Photographing Pigeons in Flight
This wasn’t a planned photography session. One spring afternoon, I simply sat down in the garden with my camera, hoping that an interesting subject might appear – preferably a bird.
After a while, I noticed a pair of pigeons flying around nearby. They seemed to have chosen three favourite spots: the chimneys of two neighbouring houses and the top of a tall pine tree in another garden. They kept flying from one place to another, resting for a few moments before taking off again. The same pattern repeated over and over.
I watched them for a while before deciding to try photographing them in flight.
It turned out to be quite a challenge.
The pigeons were fast, and although their general flight path was relatively predictable, they often made small and sudden changes in direction. Keeping them in the frame and getting the focus right required quite a bit of concentration.
I took the photos with my 50-250mm lens, mostly somewhere between 200 and 250mm. I also needed a fast shutter speed to freeze their movement. Fortunately, it was a bright day in the early afternoon, so there was plenty of light and I didn’t have to push the ISO very high.
What made the experiment a little more challenging was that I wasn’t using burst mode, and animal eye detection wasn’t enabled either. I simply followed the birds through the viewfinder, aimed, focused and pressed the shutter whenever I thought I had a good opportunity.
Unsurprisingly, I ended up with quite a few out-of-focus shots. But among them were several sharp images that I was happy with.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with the results, especially considering that this was an unplanned attempt at photographing birds in flight. It was also a good reminder of how challenging – and rewarding – it can be to photograph a fast-moving subject.
I’ll definitely try photographing pigeons in flight again. Next time, perhaps I’ll experiment with different camera settings and techniques to see how much I can improve my results.
Sometimes an interesting photography session doesn’t need much planning. You just need to sit outside with your camera, pay attention to what is happening around you, and be ready when an opportunity appears.
Photos taken with Nikon Z fc + Nikon Z DX 50–250mm f/4.5–6.3 VR. Click on a photo to view it in a larger size.
Did you know? – Pigeon
Pigeons are among the most familiar birds in towns and gardens, but they are also remarkably skilled flyers. Their strong wings allow them to fly quickly and make sudden changes of direction, which can make them surprisingly challenging subjects to photograph.
One of their most impressive abilities is their sense of direction. Pigeons are excellent navigators and can find their way home over long distances, using a combination of visual landmarks and other environmental cues.
Pigeons are highly social birds and are often seen in pairs or groups. They frequently choose rooftops, chimneys, trees, and other elevated places as resting and observation points before taking flight again.
Although they may seem ordinary because we see them so often, watching pigeons more closely reveals graceful movements, interesting behaviour, and impressive flying skills – all of which can make them rewarding subjects for bird photography.