Lessons From The Bird

Whenever I am in Zhemgang area shooting birds, I take along my father so that we can catch up and talk of things that he would want to talk to me about. During one such trip, he asked me; “why do you take picture of the same bird so many times?”. My reply was; “because it is never the same - the perch is different, the pose is different, the mood is different, the light condition is different, the background is different and even the age of the bird is different. So I shoot them over and over again because I hope that each one will be different and better than the last”.

Bird photography has taught me that the pursuit of excellence is an unending process. One can never say that one has achieved the very best - that does not seem to be true. I have known that one can always do better than that which one thought was the best.

The punkish bird called the Crested Kingfisher posted below is one of the most common Kingfishers in the country and yet, photographing them has been a real test to my patience. As numerous as they are, I have had very little success in getting a good shot of the birds. I finally nailed it last month. The photo was acquired from the Pho-Chu area in Punakha. Just love the details and colors on the bird! I am posting a head-and-shoulder shot so that you can get to see the details of the bird and the subtle colors. As you notice, the bird is not entirely black and white.

The other lesson I learnt is that these birds proliferate because they are wary by nature. Their wariness keeps them alert and thus away from the clutches of their predators. :)-