Photos, Photography & Photographers

Scaly Ground Roller Geobiastes squamiger ©Peter W Hills Website

Beautiful images of birds are everywhere on the net, not least on Fatbirder’s pages! Everything from amateur photographers to the 50,000+ images stored in the RSPB library.

Many of the sites have images protected by copyright. Downloading images is not free and may well not be possible as lots are encrypted. Before you resent this remember that someone’s livelihood may depend on respecting their copyright. Non-commercial use may be granted for free by some… and if you want to use them it costs nothing to ask.

There are other Fatbirder pages with images… notably the Bird Art page and digiscoping page. Amongst the commercial pages the Video & CD ROM pages have links to companies specialising in images for many purposes. Fatbirder country and state pages also have a section for photographers and artists located in that state or country (in the UK this is at county level). There are links to hundreds of photographers there… because of which I link to a limited number on this page, more my preferences than any other yard stick. But those people who have many images on fatbirder pages also appear here… so if you want a listing get in touch.

The Fatbirder site tends to use cropped and relatively small images because we like to keep the site as fast as possible although we showcase some brilliant photographers and recommend clicking the links below images to see more (and higher resolution) examples of their work.

For beginners take a look at the article below:

How to Photograph Birds

Reprinted with permission from the New York Institute of Photography

Birds may be fun to watch, but they’re notoriously difficult to capture on film. In response to the challenges faced by amateur bird photographers, the New York Institute of Photography is currently offering the first instalment of a two-part how-to article on taking pix of our feathered friends, which will run on our site from December through January.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the bird photographer is getting close enough to the subject to be able to produce a good image. The easiest (though also the most expensive) solution to this problem is to work with a telephoto lens. Most professional bird photographers, in fact, often use a 500mm or 600mm telephoto lens, sometimes coupled with a tele-converter (a device that extends the lens focal length). But for amateur photographers who want to photograph birds without buying a lot of expensive equipment, there are always other methods and options.

If you’re going after the Andean Condor, you’re going to need a telephoto lens to get the shot, said Chuck DeLaney, Dean of NYI, America’s oldest and largest photography school. But if you’re mainly interested in photographing birds in your region, maybe just in your backyard, there are still plenty of options, like using a blind (hide) for getting good photos.

One strategy, employed quite cleverly by an NYI graduate, is particularly well suited for the backyard bird photographer. To capture songbirds (passerines) (who are notorious for their quick, erratic movements and thus difficult to photograph); she positions her Canon SLR near a feeder, sets the focus, aperture, and shutter speed, then retreats to the porch. She waits there until a bird comes to the feeder, then, when the moment is right; she uses her infrared control to trigger her camera’s shutter. Birds approach her feeders and backyard perches because she is out of sight, and, as a result, she’s able to get closer shots without using a telephoto lens.

This page is sponsored by Urban Lake Photography

Useful Reading
  • Backyard Bird Photography

    | (How to Attract Birds to Your Home and Create Beautiful Photographs) | By Mathew Tekulsky | Skyhorse Publishing | 2014 | Paperback | 224 pages, 100 colour photos | ISBN: 9781628737400 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Birds in Pictures

    | By Markus Varesvuo | New Holland Publishers | 2018 | Paperback | 384 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9781925546262 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Creative Bird Photography

    | By Bill Coster | New Holland | 2013 | Paperback | 160 pages, 120 colour photos, colour & b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9781780094472 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Mastering Bird Photography

    | (The Art, Craft, and Technique of Photographing Birds and Their Behavior) | By Marie Read | Rocky Nook | 2019 | Paperback | 320 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9781681983622 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • National Geographic Photographing Birds

    | By Rulon E Simmons | National Geographic Society | 2006 | Paperback | 176 pages, 125 colour illustrations | ISBN: 9780792254843 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Oliver's Birds

    | By Oliver Hellowell | Antique Collectors Club | 2019 | Hardback | 156 pages, 152 colour photos | ISBN: 9781788840101 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Photographing Birds

