For me one of the most difficult aspects of bird photography is what to do about eyes that are hardly visible in an image that otherwise might be quite pleasing. You usually need a good view of those eyes - preferably with a catchlight - for the image to really engage the viewer. Sometimes it's a dark eye that merges with a black cap, or often with birds of prey it's hooded below the bird's brow and in shadow. What techniques to you use (or not use) in taking the shot (lighting, flash, underexposure, selective focus...) and/or in PP (selective enhancement of lighting, adding catchlight, dealing with "steel eye" from flash, cloning an eye from another image (the horror!)…?

Discussion and suggestions are welcome, illustrations even more so!

Have you tried flash. Contrary to popular belief is is not disturbing to the birds




K300/4 and 1.7x af converter, istD with flash

I tend to pick shots where the sun provides a bit of a catchlight. Actually if possible I look for it in the viewfinder.




PS I haven't use a flash for bird photography in years. When I used slide film and slow lenses it was necessary, but not now.

In my opinion these shots are not bad at all.

You can always try to remove the shadow from the eye spot.

Thanks Lowell, RobG and zzeitg. I have used flash, but it's not my regular route. I got "steel-eye" in one case. Images I see online often look "flashy" to me but Lowell's image looks good. I think there are instances where flash can be disturbing or detrimental to birds, such as for owls which are attuned to low light. On a recent trip flash photography was banned for penguins in their dark burrows. I also find it's intrusive when there are several photographers at a migration "hot spot" and cameras are firing on "burst" with the flashes strobing away.
I suppose I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to equipment - keeping it compact and high quality, getting "in the zone" and the stealth experience is almost as important as getting the shot.
I just use Photoshop Elements for PP and will sometimes select and lighten the area around the eye if it is dull, but you can't go very far before it starts to look artificial. It's a long time since I've tried to add a catchlight.

Actually I've received a good response online to the above skua and chick shot, even though, despite, my best efforts, the adult's eye is almost invisible. Maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.

Just to be clear, about flash, I don't ever consider use other than outdoors, never when a bird is in a burrow, or other situation.

When at hot spots, what you may actually find is photographers using high speed sync, and higher shutter speeds. What I do with sitting birds is to set exposure about -1 stop on manual and let the flash do the rest, this lets the background fade away a little, making the bird stand out more, and using the flash to sharpen the details and fill in the shadow.


The chickadee shot is a crop, but only slightly, it is about 90% of the original frame, given the shooting combination of 500mm I was struggling with the minimum focus distance a little,

I used flash quite a bit with the *istD but specifically TTL mode, and not P-TTL The camera supports both, but TTL is better for shooting birds in my opinion

Thanks Lowell - I might try that, but I don't expect to be getting into the big fresnel extenders.

Even the small on camera k-3 flash helps with Anna's hummingbird iridescence in close .

Personally I like reflective lined shoots , but I have a better Beamer too