{"id":110621,"date":"2023-03-02T03:03:46","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T10:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=110621"},"modified":"2023-09-09T07:56:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T13:56:01","slug":"wings-over-people-my-love-for-bird-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/02\/wings-over-people-my-love-for-bird-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Wings Over People: My Love for Bird Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

This could also be titled “Why I prefer to bird photography over people photography” and I will explain why this morning.<\/p>\n

Photographing birds is a very fulfilling and rewarding experience for me. Especially because I enjoy being in nature and feel most at “home” out in the wilderness. Unlike photographing people, photographing birds requires a different set of skills, gear and techniques, such as patience, observation, and a keen eye for details.<\/p>\n

I have an eye for detail and thankfully I can spot birds from long distances. I have the gear, ample patience, and have developed my powers of observation over the decades.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Rough-legged Hawk in flight in the West Desert<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most significant advantages of photographing birds instead of people for me is the lack of egos involved. When working with people, various personalities and preferences are possible and that can often make the process complicated and challenging. People can be self-conscious about their appearance or how they are being portrayed, making it challenging to capture natural and candid shots.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, birds don’t have egos, and they don’t care how they look in photographs. This allows me to capture my subjects in a more natural and authentic way, without worrying about any personal preferences or egos. Photographing birds also often requires me to blend into the environment and observe their behaviors, which can be a calming and meditative experience.<\/p>\n

\"Ring-billedRing-billed Gull with a wide open bill<\/span><\/p>\n

Birds don’t care if…<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I capture them in weird poses, with their bills wide open, or if they look messy. People can be far more particular.<\/p>\n

Another benefit to being a bird photographer is that the birds don’t care what I<\/em> look like. I could spill a cup of coffee on my lap, be covered in biscuit crumbs, or having a bad hair day where I look like I haven’t seen a hairbrush in a month and the birds would never notice or judge me for looking awful.<\/p>\n

The challenge of photographing birds is something I love.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Birds are incredibly agile and quick, making it difficult to capture them in motion. This challenge can be thrilling and rewarding when a great shot is achieved. These challenges requires me to be patient and to have a deep understanding of my equipment, the habitat, and bird behavior. I thrive when I am presented with these types of challenges.<\/p>\n

\"GrumpyGrumpy looking American Robin in leg deep snow<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to all of the above, nature for me is soothing. Photographing birds can be exciting and relaxing for me at the exactly the same time. In the past, nature has helped me through some of the worst and darkest times of my life and it continues to be a peace-filled balm. I’d much rather be out enjoying nature than practically doing anything or being anywhere else. I might live in a city but deep down I am, and will always be, a country woman at heart.<\/p>\n

At the end of each day, I am always happy to be a bird photographer. It allows me to capture the beauty of nature and wildlife in a natural and authentic way, without having to deal with the complexities of human personalities and preferences. I love what I do. I love my wild, feathered subjects too.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos in my galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This could also be titled “Why I prefer to bird photography over people photography” and I will explain why this morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,410,1087,709,12454,358,26,1314],"tags":[4004,2427,4021,4275,4264,4468,1648,1048],"class_list":["post-110621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-ring-billed-gulls","category-rough-legged-hawks","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-san-juan-county","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-west-desert-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-robin","tag-bird-photography","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-larus-delawarensis","tag-ring-billed-gull","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-turdus-migratorius"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-flight-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-6455.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-sMd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61820,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/11\/29\/winter-weather-and-low-light-bird-photography-ahead\/","url_meta":{"origin":110621,"position":0},"title":"Winter Weather And Low Light Bird Photography Ahead","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I actually like photographing birds in a snow storm because the low light situations test my skills, the limits of my gear and the resulting photos often have a moody feeling to them.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gulls in a snow storm fighting over a crayfish, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ring-billed-gulls-food-snow-storm-mia-mcpherson-5849.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ring-billed-gulls-food-snow-storm-mia-mcpherson-5849.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull flying over a freshwater marsh, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-mia-mcpherson-6552.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-mia-mcpherson-6552.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-mia-mcpherson-6552.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-flight-mia-mcpherson-6552.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-snow-winter-mia-mcpherson-4708.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-snow-winter-mia-mcpherson-4708.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-snow-winter-mia-mcpherson-4708.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-snow-winter-mia-mcpherson-4708.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":107524,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/10\/25\/rough-legged-hawk-season-has-begun\/","url_meta":{"origin":110621,"position":3},"title":"Rough-legged Hawk Season Has Begun","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Rough-legged Hawk season has begun in northern Utah. I spotted my first of season Rough-legged Hawks on the wing last Friday.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male light morph Rough-legged Hawk on a February morning, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-info-sign-mia-mcpherson-9795.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-info-sign-mia-mcpherson-9795.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-info-sign-mia-mcpherson-9795.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-info-sign-mia-mcpherson-9795.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50418,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/12\/31\/my-year-of-bird-photography-in-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":110621,"position":4},"title":"My Year of Bird Photography in 2017","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I love what I do, I love my subjects and it doesn't matter if I find them close to home or further away. I am blessed. 2017 has been wonderful and I am excited for what 2018 may bring.","rel":"","context":"In "American Tree Sparrows"","block_context":{"text":"American Tree Sparrows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/emberzine-sparrows-allies\/american-tree-sparrows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green-tailed Towhee head tilt, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-head-tilt-mia-mcpherson-3855.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-head-tilt-mia-mcpherson-3855.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-head-tilt-mia-mcpherson-3855.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/green-tailed-towhee-head-tilt-mia-mcpherson-3855.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109376,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/01\/06\/immature-herring-gull-testing-the-ice\/","url_meta":{"origin":110621,"position":5},"title":"Immature American Herring Gull Testing The Ice","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It was January 6, 2021, when I photographed this immature American Herring Gull testing the ice at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "American Herring Gulls"","block_context":{"text":"American Herring Gulls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gulls\/herring-gulls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature American Herring Gull testing the ice, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/herring-gull-immature-ice-mia-mcpherson-4236.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/herring-gull-immature-ice-mia-mcpherson-4236.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/herring-gull-immature-ice-mia-mcpherson-4236.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/herring-gull-immature-ice-mia-mcpherson-4236.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}