Naturally Srini

The other day, I had an hour to kill at the Tata Management Training Centre in Pune. This is an amazing place, almost like a national park in the heart of the city. Fortunately, I had my camera bag with me, so I went walking around with my 17-55mm and 70-200mm lenses. Unfortunately, I didn't have the Sigma 150-500mm nor was I carrying an extender. So 200mm was going to be my max zoom.

While I was walking around, hearing various bird calls and taking aim at some kites that were hovering above, I was told about some resident owls. Immediately, I went looking for them and was fortunate to spot one of them almost immediately. This Spotted Owlet stared at me for a while and finding no interest (or threat) in me, closed its eyes and looked away.

I looked around and saw a lady who was really stressed out. The least I could do was to record her pain as honestly as possible.

As I looked around, there were a few tall trees and a nice canopy of leaves through which the setting sun was shooting rays intermittently. One couldn't imagine that just 100 metres away was one of the busiest roads of Pune. 

The above photo (at 21mm) captures what I was able to see with the naked eye at that moment. I noticed that there was some slight movement in the hole in the trunk. Sure enough, when I looked through the lens, I saw another Spotted Owlet there.

I was intrigued because the TMTC admin head hadn't mentioned anything about this tree. Very slowly, I moved closer... the owlet stepped behind as I approached. I stood still and a few seconds later, it moved back to its earlier position.

I got a few shots and then I started looking around, trying to see if there was anything else interesting. Through the corner of my eye, I observed some movement in the hole; I focused the camera there, and here's what I saw.

The owlet was in the same position but it appeared somewhat different. I clicked a pic and compared it with the previous snap - yes, this was one was clearly a different owlet. Wow, there was a pair here! I waited for a couple of minutes to see what would happen. And then, the other one re-appeared.

I was really excited. Not only had I chanced upon an owl nest that the locals didn't know about, but I had also found a pair living there. It wasn't clear to me what the relationship between the two was... the second owlet clearly looked smaller / younger than the first one. After giving me the affectionate pose for a few seconds, the 'younger' one disappeared to the back of the hole. The first owlet continued to stare at me for sometime. The sound of the trains from the station nearby continued to disturb it. After a while, even it stepped back, out of sight.

By then, it was time for my meeting and I rushed to the office, with a story to tell...

I began my journey into DSLR photography with an impulse purchase. A safari holiday in Pench was coming up and I knew that a point & shoot camera would not serve the purpose. It had to be a DSLR but which one? Before I could do enough research, I yielded to the temptation of Singapore's duty free shopping. (Note: if you are in India, I would recommend that you purchase the equipment in India - prices are competitive and you get better warranty support. However, some of the high-end lenses tend to be much cheaper in the US.)

Camera Body

I began with the Canon 550D (now you can get the 600D or 700D - between the two, I recommend the 600D as value for money) which is kind of mid-level for amateurs. At about Rs 33,000, the 600D (body only) is a good place to start.

Once you start getting out a bit, and have a small collection of lenses, you get to the situation that changing lenses frequently can be a pain. Particularly, if you are on a safari drive and want to switch between a wide-angle lens to get the landscape / habitat shots and a zoom lens to shoot close-ups or distant animals, you will feel motivated to get a second body. I did.

I got the Canon 7D, categorized by Canon as semi-professional. It is still not a full-frame camera like the 5D or 1D but features-wise, it is quite advanced. And the layout is similar to the pro cameras, so you could have some confusion switching back and forth between a 600D and a 7D.

If you are looking for a second body, and don't want to invest a lot, also consider a used 60D or 7D. You are better off ploughing the savings in getting more glass (lens).

Lenses

The first lens that you are likely to get (as I did) is a kit lens that comes bundled with the camera. I got the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 along with my 550D. Often, the bundles are discounted and you get other accessories when you buy the lens with the body (negotiate with the dealer - memory cards, cases, extra battery... whatever you can get). As you will notice from the Canon website, just the lens is priced at Rs 35K but the 600D + 18-135mm is Rs 54K, about 14K below the sum of parts. If you are serious about photography, you will probably outlast the kit lens within a year or so... but you could get 10-15K back if you sell it, so not a bad deal for the 21K investment.

Don't think about buying one more lens till you have experimented with your kit lens. First, you need to become confident about shooting in the manual modes (Av or Tv); understand Exposure and how aperture, shutter speed and ISO can impact it. You've probably shot at least a few thousand snaps (and discarded 95% of them!) by now. Then, if you need another lens, you will know it. 

Ok, so here is my lens line-up: 

Standard Zoom

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is the newest addition to my portfolio, replacing my kit lens (almost 28mos later). Why would I replace an 18-135mm with a 17-55mm? Because of the f/2.8 that will allow shooting in poor light (indoors, for instance) and offer better depth of field. Also, I have another lens that covers the 70-135mm range, so I am only missing the 55-70mm portion now.

