Photography by Neville

Last Sunday was a delight for me, I finally got to use my new lens for an extended period of time for the purpose that I bought it for – Birding! I got some great shots and missed a few since I’m still getting use to the lens but I got some pretty good shots too. So take a look -

Enjoying the early sunlight

Looking over...

Stepping to the beat

Weave and protect

Standing proud!

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 sun sets and colours the waters...

What better way to remember the place I come from… This image incorporates a lot of my dreams and hopes for the future. Enjoy!!!

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!

View from the Hill

Very close to Bangalore and still one of Bangalore’s fave weekend getaways is Nandi Hills. There are various ways to get there but I prefer taking the government buses that go all the way to the top.

One step from the drop

Looking down

Pathway in the fort

You can catch a bus to the top of Nandi Hills from the KSRTC bus stand which is right opposite the BMTC bus stand. Go o platform number 10 and ask there.

Tickets are about 40 – 50 Rupees depending on which route the bus takes. Tickets to the fort cost 5 Rupees and you can stock up on food here or go all the way to the top and get your snacks and lunch there.