    | (Art & technique) | By Mark Sisson | Crowood Press | Paperback | 160 pages, 160 colour photos | ISBN: 9781847977137 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Secrets of Backyard Bird Photography

    | By J Chris Hansen | Rocky Nook | 2014 | Hardback | 117 pages, colour photos, b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9781937538552 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • The Art of Bird Photography

    | (The Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques) | By Arthur Morris | Amphoto | 2003 | Paperback | 160 pages, 203 colour photos | ISBN: 9780817435424 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • The Bird Photography Field Guide

    | (The Essential Handbook for Capturing Birds with your Digital SLR) | By David Tipling | Ilex Publishers | 2011 | Paperback | 192 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9781907579240 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • The Handbook of Bird Photography

    | By Markus Varesvuo, Jari Peltomäki & Bence Máté | Rocky Nook | 2013 | Paperback | 358 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9781937538101 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Visions: Earth's Elements in Bird and Nature Photography

    | By Kevin T Karlson, Lloyd Spitalnik & Scott Elowitz | Sschiffer | 2012 | Hardback | 240 pages, 460 colour photos | ISBN: 9780764340758 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Wild Bird Photography

    | (A Full Colour Guide) | By T Gallagher | Lyons Press | 1993 | Paperback | 176 pages, Colour photos | ISBN: 9781558213104 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Useful Information
  • Bird Photographers

    Website
    Forums, articles, and more
  • Secrets of Digital Bird Photography

    Website
    I now have a series of articles in the online edition of Audubon Magazine. They're geared toward beginners and are very short. If you're a beginner looking for a quick, non-technical introduction to bird photography techniques, that's a good place to start.
  • World Bird Photos

    Website
    This site is a personal non profit collection of bird photos commenced in 2003. Currently it lists approx 2700 species consisting of 9300 images all recorded in the field. Photos taken in 47 countries...
Organisations
  • Bird Explorers

    Website
    Bird Explorers is a non-profit organisation designed to promote bird and wildlife conservation though photography. We freely share our photos with museums, universities, schools, conservation groups, libraries and worthy causes throughout the developing world. We invite you to follow our adventures as the two of us attempt to photograph every species of bird in the world in an effort to promote the awareness, conservation and astonishing beauty of our planet's amazing and diverse birdlife
  • Birding Adventures - Carbon TV

    Website
    Birding Adventures is the first birding TV program that focuses on destination and adventure bird-watching. Explore the best exotic birding destinations on the planet; the most unusual, rare and highly sought after bird species; amazing cultures and wildlife
Forums & Mailing Lists
  • BirdPhotographers

    Forum - Articles
    If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
  • fotodigiscoping

    Mailing Group
    FOTODIGISCOPING es el primer grupo espa
Guides & Tour Operators
  • Bird Photo Tours

    PhotoTour Operator
    We have the conviction that wildlife tourism is an activity that becomes a resource for the territory while allowing for the conservation of spaces and species.
  • Birding Ecotours Photographic Tours

    PhotoTour Operator
    Are you the type who dreams about getting a Resplendent Quetzal in your viewfinder? Getting the right light on a Whitehead’s Trogon or a Black-and-Yellow Broadbill, or framing a Picathartes just perfectly? We realize that getting that one great picture takes effort, and we plan to allow you to do that...
  • Ecotours Bird photography hides and tours

    PhotoTour Operator
    Our bird photography tours in Hungary are located in a scenic and bird-rich area of the famous Kiskunság National Park, only an hour’s drive south of Budapest airport. We offer fully guided bird photography tours.
  • Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris

    PhotoTour Operator
    The trips listed below offer exceptional opportunities for bird photography.
  • NaturesLens

    PhotoTour Operator
    We are David & Pui Hang Miles, a photography husband & wife team, based in Kent. Our company NaturesLens specialises in photography workshops in the UK & photography holidays to destinations in the UK & overseas for wildlife & nature photography.
  • Naturetrek