The alternatives that I considered in this range were EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II (more expensive, no IS) and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS (similar price, smaller aperture); more importantly, I was going to lose the 17-24mm range and since I have no plans of getting a dedicated 10-22mm lens, the 17-55mm made most sense. (Note: EF-S refers to lenses that cannot be used with full-frame cameras, so that is a risk I am willing to live with.)

Telephoto Zoom

Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS was the second lens I got, primarily for wildlife. If you want to get outdoors to shoot birds or animals on a safari, this is probably your best value for money in the category. In good light, you can get some wonderful shots and more so, if you use a tripod / bean-bag along with it. I still use this a lot because it is also much easier to carry / pack than the larger telephoto lens. An alternative to consider is the very capable (but 78% more expensive) Canon EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6L IS that loses a bit of zoom but gives slightly better aperture at 400mm.

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II is my favorite lens - its performance is absolutely brilliant. Whether outdoors (action) or indoors (kids' faces), it excels. With a 2X extender, you also get a 400mm f/5.6 lens that can provide a decent alternative to more expensive / heavier lens for wildlife. I bought this on the recommendation of two colleagues and I can only reiterate that recco.

Super Telephoto

These are lenses above 300mm and have a fixed focal length. The Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II falls into this category. It is like a bazooka and you can see it in my earlier cover photo. I have also used it with a 1.4X extender to get 560mm f/4 and a 2X to get 800mm f/5.6; although the auto-focus slows down considerably, image quality is superb. Experts regard this as the best lens for wildlife and action photography (for birds only, the 800mm f/5.6 may work better) and I cannot disagree! 

Macro

If you are interested in macro photography you will need a macro lens. I have the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro 1:1 which I use once in a while but only if I have a specific plan to shoot flowers or insects. The Canon 100mm equivalents are (more expensive) alternatives to consider but from what I have read, the Tamron is almost as good.

Standard Telephoto

Very early on, I purchased the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 without really thinking why; at a sub-$100 price, it is the least expensive lens that you can buy. But it did help me with some good low-light portraits and experimenting with depth of field. If all your other lenses have aperture at 3.5 or worse, how do you practise shots with a lens wide open? Thank you, 50mm f/1.8.

So this is what I have; I wouldn't suggest that you replicate this... your needs, context, interest and budget would surely vary. If you are interested in general photography plus a bit of nature/wildlife, I would recommend the following options (with an indicative budget; add about 10-15K more for some basic accessories):

1. Canon 600D + Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 + Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 ... Rs 42,000 (new Kit III - great VFM, IMO)

2. Canon 600D + Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 + Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ... Rs 85,000

3. Canon 600D + Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 + Sigma 15-500mm f/5-6.3 ... Rs 130,000

(prices from Canon.co.in website today; Sigma pricing from Flipkart.com; you may get better prices elsewhere)

Final Note: I am familiar with the Canon eco-system so this post focuses on Canon (compatible) products. I am sure Nikon has similar / equivalent options. I have no commercial connection with Canon.

Once in a while, I will share updates on new cameras and lenses that I find interesting. Hopefully, you will find it useful while making your camera / lens choices.

First off, I wanted to share this wonderful post that compares the iPhone 5s camera with that of the 5. Please note that this is not a comparison of the best smartphone cameras... just an indication of what one can do with a camera that is often in your pocket.

iPhone 5s Review: Patagonia by Austin Mann

This iPhone 5S beats out the 5 in every camera test and in many ways I prefer it to my DSLR.  Sure it has its pros & cons… but for the first time ever, I didn't bring my Canon 1DX and I didn't regret it one bit. That's saying a lot. 

The quiet beauty behind the iPhone 5S is what I find most powerful. The upgrades they made here aren't ones that sell phones… instead, they focused on making the pictures better, even if it's silent innovations in features no one even knows about… it's not max megapixels or other flashy specs. The results are amazing and at the end of the day, people are going to really like the pictures coming from their iPhone 5S… and that's really all that matters!

Who doesn't love elephants? They are sooo cute, with their slow & graceful movements. Such a delight to watch.

Kids love to feed elephants and watch in amazement as the food just disappears. 

It was Day 3 of our Masai Mara safari. We had seen two cheetahs within minutes of landing at the Kichwa Tembo airstrip. The previous morning, the first lioness we saw walked past us, just a few feet away. By the end of that day, we had seen nearly fifteen lions. Some of my colleagues even saw a lioness kill and eat a warthog. Wow! A warthog? What kind of a boring kill is that? some of us said to console ourselves for having missed the action. In any case, we had seen four of the Big 5 (barring the leopard) by then.

