BIRD Photography is HARD!! Sigma 150-600 and Canon 90D Field Test.

And . . . this is EXACTLY why I follow you, Duade! It's easy for a novice birder/photographer like me to get discouraged when I set things up, only to not have much success. Your humility shines through . . . you are exactly right, social media is so full of people trying to convince other people they "have it all together." Posting your disappointments, your failures, your humanity, helps me be able to relate to you. I can't relate to someone who's got perfect iso and shutter speed and it's always the "golden hour" as they shoot. But, I think when you help us try to make the best of a less than perfect situation, that's when we can become real photographers. By the way, I bet we would all be interested in hearing about that "life-changing event" in your life seven years ago that got you on this path. Do tell!

Funny. Today I spent four hours in the forest and got no pictures. I heard birds, occasionally caught glimpses, but never got a clear shot. Glad I'm not alone!

I just started watching your videos recently and what I enjoy most is your honesty, determination and humble attitude about the quality of your work. I appreciate you being honest in saying that it is actually really difficult to come up with the right subjects to photograph. You don't make it sound easy to get a lot of shots as you alluded to in this video. I appreciate that you aren't the type to just give up in a hurry when you don't find the best subjects for photos in an hour or so. I like that you also show some of your less favorite shots to support the fact that it isn't easy to just get all perfect shots. You are a good encouragement to me to keep trying. Thank you for good video content.

I have the same combo and I've been waiting for this video for ages, I'm glad you find a way to make it this detailed even with the struggles you have had. Love your shots and the diversity, I'm a bird photographer too but I also like to photograph other type of wild life and I got very excited every time some unexpected animal appears around me when I'm looking for birds. Very good shots, I'm learning a lot from your videos.

This video makes me remember a lot of situations I experienced in Amazon. Here we always found birds in the canopy of the forest and you are on the ground. A lot of forest species are also photophobic and always avoid light and just remain inside the dense vegetation. I can't remember how many times I wake up very early, walk all day in a place with hundreds of species and come back without any photo. Bird photography is always about this. We have amazing days, but we certainly experience a lot of days that we listened to a lot of birds but had no chances for photos. Your video, as always, is awesome!

This is the exact combination of camera-lens that I'm contemplating. What a wonderful video, Duade. Thanks!

I appreciate the documentation of photography struggles a lot. These days with high frame rates and cheap storage, when we see the images photographers choose to share it's easy to forget the overwhelming number of photos they didn't choose to share, and get discouraged when we have only a few keepers ourselves. You also can't see how much time a photographer spent to get those keepers either, even in a short YouTube video, since nobody will upload their entire outing, just the points of interest. It's good to be reminded that photography takes a lot of time, a lot of work, and a lot of shots, and that it's normal to go out and come home without anything worth sharing, even for the pros.

Duade, thanks again for putting together such great videos. It takes a lot of time to do this. And I appreciate that you keep it real. I’ve come to an attitude of delight if I see birds or can even get any decent photos. This is followed by utter amazement that even after all these years I still manage to see and photograph a new bird or creature I haven’t seen before, sometimes even here in my own yard. On my hikes I spend a lot of time listening and observing. I learn a lot, like which birds do and don’t like each other, who hangs out together and who’s solitary, who’s curious and comes and observes me. From your videos I also learn about your Australian wildlife and beautiful birds, even if your trek resulted in only a few photos to share. Well worthy of my time investment and learning. So thanks again. Look forward to future videos.

Excellent video Duade. I just started following your channel last month. It's nice to see your journey to get the photos as well as the end product, and all the work that is put into it, whether achieving the 'perfect shot' or not. I love how you show the raw file and then the crop and post processing. I also appreciate that you use a variety of gear, including the stuff that is generally more attainable than the latest mirrorless gear. Great work, I'll be sure to keep watching your content.

Struggles here in the UK are only exacerbated by our distinct lack of wildlife making those 'chance finds' even rarer. This year, with the pandemic, the outdoor spaces we have are now filled with people and it's really hard to find somewhere quiet too!

100% with you on this one. The struggle makes that one good shot so much more rewarding. If there's none, well there's always tomorrow i guess. Great topic, Cheers.

Love this. I think we all have the same problem. I've overcome this by keeping in mind that I can always switch what subjects i'm looking for (I often carry a 2nd body so it's easy to change context while i'm out). I'll often head out looking for wildlife and come back with a lot of landscape, macro, or just some BS photos. Of course, I'm not confined to testing anyone's equipment or producing any particular theme of content. Glad you posted this anyways as it's always entertaining. Oh, this 'stalk hunting' is how I take all of my photos. I'll occasionally sit or squat in the woods but only for a moment; I love it.

Another great video Duade thanks from Canada

Great video, as always! It is nice to see the real side of bird photography and still making the most of it. Here in the US the struggles are the same, but always rewarding when you come home with a few images that turned out. Again, Great video!!

Duade, another great and honest video. I’m not known for my patience, but I think any day spent in nature is better than one in an office! I’m learning to appreciate just being in the moment and enjoying the bird. Even if I can’t get a good shot of him. Doubt I’ll ever make it to Australia, so it so nice to see the birds in your photos! Thank you!

Thanks for sharing the struggles so us newbies can better calibrate our expectations as we start out!

Thank you, Duade Your videos have always been useful and enjoyable. I personally watch them more than once because of the useful information and details they contain for photographing wildlife. I have a Canon 90D camera with a Sigma 150-600 lens, and I have benefited a lot from your videos. Finally, many thanks and appreciation to you. Please continue uploading. Great videos thanks again.

The struggle is real! I think that is what makes the success even sweeter. Birds are a challenge on a good day. Thanks for the perspective!

Great video, and the bee and butterfly shots were great. I can relate to the difficulties. One time in Toolangi, I heard many birds as I was walking around but saw nothing apart from one thornbill in the car park :).

That's just how wildlife photography goes! I love that lens. Thanks for sharing!