![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/willow-flycatcher-7510-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"\/2019\/06\/willow-flycatcher-7510-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n A “bird on a stick” (BOAS) is essentially a photograph of a bird perched on a stick or twig, usually with a clean background with nothing or very little else in the setting to compete with the bird. This photo of a Willow Flycatcher is a fairly typical example of a BOAS.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n A “bird in habitat” (BIH) is a photo of a bird that includes significant portions of its habitat. Usually it’s a natural habitat and typically we don’t have such a clean look at the bird and the setting can be busy or even unattractive but we learn much more about where that bird actually lives.<\/p>\n Both of these shots were taken in the same area a couple of weeks apart (the photo above was taken two days ago). In fact it’s almost certainly the same flycatcher in both shots but the photos are very, very different from each other.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some folks prefer BOAS photos because they like a clean look at the bird with little else in the frame to compete with it and since BOAS photos are typically taken up close there can be more detail to be seen. Others prefer BIH photos because they want to see the bird where it lives and potentially interacting with its environment. There’s a third camp of viewers that equivocates by saying “it depends” – if the photo is meant to show detail and\/or field marks of the species (as in a field guide for example) they like BOAS but otherwise they might prefer BIH.<\/p>\n Over the years my overall preference has evolved from BOAS to BIH but I do enjoy quality photos of both styles. Back in the day when I was posting regularly to a bird photography critique forum (NPN – Nature Photographers Network) there was a lot of discussion about BOAS vs BIH. And that’s when my preference began to gravitate from BOAS to BIH, in part because many photographers in the BOAS camp regularly shoot setups and I much prefer bird photos where neither the behavior of the bird nor the setting has been artificially manipulated. I prefer my nature photography to be just that – natural. BOAS photos are more likely to have been set up than BIH photos but it goes without saying that not all BOAS photos are setups.<\/p>\n It’s my belief that over the years the pendulum of public opinion has swung significantly from BOAS to BIH, in part because most photographers who shoot setups don’t disclose how they’ve manipulated the bird and the setting to get the shot.<\/p>\n And folks don’t like being deceived.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notes: <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For years bird photographers and others have debated the relative strengths and weaknesses of two primary “styles” of bird photography.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n