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Signature Photography Tips

Lady Jane

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How To Take a Good Photo of Your Bird for a Signature

Bad lighting can ruin what could have been a perfect shot. Don't let it happen to you! Adjust the lighting so that your bird is well-lit in your photos, but take care not to "drown" your bird in light, as it can make the pictures look washed out. If possible, try using natural sunlight in your photos, as it is usually best at highlighting the colors and contours of a bird's plumage. When taking pictures of birds, remember to avoid using the camera's flash whenever possible, as it can frighten and disorient them. Your bird’s natural coloring will show better this way. Try to remember most cell phones do not take a quality photo indoors.

If you can use a tripod or other stand to steady your camera when taking pictures of your feathered friend the quality of your photos will improve almost instantly.

Whenever you take pictures of your bird, be sure to take several shots using window lighting and angles. The more pictures you take, the more good ones you will get!

As they say, “Eyes are the Window to the Soul” and birds eyes can be very expressive. So make sure to focus on your bird's eyes and keep the tack sharp.

It is very important that you bird feels comfortable and at ease. Most important to be at eye level or below for a bird photograph. If your bird is afraid of cameras you can sensitize them to its presence by frequent exposure to cameras.

One of the most difficult things is to let your bird hold still. An easy trick is to let him/her play quietly and, once you have everything ready, let someone call for him or whistle. This will surprise him and caught his attention and you will have a few seconds to capture him/her in a nice and alert posture

In summary:

  1. Avoid using flash and indoor lighting

  2. Use a tripod if you have one or something else to steady your hand

  3. Take multiple shots

  4. Focus on the eyes

  5. Encourage comfort with the use of a camera

  6. Avoid cell phone cameras
Remember signature makers want to show off your bird as much as you do. We can enhance your photo some however we cannot change the quality as much as you can with the original photo.

tips.jpg
 
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Lady Jane

Ripping up the road
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One more item. Please do not submit a photo of your birds with cage bars visable. This really cuts into the quality of the finished product.
 

Novembergypsy

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So helpful! Thank you!
 

Icey

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I have my pictures but can't get the URL? for the background. It shows up with img with an x
 

Lady Jane

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To upload a signature on this forum one needs to have an alternate place to put it other than your computer like photobucket. Its so much better if we could directly upload from our computers and I have suggested it.
 

Icey

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Yes it sure would be a lot easier. I have a beautiful picture to put all my birds in, and downloaded GIMP2 as someone here suggested.
Now if I can get it all figured out with the layers, etc., I will be in business. I don't usually use photoshops or anything like that, so it's a challenge for me.
But I am a stubborn Capricorn so will keep trying lol
 

Lady Jane

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Have you figured it out yet?
 
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