"Why Photograph Birds?" by Emma England

My love of birds started at a very young age when my parents bought me an illustrated field guide. This passion for birding and later bird conservation led me to bird photography.  

My “spark bird” (a bird that sparks your interest) for bird photography was a Great Gray Owl. A close encounter with this magnificent bird started my obsession with owls and led me to the decision to make bird photography my specialty within nature photography. 

In my program I will share my knowledge of how to find and photograph owls in the wild and give you tips to capture images of these elusive birds. 

There are many reasons to try your hand at bird photography. It is challenging, you will get a fascinating insight into bird behavior, and if like me, you combine your photography with volunteering for a bird conservation organization you will be helping to protect species in need. 

A distraction-free background is important in all genres of photography and can be particularly challenging in bird photography in the field when you are dealing with branches and foliage which is reflective. My program will give tips on how to achieve clean backgrounds in your bird images. 

During my presentation I will be reviewing what is in my camera bag and different locations for bird photography including information on the habitat preference of bird species. The best place to start is in your own backyard. You can attract birds by feeding them and careful placement of feeders can lead to natural-looking award winning images. 

Zoos and nature centers are also excellent places to try bird photography that are less challenging than birds out in the field. For raptors Stillman Nature Center in Barrington and Springbrook Nature Center in Itasca are both great. They have raptor shoots where the birds are posed outside for photographers. 

Milwaukee and Brookfield Zoo have really good aviaries with free flight areas where you can get good images without the difficulty of shooting through glass or fences. 

There are many stunning birds in North America that make terrific subjects, but traveling to more exotic locations can add to the challenge and will mean that you are rewarded with a wide variety of spectacularly beautiful birds in a rainforest environment.

My birding trips to Ecuador and Costa Rica were a dream come true for a birdaholic like myself. In my presentation I will share tips about birding on vacation and recommendations on birding tour companies. 

At the end of my program you will be eager to take on the challenge of bird photography in the field, but be warned, birding and bird photography can be addictive! I am always chasing that next bird for my life list and have target birds of which I aim to capture great images. Attend my presentation and learn that there is no need to wing it!

Emma has always loved nature, but her passion for photography developed much more recently.   She is an avid birdwatcher and the prospect of being able to photograph so many new species of birds is very exciting to her.   She is one of LCFPD volunteer photographers providing them with nature photographs taken in the Forest Preserves and a LCFPD Education Volunteer that leads bird and nature walks.  She is president of the Lake County Audubon Society (LCAS).  She is also Vice President of the North Shore Camera Club and is active in Chicago Area Camera Clubs Association (CACCA).  She received the Kohout Nature Photography Award in 2018 for teaching nature photography and her promotion of nature and conservation efforts.

These conservation activities have led her to some fantastic opportunities to develop her photography skills.  She also specializes in zoo photography, capturing portraits of endangered species to highlight the importance of their conservation.  Emma would like her images to convey her passion for nature and hope that they inspire people to appreciate the beauty of the planet on which we live.

You can check out her work at:  https://www.emmaenglandnaturephoto.com/

Emma England will be teaching, “Bird Photography, No Need to Wing It” at CAPS on Saturday November 23^rd.

To see the CAPS home page go to:  

https://www.caccaphoto.org/caps/caps_home.php

To register for CAPS go to:  https://cacca.regfox.com/caps-2019