A bird photography course by Tim Laman · Beginner to intermediate
Right now your camera sits on Auto and half the morning comes home soft, blurred or one second too late. That's not a talent problem. Eight short lessons to know what to do when a bird appears, with Tim's exact settings on the camera you already own.
$99 $64.35 35% off
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"I especially enjoyed Tim explaining his camera settings for many of his iconic shots."
You get home from a morning out, put the card in the computer, and start clicking through.
Soft. Soft again. An empty branch where the bird had been a second earlier. The one frame where something actually happened is blurred.
I know that feeling. It's not lack of talent. It's a camera that was never set up for birds.
My name is Tim Laman. I photograph birds for National Geographic, where I've shot 25 feature stories, and in 2016 I was named Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
None of that started at a photography school. I was a biology student who took a year off in 1987 to work in Borneo, and the camera came with me. There was no plan. I made it up as I went along, and for a long time that meant coming home with a bag full of pictures that were not sharp.
What I worked out along the way is that most people who struggle with bird photos are stuck on the wrong problem.
They think it's the gear.
Or they decide it's themselves, that they're just not any good at this.
But neither of those things is true. It's nearly always the settings, and nobody has ever handed them a set that works.
Years ago I tested that idea on the least experienced photographer I could find. My son Russell was about seven. I took him to the Everglades in Florida for a few days and handed him my old Canon 20D with a 100 to 300mm kit lens.
Then I set the camera up for him: five settings, the same five I still put on my own camera before I walk out the door. They're the first thing I show you in lesson one.
After that I gave him three instructions. Get the bird in the frame. Push this button on the back with your thumb to focus. When it looks sharp, push this other one on the front.
He had no idea what a shutter speed was, or an aperture, or an ISO. He didn't need to know.
He went out and took thousands of pictures over those days and had a blast. He got close enough to the black vultures that one of his frames needed no cropping at all. He even came back with a few flight shots of white pelicans.
A seven-year-old. A camera I had stopped using. A kit lens.
That's the experiment the course grew out of. Not a lecture about exposure. The actual settings I put on my own camera in the field, in the order you need them.
So I put the whole system into eight lessons and called it
Birds, Camera,Action
You start with the same ready-for-action settings I gave Russell, so you can go out this weekend and come home with keepers before you fully understand why they work. Then we build from there, one lesson at a time, until you can walk up to almost any bird situation and know what to do.
It runs about two hours in total. Watch one lesson, take it straight outside, and see the difference for yourself.
See you in lesson one,
"I was able to watch a video then take your lessons straight out into the field and notice a big difference to the quality of photos I was getting."
"I had been looking for a course to help me graduate from Auto to Manual and this was it."
The settings I put on my own camera before I go out, so you're ready when a bird does something. For beginners, and for anyone who keeps missing the unexpected moments.
How I hold and work the camera when there is action, plus more camera and lens settings for working with flying birds.
I keep focusing on a button under my thumb instead of on the shutter. This is where I show you why, and how it lets you get a bird sharp and compose the frame quickly.
How I hold focus on a bird that is already in the air, and the settings and techniques behind it.
The auto-exposure modes, what each one actually does, and which one I switch to in which situation out in the field.
Exposure compensation and manual mode, for the light that fools your camera into getting it wrong.
My tips for the flight situations you actually run into, from takeoffs and landings to birds on the wing.
A bonus lesson on shutter speed. Once you start slowing it down on purpose, a lot of creative room opens up.
$64.35 instead of $99. The discount is already applied at checkout.
Here are reviews written by people who took the course. Every one is on the course platform under their own name.
I had been looking for a course to help me graduate from Auto to Manual and this was it.
Tim did a great job explaining why he chose the settings he did for the photos he showed in the video and also talked about other settings, like Back Button Focus, which I now use and love it!
Thanks Tim!
I am a beginning photographer who has worked hard to get familiar with a new mirror less camera. I had made a few attempts at bird photography with a newly purchased telephoto lens but been a bit disappointed with the results. This course has taught me numerous tricks to take to the field. It is magnificently presented by Tim who speaks directly to you sharing his vast experience with great examples. Thanks so much!
Verified studentTim does a great job explaining concepts and techniques, and I especially appreciate how he uses examples to really make the material come alive in a tangible way.
I'd heard of back-button focusing, but never really understood it or what it could do for me, and now I'm excited to try it!
There were a number of "big revelation" moments for me, and I'm anxious to put these things into my bird photography practice and get to that "next level."
Thanks Tim, you have helped me get better at bird photography and photography in general. I was able to watch a video then take your lessons straight out into the field and notice a big difference to the quality of photos I was getting. Keep up the good work!! Matt
Verified studentWhat a wonderful experience to learn and/or review the fundamentals of wildlife photography with one of the masters of the craft! I especially enjoyed Tim explaining his camera settings for many of his iconic shots.
Verified studentTim Laman does a great job in simplifying the leaning experience of bird photography (a touch subject even for pros!) giving you tips so you can start shooting and learning from lesson 1. I already started seeing improvements in my photography by adjusting to the lessons and I'm very excited to keep learning and enjoying the process with the current gear I have.
Verified studentBy far it is the best bird photography course I have ever seen with a lot of tips on different types of situations with different birds.
Also, thanks Tim for the great work you have done in this course explaining in a very simple way some concepts that are not easy to explain in photography. I would definitely recomment this course to anyone interested in wildlife and in particular in bird photography.
This course exceeded expectations. There is an abundance of practical information presented in a very clear, concise manner with ample examples.
At this point I am not sure if I am more enamored with Tim the photographer or Tim the presenter. It takes real talent to be able to distill this much information into such an exceptional presentation.
This is definitely the best "crash course" I've taken on the topic, and really helped me figure out how to get my camera set up properly for bird photography.
Verified studentAlthough I have been shooting for the last 5 years, this course both solidified my foundation and advanced my understanding of bird photography in a meaningful, efficient manner. It also inspired me to push beyond my current internal limitations of what makes a "great" image.
Verified studentBirds, Camera,Action
Eight lessons, about two hours, with National Geographic photographer Tim Laman. Here's what you get when you enroll today.
Save 35% · ends July 26
Birds, Camera, Action
Regular price: $99
Right now
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Everything in this course comes from work I'm still doing. Here's some of it.
And when I'm home in Massachusetts I photograph chickadees, blue jays and woodpeckers in my own backyard. Those pictures sit in my book Bird Planet next to the birds-of-paradise.
$64.35 instead of $99 · 14-day money-back guarantee
Start with lesson one tonight. It's about fifteen minutes, and it ends with a set of settings you can use at the feeder tomorrow.
Birds, Camera, Action
Regular price: $99
Right now
Secure checkout · 14-day risk-free guarantee
