busy for a few days!

The photograph starts before you press the shutter

A successful project image often begins without a camera in your hands at all.

See my blog post on this topic here

You may spend several visits simply watching.

You may see something that lights a creative spark ...what if?

Perhaps you notice that a bird regularly crosses the same clearing shortly after sunrise.

Maybe a kingfisher repeatedly uses three favourite perches along a creek.

Perhaps a wren climbs onto the same exposed branch before singing.

Or maybe you discover that for only a few weeks each year, the setting sun lines up perfectly behind a favourite roost.

These observations gradually become pieces of a puzzle.

Light.
Background.
Behaviour.
Position.
Season.
Lens choice.
Shutter speed.
Exposure.
Timing.

The challenge is becoming aware of all the ingredients, and when they are likely to line up, and planning outings accordingly. I find this glimmer of possibility gives me renewed enthusiasm for my craft.

Projects slow you down

One of the best things about working towards a project shot is that it encourages patience.

You don’t have to photograph every bird that appears.

You might deliberately walk past perfectly good opportunities because they aren’t part of what you’re working towards.

That can feel surprisingly liberating.

Instead of chasing everything, you begin to narrow the focus of your attention.

You refine it.

You notice small differences.

You experiment.

You fail. Sometimes dozens of times.

You adjust.

Then you try again.

Sometimes the project evolves along the way. The photograph you eventually make may be quite different from the one you originally imagined.

That isn’t failure.

That's the creative process at work.

Five project-shot ideas to try

If you’d like to create your own bird photography project, but don't know where to begin, here are five ideas to get you started. But I encourage you to simply begin observing and think about working with what you can see and imagine.

1. Photograph one species exceptionally well

Choose a bird you can access reasonably regularly and make it your subject for a month, a season or even a year.

It doesn’t need to be rare ro exotic.

Those everyday birds often make the best project subjects because you can spend ample time with them to move beyond the obvious photographs.

Learn their habits.

Notice their favourite feeding areas and perches.

Photograph different behaviours, lighting conditions and weather.

Try portraits, environmental images and small-in-frame compositions.

Your goal isn’t to collect more photographs of the bird.

It’s to understand it well enough that your photographs begin to move beyond the obvious and show something more.

2. Create a photograph around a particular behaviour

Choose a behaviour rather than a species.

Bathing.
Preening.
Courtship.
Feeding young.
Catching insects.
Displaying.
Landing.
Taking off.

Once you know the behaviour you’re looking for, research when and where it is most likely to happen.

The advantage of this type of project is that it develops predictive fieldcraft.

Instead of reacting when the behaviour begins, you gradually learn the signs that tell you it is about to happen.

That extra second of anticipation can make an enormous difference.

And it's that 'shooting with intention' idea that I'm always harping on about to my students!

3. Solve a technical challenge

Your project doesn’t necessarily need to revolve around the bird itself.

It might be about mastering a photographic technique.

Perhaps you want to create a sharp, beautifully lit bird-in-flight photograph.

Maybe you want to photograph a bird using a very slow shutter speed and intentional motion blur.

You could work on backlighting, high-key images, silhouettes, reflections or birds in falling rain.

Pick one technique and return to it repeatedly.

Experiment with settings.

Study what worked.

Look carefully at what didn’t.

Technical skills improve much faster when they are attached to a specific creative goal.

Here's one I'm working on. If you've seen a Hooded Plover, a small shorebird that frequents Australian beaches

4. Show a familiar bird differently

Choose a bird you have photographed many times and think to yourself:

How can I show this bird in a different way?

Perhaps photograph it tiny within the landscape.

Use foreground blur.

Zoom in on details

Use different angles

Look for reflections.

Work in extreme light.

Use unusual weather - I love photographing birds in the rain.

Experiment with negative space.

Include something unexpected - perhaps incorporating an urban element or a particular habitat feature.

Sometimes creativity isn’t about finding a new subject.

It’s about finding a new way to see an old one.

5. Create a photograph that can only happen at a particular time

This is one of my favourite types of project.

Build an image around a combination of season, light and behaviour.

Perhaps flowering trees attract a certain bird for only a few weeks.

Maybe a migratory species visits your area briefly each year.

Perhaps a wetland catches beautiful morning mist during winter.

Or the sun lines up behind a favourite perch for only a short period.

These projects can take longer because nature controls the timetable.

But that is also what makes the finished photograph so satisfying.

You didn’t simply find the picture.

You learned when the picture was possible.

You may find landscape photography apps that help you plot the path of the sun and moon helpful - I use PhotoPills to show me light direction and timing in advance for specific days.

In the winter of 2023 I created a little project for myself photographing a pair of Black-shouldered Kites in stark white 'High Key' style. The kites frequented my local wetlands and I knew I could find them most days. I set off with intention, ignoring other photo opportunities, in an effort to find 'my kites'.

I found myself planning shoots around the cloud forecast and set off on every gloomy day to find the kites and see what I could capture. I learnt a lot about optimising my settings, colour temperature challenges, and tweaking my ISO for an optimal result. Plus it was a very enjoyable experience that kept me inspired and definitely moved me forward as a photographer.