Since I purchased the Canon EOS R6, I had taken a few nature photos at Sandwell Park which just a walking distance from my home in West Bromwich. The main intention was to try out how accurate the animal eye auto-focus was and I was quite happy with the way the camera would focus on the eye of the animal or bird even when moving. Here are some samples of what I had captured over the past couple of days.
Here I was able to capture the preening activity of jungle babblers, taken right from my apartment in Dehradun. Birds preen mainly to remove dust, parasites and also to straighthen their feathers to help in flight. These birds are quite commonly seen in private gardens and woodlands.
This is a series of images where one morning I had observed a raven feasting on probably the carcass of a pigeon. The raven with its kill landed on the branch of the tree and as soon as I observed this sight, I then rushed to get my camera and took this series of shots before it flew off. A raven can be distinguished from a crow in a number of ways as ravens are much larger and the beaks are bigger and curvier compared to the beak of a crow which are slimmer and straighter.
These squirrels are found commonly all across India. Surprisingly all these images were shot within a ten minute time frame. It was great observing these squirrels displaying certain behaviours and all were shot from the balcony of my apartment here in Dehradun.
Lodhi Gardens is also a great place for nature and bird photography. One can spot a number of birds such as woodpeckers, hoopoes, owls, baya weavers and much more however I was only able to photograph a small number of birds and common wildlife such as squirrels. The equipment I used was the Canon 7D and Canon 70-300mm L f/4-5.6 telephoto lens. Here is a small showcase of images I shot that day.
Rajaji National Park is not only a great place for mammals but also a great spot for birding. Here is a showcase of bird photographs taken at Rajaji National Park. These were taken in the summer.
During Mid October I had visited both Richmond and Bradgate Parks to photograph and experience the Deer rut. This natural event happens every Autumn season and is the most important part of the year for the deer.
“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible” – Oscar Wilde
Photography is much beyond capturing a moment in time to be revisited once in a blue moon to relive it. True, today with cameras in every hand, photography is no longer the passion and profession of a few but it would be a folly to imagine that the importance of the craft has reduced as a result of it. Rather, it has made possible, the rise of photography as a tool to bring the world closer and inspire people to do more for our planet and its inhabitants, and ultimately, for each other.
Photography is one of the best ways to raise awareness about endangered wildlife. Conservation photography may be something you have never heard of. It has been around for a long time, but just recently got an official name. Using images to make people aware of, and respond to, environmental issues works great to get these issues noticed. Almost all photographers will agree that nature and natural areas are vital to not only the environment, but also to those of us who love photography.
