The Magic of Photographing Kingfishers
Photographing a kingfisher feels different.
You can sit quietly for what feels like hours, watching the water, waiting, wondering if you’ll actually see one. Then, suddenly, that flash of electric blue appears — and for a moment, everything else disappears.
Even after photographing them a few times, that feeling never really goes away.
The real challenge isn’t just getting the photograph. It’s understanding their behaviour. Watching where they perch, how they move, the direction they fly, and those tiny clues that tell you they might be about to dive. The more time you spend observing, the better your chances become.
Technically, kingfishers can be challenging. I’ll generally use a fast shutter speed, often around 1/1600–1/2500 sec, to freeze their movement, with a wide aperture to help separate them from the background. I’ll push the ISO when I need to — especially in poor light.
Getting the shot is more important than worrying about a little noise.
Bad light? Sometimes you just have to work with it. Reduce the shutter speed, increase the ISO and go with it! This is exactly what I had to do in my sample shot above: trial and error, and to be honest, lots of errors.
Kingfishers are incredibly colourful, but you don’t always need bright sunshine to appreciate them. Soft, overcast light can create a completely different image, bringing out subtle colours and letting you focus on their shape, detail, and behaviour.
But ultimately, it’s not always about the photograph.
Sometimes it’s simply about sitting quietly beside the water, watching one of nature’s most beautiful little birds go about its business.
And when that flash of blue finally appears…
It’s bloody brilliant.
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