Directional Light

Black-necked Stilt - Gilbert Water Ranch

Many aspiring bird photographers are taught to “point your shadow at the bird.” This has many benefits: it puts maximum illumination on the subject, minimizes the chances that part of the bird will cast a shadow on another part of the subject, and makes metering as easy as it can get. Its a good way to show detail in the subject, and ideal if you are trying to get “field guide” style images. I use it when appropriate, as with the Black-necked Stilt (D200, 300/2.8 with 2x, ISO 200, 1/800th at f/8, June 3, 2007, Gilbert Water Ranch).

But I see no reason to get stuck in a rut and avoid directional lighting. Light angled from the side creates shadows, and shadows define form (making the subject and the image look more three dimensional). And those shadows help define texture by creating small shadows along feather edges. Note how the side-lighting in the American Avocet image create depth in this shot (Gilbert Water Ranch, May 9. 2008, D200, 300/2.8 and 2x, ISO 320, 1/200th at f/8).

American Avocet - Gilbert Water Ranch

So, don’t be afraid of the light if it isn’t coming over your shoulder.