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FEATURED RESIDENT:

Michael Alorice Lewis

I really enjoy bird photography. I love birds. I find them very
interesting and intelligent creatures. They come in all sorts of
shapes, colors, and sizes as you can see in my photos. Each
one has its own unique
personality. My heart warms
when tiny hummingbirds visit
my garden or when I hear the
songbirds sing. And of course,
let us not forget that birds are
excellent flyers! Watching a
flock of migratory birds take
off into the air is always an
impressive sight. Check out
my image of the Sandhill
Cranes. They are beautiful,
majestic creatures.
I find bird photography is good for my health. It helps me to connect with

nature. Watching birds soar through the air or hearing them
chirp is guaranteed to put a smile on my face. Spending time and
energy finding and observing birds is great for my wellbeing.

However, I’m yet to discover the best way to use my camera to cap-
ture bird images. I’m striving to harness the full creative potential of
my Nikon digital camera. I find I need to tailor my approach mo-
ment to moment. I continually shift between using the camera’s
shutter priority (assuming my feather friends will be quick to dart
away) and the aperture priority mode (allowing me to capture the
desired depth of field, e.g., subject in focus background blurred.)

In either mode, I strive to catch a clean image with the bird’s eye in
focus understanding that the strongest animal portraits capture the
subject’s face. A principle that holds true for birds. Especially chal-
lenging to me, as birds frequently fail to cooperate - given their
flight capabilities. At my current skill level however, swinging my
camera up in time to catch a clear image is a win.

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