Bird Photography Workshop Takes Birding to the Next Level

By Guest Blogger Alex Cho

​I have been birding for about nine years and quickly realized how important photography was for me as a birder. Shortly after I began actively birding, I would get home and want to look at the birds I had seen in closer detail or note certain details. However, I often found that I had a hard time recalling so many different details, and there were also instances where I wanted to capture a particular bird or scene.  That is when I realized how valuable photography was going to be for me.    

My parents kindly bought me a camera and off I went. As I photographed more and more, I learned that photography is not easy; especially, bird photography! Nine years later, I am still learning and have so much more to learn. That is why I was so excited to see that SFBBO was offering the Bird Photography Workshop with Sebastian Kennerknecht. The four-part series covered the most basic and important areas that would help any photographer improve their photography skills. Sebastian is so talented, and I had seen his work before, which is amazing. He has been featured in so many publications, and what I really appreciate about Sebastian is his commitment to conservation and respect for wildlife.   
 
The Focus session was very helpful going over camera settings, and Sebastian gave suggestions as to what possible focus settings could be used in different situations. In the Composition session, he went over various ways to nicely frame a subject. He also spoke about lighting and how that could be used for a more pleasing photo. Instead of having your subject front and center, he showed us how there are ways to move your subject around to create a more interesting picture. Finally, the Critique session was incredibly valuable to me. Having a professional look at your photographs and give you constructive feedback was something that will help me forever. Sebastian took very good looks at the provided photographs and offered great recommendations. Some of these were making little adjustments in post-processing that made a huge difference for a better picture. All the while, he was very supportive and encouraging for the participants to continue practicing and to just enjoy photographing birds and wildlife.   
 
Finally, I am especially grateful to the generous donors who made it possible for me to attend this series.  Thank you, again, as I have learned so much! 

Alex Cho is a sixteen-year-old avid birder living in the Bay Area. He has been birding for over eight years and is an active member of several organizations including Los Angeles Birders, Western Field Ornithologists, North American Nature Photography Association in addition to several local Audubon societies. Although birding is his passion, he is very interested in conservation as well.  To this end, he has participated in several bird surveys, conservation work involving California Condors and Western Bluebirds, and has presented on various topics related to birds. Alex hopes to study ornithology and use his knowledge to help birds in our rapidly changing world. Aside from birds and conservation, he is a fervent pianist, which he has been doing for over a decade.