Photography by Neville

Ever since I developed an interest in birding I’ve realized that my equipment is something that is truly stopping me from getting the best shots. Over the last year I’ve shot dozens of images of birds with my trust kit lens, a Nikkor 18 – 135mm, which gives me a range of around 200 metres at the longest. I’m proud to say that I’ve shot some great images with this lens by just using proper birding technique (a whole other post would be required for this) and some know how to get the right shots.

Why is it time to expand my focal length? Well because sometimes it’s just impossible to get closer to certain birds without making them fly off or freak out, as a nature lover and photographer I don’t want to do either. So the best way I can think of getting closer is to use a better focal length along with some proper birding technique.

What lenses have I shortlisted? Well I would love to pick up a 400 or 500mm lens with a small aperture but its way out of my range right now. So I’ve decided to go with a Sigma AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro which is really affordable for me and fits my requirements… for now. The lens will require more work because of the aperture values but I am sure it’ll be an excellent value-for-money birding lens.

Sigma AF 70 - 300mm

I’ve been following a couple of photographer who use this lens for bird photography and air shows and they have shot some superb images. Also on the longer end of this lens is a macro feature which also interests me when I shoot flowers and the like. Here is a link to the flickr group for this lens – Sigma AF 70 – 300 mm flickr group

Share your thoughts with me regarding this lens. I’m hoping to pick it up this month!

The Great Escape

I’ve been a very on and off user over at Flickr for many years now. After joining BNG Birds group at yahoo I have become a more frequent poster at Flickr as a lot of other photographers I know also post up there. It’s a nice and simple way of getting a wider audience and more comments.

For regular visitors of my blog there are more images there that didn’t make the final cut and end up on the website. So do take a look at some of my other shots over there too.

http://flickr.com/nevillel

Comments are always welcome!

Since my recent foray into the world of Bird photography I’ve been meeting a lot of birders on-line and also out in the field. One of the best places to meet like minded people is by joining the BNG Birds group on Yahoo Groups.  It’s a relatively simple matter of just signing in and joining the group. Once thats done you can see what birders in your area (Bangalore) are up to.

The group also has various trips on almost every weekend to places which are known for the variety in birds. I’ve been with this group to Nandi Hills, Shivanahalli and Anekal. In these trips I’ve basically learnt a lot more about birding than I would have going out by myself. I’ve seen and spotted many more species of birds and become better at identifying calls of certain birds.

There are a lot of great people who you can meet during these trips and its definetiely worth checking out. Catch you at the next BNG Birds trip!

A very nice Q&A with war photographer Teru Kuwayama. I found it very interesting and eye opening. Check it out at:

Ask a Pro: How to Shoot (and Not Get Shot) In a War Zone

Neat article here: Top ten annoying things to say to wildlife photographer, I’ve been lucky so far ! I’ve heard my share of such comments but heck what do I know? I’m still learning so maybe until I reach a higher level I won’t be complaining.

Here are a few more interesting articles that I’ve come across this week:

• A very neat piece about bird photography by Vijay Cavale at his blog which you can also download.
• I also found a couple of great sites for bird watchers and photographers  in India. Here’s one I’ve registered and become a member at:  India Nature Watch (http://www.indianaturewatch.net/). Another one is Indian Birds (http://www.indiabirds.com/). Lots of great user submitted shots on both those sites and a lot of great information for all level of photographers
• Since I’ve taken an interest in bird photography I’ve been looking at all the different lenses that I could buy to get closer to the birds without getting closer (Yes, this is just another excuse to buy an expensive piece of glass.) So here’s a nice write up of the pros and cons by Sandeep R. Here is his piece about the different lenses he was looking at buying before he made his purchase: Super telephoto lenses under $1500 for bird photography.

Well that’s about it for today. Hoping to go to Mysore this Wednesday and hopefully everything will be back to normal there. Here is a shot from a lazy Sunday spent at Lalbagh in Bangalore.

Spot-billed Pelican