Photographing Your Birds: Part One By PH Rima One of the great things about BirdHobbyist is the way we can see one another's parrots in the photo gallery as well as enjoy stories about them on the message boards. Taking good pictures of your birds doesn't require a digital camera, or an expensive 35-mm setup. In fact, although I still have some mighty expensive 35-mms gathering dust, all the pictures I've posted have been taken with a Canon point and-shoot 35mm that sells for under $100. The trick isn't in the equipment, but in how you use it. The only "equipment" pointer I'll offer is this: Get a camera with a built-in telephoto lens.
Now you're ready to grab and shoot fast in order to catch those cute poses that come out of no where. However, you'll also want to try for more "formal" pictures as well, and this takes a little more planning. Some folks run into immediate problems with birds that see the camera as some sort of frightening creature that has obviously attached itself to your face. Although this may well produce ONE funny picture, you'll quickly tire of the same pose. One way of dealing with this is to simply pretend to take pictures a lot, until the bird gets used to seeing you with this "thing" across your face.
Also, be sure to take your time. Its not often you can just put a parrot on a stand, take a picture, and get a good one. With the camera ready, let the bird(s) settle in. You probably won't have to wait long before you start snapping. It's not hard to get good pictures of your birds. Just keep that camera handy, keep the backgrounds as unobtrusive as possible, and snap away. With such gorgeous, playful subjects, it's hard to take a bad picture, and with just a little effort, you can have great ones to share.
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The first thing to keep in mind is that parrots, like children, are most likely to offer up those "Kodak moments" at unexpected times, so you need to be ready for them. That means keeping your camera loaded with film, and in a handy place. If you have to go looking for your camera, let alone load it with film, you will likely lose your best shots. (Of course, those of us with large parrots also have to find a place that is handy but not accessible to those big, curious beaks. Mine is usually hanging on a hook just outside the bird room door, along with the cage keys.)
Of course...every now and then you run into the opposite problem...a parrot that is a camera hog. My hybrid macaw Tess is like this and she loves to pose but she also believes in extreme close-ups. She will stop whatever she's doing, which is usually what I want a picture of to begin with, and run in for a close-up. 
These two problems have one common solution, and that's why I recommend a telephoto lens. With the shy parrot, you can stand back and still get a nice picture,while the ham is less likely to get "in your face" when you're standing back some. Telephotos also help blur out the background, which is usually a benefit. In addition, the fact that you're not that close often makes the bird forget you are there and makes it likely you'll get a more "natural" appearing pose.
Backgrounds can be a real distraction in any picture taking, and especially with parrots, since most of us end up with a background of cage bars, play-gyms, toys, and such. With the photo programs now common, you can "erase" some of this with your computer, (well maybe YOU can, I haven't figured this out yet myself), but it's best to get as plain a background as possible.
Almost all my pictures are taken with the bird on top of a play-stand. If possible, place the stand so you have a plain wall behind it as a Hahns Macaw on my hand, ready to snatch out of reach should Zu get TOO curious.
Group shots can be fun. This is one of my favorites, and people are always amazed that I have seven macaws who will share a play-stand. If you look closely though, you'll see I'm cheating here; they are on a couple different stands, and one is actually on a cage door.