The Importance Of Head Angle In Bird Photography - Part 2

In June of this year I made a post on this blog about making sure that the head position of a bird that is your subject in a photograph is at a pleasing angle in order to produce the best image possible, one that really invites the viewer into the photo. You can read the article here.

Just recently I was visiting the Fort DeSoto park in the St. Petersburg area where you can usually find plenty of interesting and colorful shore birds. When I got back home and was post-processing the images I had taken, I found an excellent example of how much the head angle of a bird can help make or break the shot, or at least change it significantly.

I had been patiently following a few American Oystercatchers along the shore and had several shots of them because they eventually got used to my presence and pretty much ignored me. These are very colorful and interesting birds so they are definitely one of my favorite subjects. Here are two shots of the same bird taken just seconds apart that illustrate how a bird's head angle changes the whole look of an image.

American Oystercatcher Photo 1

American Oystercatcher Photo 2

If you look closely in the above photos, you will see that the body of the bird is identical from one shot to the next. The only thing that has changed from one photo to the other is the head angle of the bird. So which angle do you like best?

Personally, I like the second shot because the bird seems to be more engaged with you as the viewer of the photo. It's as if he is looking right at you, and that just seems to inspire more interest in most viewers. Whether or not you agree, isn't it clear from this example that the head angle of your subject makes a huge difference in the feel of the image?

A head angle of anywhere from 45 degrees to 90 degrees is generally good for most bird shots. Interestingly, if the bird is facing you head on, the image is not as good in many cases because having the eye in good focus in the photograph is very important and it almost disappears in such a shot since the eyes of most birds are not close together, but instead on each side of their head.

Now of course, keep in mind that this is not a rule in bird photography, since there are always exceptions to the rule where art is concerned. But generally speaking, paying close attention to the head angle of a bird you are photographing will be effort well spent.

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