"If you can read this, you are too close" said a sign behind a truck in small letters 😀
Well, with birds, it is the same thing. If you can see every one of their fine feathers through your lens, you are too close. However, in wildlife photography, it is actually a good thing.
If one can manage to get so close to the bird that we can literally count it's feathers, an amazing click results...
It is not easy though, to get so close to birds. They are naturally shy. They are also weary of humans. They fly away at the slightest hint of any human attention or proximity.
I have, therefore, spent hours and sometimes days to learn the way these birds behave. I learnt where they prefer to sit, times of the day when they were less concerned about human presence (because they are focused on feeding) or when they like to lazily sit in the sun...
Here are some of the ones I manage to capture at a distance of less than 10 feet with my 200-500mm lens.
'Count my feathers shot' of Black-naped monarch:
This was taken by waiting at the edge of a forest, waiting for the bird to come out from the dark of forest canopy. The light was still low and I took this shot at 3200 ISO but due to the proximity, I was still able to get amazing details...
'Count my feathers shot' of White cheeked barbet:
After observing the barbets for couple of days, I realized that the only time when I could get them in good light and at eye level was when they came to feed on a particular feeding tree. I hid myself in a tree nearby and clicked this one. These bird are typically high in branches of large trees most of the time and very difficult to get close to.
'Count my feathers shot' of Blue-throat:
This pretty bird has dazzling colors on it's necklace and a very attractive feather pattern. It was busy feeding and paused just for a moment when it caught a bug it's beak - giving me this perfect shot...
'Count my feathers shot' of Indian Roller:
This bird which has a multitude of colors and great feather pattern is naturally a sought after target. I was lucky to be able to approach close in a car as it sat in the sun... one of my easiest close ups!
'Count my feathers shot' of Red Avadavat:
This was one of the most difficult close ups. The bird was hopping around on bushes and grass without giving me any chance to approach. After chasing after it for 2 hours, I found it engrossed in eating some grass seeds on ground. Flat on my stomach and pushing my camera ahead of me, I crawled for more than 10-15 feet to get this shot...
It was all hard work but when I see the results, I feel immensely satisfied.
What do you think ? Was it all worth it? Have you attempted or would you attempt anything like this in photography? If so, please share your experience in comments.*
Please comment freely and let me know your opinion. I will try to bring many different types of wildlife photos/macro/Astro posts to the community. Feedback and comments are welcome,. I am still learning many techniques and always value feedback from experts in this community.
Have a nice day everyone. Cheers!