    PhotoTour Operator
    For most of us, it is almost an automatic response to reach for the camera when presented with an opportunity to record unforgettable moments such as close-up views of a Tiger or a breaching whale in the wild. Naturetrek’s wildlife photography holidays are suitable for keen photographers wanting a holiday on which capturing memorable, high-quality images is the primary focus, rather than an incidental activity.
  • Rockjumper Photographic Tours

    PhotoTour Operator
    A number of specialist trips in several months...
  • Tropical Photo Tours

    PhotoTour Operator
    Tropical Photo Tours is one of the leading Photography Travel Tours Company. We specializes in providing world-class photography oriented travel experience to the most enigmatic and enchanting tropical rain-forests of Central and South America.
  • Wild Images Photographic Tours

    PhotoTour Operator
    Wild Images Wildlife Photography Tours specialises in tours that offer extraordinary opportunities for wildlife photography. Our Wild Images tours offer the opportunity to visit some wonderful locations along with like-minded photographers whilst (in many cases) being accompanied by one of our internationally respected photographers and naturalist guides...
  • WildBirdEco

    PhotoTour Operator
    When you book a tour with us you will get the top professional bird leader or the one that most suitable to your touring style.
Other Links
  • ARKive

    Website
    ARKive is a not-for-profit initiative of The Wildscreen Trust (www.wildscreen.org.uk). It is the Noah`s Ark for the Internet era - the world`s centralised digital library of films, photographs and associated recordings of species, accessible to all via the world wide web. ARKive is leading the virtual conservation effort - finding, sorting, cataloguing and copying the key records of species, and building them into a comprehensive and enduring audio-visual record. For each species, we are selecting and digitising an average of 10 minutes of moving footage, 6-10 stills and sound recordings (where appropriate); to compile a complete profile of the species characteristic behaviour and appearance.
  • Bird Photographs - Jack Levine

    Website
    Bird, Wildlife and Landscape Photography by Jack Levene
  • BirdPhotos

    Website
    Welcome to BirdPhotos.com, a totally free educational site featuring high resolution, high quality photos of over (new) 5500 species, with hundreds more in User Albums. The main gallery includes scientific information through integration with several databases including the 2018.2 IUCN Red List and IOC 9.1 (new) taxonomy. BirdPhotos.com is also a place for photographers, nature lovers, and 'birders' to exchange ideas and information; we now have blogs, personal photo galleries, news, Bird Listing Software, checklists, Range Maps, histograms, the popular Bird Identification Quiz (with new Multiple Choice option), Geolocation maps, subspecies integration, non-English bird names, reverse video toggle, social networking, photo sharing and a discussion forum!
  • Birdimagency

    Website
    Our agency maintains an archive of bird photographs that is constantly growing. We want to offer high-quality bird photographs from as many as possible bird species. Our images are largely unique. You will find hardly any of these images in large agencies
  • CanStockPhoto

    Webpage
    Royalty-free images
  • Foto Search Stock Photography

    Website
    Foto Search Stock Photography offers over one million images in its extensive online archive, including photography, clipart, illustrations, footage, audio, and maps. It is the digital, online equivalent of a conventional art museum. Browsing through the library is free, and there are no access charges, registration requirements, or usage limits. More importantly, we have a huge collection of bird photos, sounds, and videos from around the world
  • Fotosearch Stock Photography

    Website
    Fotosearch Stock Photography allows users to search and purchase from more that fifty quality stock photography vending companies at one site! Many of the companies feature bird images.
  • Migration Productions

    Website
    Migration Productions presentations are stunning; their images reflect avian form and function in ways that are both graphic and artistic.
  • Oiseaux

    Gallery
    Featuring 118 photographers and thousands of pictures of French and world birds
  • Online Bird Book

