Whimbrel

She was flying low before deciding to stop just next to an Avocet. With the wing fully spread and head tilted, the shot was an amazing action shots

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Photographing Havasupai - The Land of Turquoise Blue Waterfall

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Deep inside the heart of Grand Canyon, Havasu Creek flow through the Supai Village where the American Indian has been living for more than 800 year.  The Havasu Creek  and Supai village together make it Havasupai, a land of many majestic waterfalls and natural beauty. There is not just one, or two but many waterfalls that you can touch, get soaked in, swim into or just sit on a rock with your feet immersed into the water.  That's what make the place spacial. We have waterfall at many places around the world, but there are not many where you can swim around it. The best part of it, the water temperature is just perfect, about 70 degree Fahrenheit year around.


While the destination is wonderful, the journey itself offers an unique experience. If you take the short-cut helicopter ride (the only alternative), you would probably miss a lot. It's an unique experience to hike through the canyon where your footstep echoed back to you from the canyon wall. There are places where sunli…
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A Dead Chick & The Frantic Mother

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Photographing young chicks being feed by mommy bird is one of the favorite thing for wildlife photographers. The fist task for this is to locate a nest without disturbing the surrounding.  This is obviously the hardest part. I've been searching for one such nest ever since I  bought first telephoto lens, a 300mm Nikkor.  But I never found one that are suitable for photographing.  I've seen nest high on tall tree, or deep inside a bush where light is not enough. So it remained in  my wish list. However, this summer I was lucky to spot one when I visited my sister's home in India. Though it was high at the tip of a mango branch, I got a clear view of the nest from the roof. There were 2 grown up Myna chicks, just learning to fly. I was happy and took my first few shots, determined to get up early next morning to shoot the feeding.  Two much excitement can meet with a brutal shock. That's what exactly happened to me when I woke up next morning and went to the roof top to sh…
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How To Photograph Bird Catching Fish

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If you shoot wildlife, one of your most seek after action shot would be 'bird catching fish'. The large birds with long bill ( herons & egrets family) pulling a live fish out of water looks fantastic in the photo.  The other group is the eagle & osprey family. This group usually catches fish that the other group wouldn't even dare. The size of prey is always proportion to it's predator.
Eagles & Ospreys are not found in abundance. They lives in specific area, and often migrate with the season changes. To shoot them catching fish, would require special planning. You may have to drive to their habitat, and book hotels for few days to see them in action.  Whereas herons & egrets are very common bird.  They are seen almost near every water body.  To shoot them in action, you just need a lot of patience & patience only. It will never be like you go out with your camera and the bird would be ready to pose with a fish in it's bill.
The Gears: You will…
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How to Photograph Fireworks Display

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People all around the world celebrates some events with spectacular fireworks display. It maybe religious, social, sports, national days, or special events but fireworks are always awesome display of lights. They also look amazing on photograph if you can shoot them properly.  From my experiences, I would like to share some tips & tricks on how to shoot fireworks with a camera. The Gear List:A Camera with manual control ( Manual focus, Manual exposure )Wide angle lens ( The wider is better, especially if you are near the event. I recommend 20mm or less. If you have only telephoto lens, then  find a place far away with good visibility to the event location)A sturdy tripodCable release ( manual / electronic / remote, based on your camera)Fully charged camera battery ( keep an spare too for long event)Patience is one of the key element but it's no gear
Shooting Location:
Once you have your gear ready, head off to the shooting location. Find a place to sit, a bit fur away from th…
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The Shorebirds

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These birds live near the shore. You may call them shorebird, waterbird, aquatic bird, or wader. I photographed them in the wilderness, most of them around San Francisco Bay Area, and few others around the world. Identifying these birds were tougher than photographing them. The naming and other details are documented on my best effort basis. If you find any of them were not named correctly, please leave a comment with your suggestion. Photos can be viewed in larger size in the lightbox. Just click on any of the photo and a lightbox will appear, then use left or right arrow, or the mouse pointer to browse through the rest. However, lightbox does not display the respective caption or documentation.
Common Name American Avocet Scientific Name Recurvirostra Americana Unique Identification Medium Size Aquatic Bird, mostly white body with black patches on wings, breeding adult has a rusty head and neck AmazingActionShots ActionShot Location Bay Trail, Mountain View, CA, US…
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