It’d be cliche to say that the eyes are the window to the soul, but they’re certainly the key to a compelling photograph. This is intuitive when photographing people and pets, but no less true for birds. It’s just that with small, fast moving subjects it takes more care and skill. Always aim to photograph an eye with a bird attached. When the eye is properly captured, the rest of the bird usually follows. This post lays out 5 rules for capturing a bird’s eye and thus a beautiful, compelling bird photograph. Focus Rule #1: An eye should be visible and in the sharpest focus of the image. In a creative endeavor like photography, it seems odd for there to be rules. Isn’t the goal to show something unique? Well, I could count on one hand the number of interesting bird photographs I’ve seen that either don’t show an eye, or show one that isn’t in sharp focus. And I’ve certainly never managed to take one. One of the most painful things I’ve had to do is to throw away a photo of a rare