    Website
    If you enjoy watching birds you probably have at least one bird book you use for helping to identify species. And if you travel to different countries, you may well have a collection of bird books. Bird books, also called field guides, often display many related species on the same page; or if not the same page, then on nearby pages. This lets one glance from species to species, compare the similarities and differences, and more easily identify a species you are not familiar with...
  • Oriental Bird Club

    Gallery
    The OBC is building a bank of photographs for the whole of asia
  • RSPB Images

    Gallery
    50,000 bird images from around the world
  • VIREO

    Website
    Visual Resources for Ornithology - The Academy of Natural Sciences
  • Wild Bird Gallery

    Website
    Wild Bird Gallery is a work in progress. The goal is to make it The reference for the photographed birds of the world. I am continuously looking for new image/sound files to upload, and if you have pictures of species/sub-species that are not already on the site, are depicting a plumage or view not already present, or simply are better than the ones already there please e-mail me
Photographers & Artists
  • Craig Brelsford

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Jonathan Rossouw

    Facebook page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Adam Riley

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Alister Benn

    Website
    Many of these images appear on fatbirder pages
  • Andreas Trepte

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Andrej Chudý

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Andy Walker

    Twitter Page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Aseem Kumar Kothiala

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Ashley Beolens

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Brent Stephenson

    Website
    Brent's Pictures are festured on Fatbirder - Eco-Vista: Photography and Research aims to be the best source of bird photographs and images in New Zealand
  • Chris Lotz

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Chris Packham

    Website
    Some brilliant images from the much travelled TV presenter and writer…
  • David Diskin

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • David Hoddinott

    Facebook page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • David Mason

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Dick Daniels

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Dominic Rollinson

    Facebook page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Don Des Jardin

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Dylan Vasapolli

    Facebook page
    Tourleader and photographer - Many of Dylan's photos appear on fatbirder
  • Geoff Hunt

    Facebook page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Gerd Rossen

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Glen Bartley

    Website
    Many of Glen's photos appear on Fatbirder - Large gallery of excellent photographs from Ecuador..
  • Glen Valentine

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Gábor Orbán

    Facebook Page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Hugh Harrop

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Ian Dickey

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Ian Montgomery

    Website
    Ian's Photographs appear on Fatbirder pages - Ian Montgomery invites you to share the beauty and fascination of wild birds as seen through his eyes and camera
  • James Lowen

    Website
    Many of Jame's photos appear on fatbirder - Here are a selection of my photographs, all taken since 2005. Most are of wildlife, taken in the UK, the Seychelles, Antarctica or - our new home - South America
  • Jason Boyce

    Facebook page
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Jens Eriksen

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • John Afdem

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Joël Bruezière

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Lee Dingain

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Markus Lilje

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Mike Lane

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Nikhil Devasar

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Oliver Hellowell

    Website
    Oliver Hellowell is a 21 year old photographer – and it just so happens that Oliver has Down Syndrome. You can 'meet' Oliver and his mother here in a short film produced for Down Syndrome Awareness Day 2018 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lye99vCtKq0&app=desktop
  • Panos Oikonomou

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Peter LaTourrette

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Peter Morris

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Peter Wells

    Website
    This site is a personal non profit collection of bird photos commenced in 2003. Currently it lists approx 2700 species consisting of 9300 images all recorded in the field. Photos taken in 47 countries...
  • Ray Wilson

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Robert Royse

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Robin Chittenden

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Rolando Chavez

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Sam Woods

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Stephen Hammer

    Webpage
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Stephen O Muskie

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Steve Arlow

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Steve Blain

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Tom Tarrant

    Website
    Many of his photos appear on fatbirder
  • Trevor Hardaker

    Website
    A lot of trevors photos appear on fatbirder - As an avid birder living in Cape Town in South Africa, I spend quite a bit of time in the field. I often drag a camera along on my escapades and do occasionally get the opportunity to take a photo or two of the birds I am looking at. During my travels, I also get the opportunity to see a lot of other interesting creatures and I do take photos of these as well

Fatbirder - linking birders worldwide... Wildlife Travellers see our sister site: WAND

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