| Re: Use of flash in bird photography
I've recently been using fill flash on birds, sometimes with an extender (i.e. to increase the range of the flash) sometimes without. I've found that if you're some distance from the bird it rarely takes any notice of the flash. Up close, some birds will fly off, but I've realised this is a result of the shutter noise as much as anything else.
In recent days I've taken a few shots of birds in my garden from close range using fill flash. Originally I was using my 30D and found that the birds didn't like the shutter noise. Today I switched to my 400D, which has a much quieter shutter, and found that the birds generally ignored both the shutter and the flash.
In sum, if the ambient light is very low (e.g. in woodland) and a flash is fired from close range it may scatter the birds, but then so too will the shutter of a 30D. On a brighter day, if the flash isn't too close, then the birds generally ignore it.
Matt |