Back to Day 3. Ten of us were the earliest to leave the camp that morning with our naturalist, Alice. A few minutes later we saw a pride of ten lions and lionesses sitting on a mound of earth, very close to our lodge. We had spent a lot of time the previous evening with five of them and it felt like we were meeting old friends. As we approached them, we were wondering if we should stop for more shots or move on for more interesting stuff. (Two days in the Masai Mara can do that to you!)

However, when the vehicle stopped near them, we felt something was different. Instead of just lying down lazily (like earlier), many of the lions appeared alert and looking towards a particular spot.

Sure enough, the lead lioness (known as the Striker) and another adult lioness stepped of the mound and entered the grass. The male lion, sitting by himself, and the juveniles, waited. 

We pleaded with Alice to get us close to the zebra so that we could get a better / closer view, but she refused. Any movement from our side would disturb the scene. We had to stay there and see what was happening. While my 400mm f/2.8 was giving me a reasonably good view, it wouldn't be sufficient to get in close with the zebra. I decided to sacrifice one stop on the aperture (and superb auto-focusing) for the additional focal length that a 1.4X teleconverter would provide me. Now I was at 560mm f/4. Also, the action was happening on the other side of my vehicle - so I had to lean across to take my shots - some with a bean-bag, some hand-held!

Within seconds, they were almost lost in the grass, as they walked / crawled straight ahead, waiting for the unsuspecting zebra. 

The rest of the pride sat alert, trusting the seniors to do their job.

Soon, the Striker was very close to the line of the zebra path. And she was so well camouflaged that we could barely spot her (even with the benefit of height and awareness).

She was in no hurry - she did not want to rush headlong as the first zebra crossed her. Alice told us that she would wait to attack the last one, particularly if it was separated from the rest. Note that zebras can be strong and brave, with a powerful back-kick; about ten of them can together ward off a predator's attack.

Just what the lionesses were waiting for - two of the zebra fell slightly behind as they cuddled a bit and waited under a tree. Had they spotted the lioness and were waiting for the rest of the herd behind them to catch up, or were they just being slow movers? 

While we were expecting the Striker to wait for those two zebra, she stood up and started walking towards her left - to the zebra that had gone past her. Maybe she felt that waiting for the two stragglers was not worth it... The other lioness started walking backwards - maybe she would try and round them up from the other side.

The Striker ran a few steps ahead and waited. Meanwhile, some of the juveniles got off the mound of earth and started moving forward. Alice remarked that the young ones had probably blown the chance by making their move too soon.

But maybe luck was on the lions' side - perhaps the zebra spotted these 2-3 lions walking towards them, so they suddenly scrambled and ran backwards -- exactly towards where the lionesses were waiting. 

One of the zebra almost slipped and ran right at the Striker. She was upon the zebra in a flash, even as her partner watched.

The Striker gave chase!

As the target ran ahead, she increased her pace...

There was no doubt which of the two was faster and more determined. The gap began to reduce.

Within 7 seconds of the chase, she was within striking distance...

The next second, the Striker used her full might to lunge forward!

This deserves a closer look, don't you agree?

All the other zebra had just come to halt as they saw what was happening, one of theirs under attack. The lion's paws were on the zebra's back, apparently its weak spot.

As the target slowed down, the lioness got a firmer grip on its back.

A second later, it was down...

The Kill was now done.

It was almost the end of a two day photography workshop at Thekkady. The last walk session had been very productive and we were walking back towards the trek office. I was trying some random iPhone panorama shots of the plain and water-body, when I heard our instructor, Sudhir Shivram call out. 

We saw a few wild dogs (Dhole) running out of some bushes. As we started clicking, we realized that there were quite a few of them... soon, there was a pack of 20+ dogs running and playing around there.

For nearly fifteen minutes, we watched them (including a few puppies) play and mark territory. Then they disappeared into some other bushes.

We walked further and the group suddenly spotted a Great Indian Hornbill perched on a tall tree. As I tried getting my tripod in place, it flew away, giving me this out of focus BIF.

It was getting late, and we crossed the water body on a raft and were climbing up to the exit. Now I am not sure who spotted it first but there was a shout and we looked across towards where the Dhole had been playing. Sudhir, who must have used his 800mm lens to get a good visual, shouted that the dogs were killing a sambar and he shot off like a rabbit, in spite of his heavy lens and tripod. I hesitated for a second if I should do the same; what the heck, I was here for photography and such an opportunity could not be missed. My Sigma would at best get me 500mm but that's better than nothing.

Here's one of the first shots I got with my Sigma.

You can see that the sambar was still standing up. At least 8 or 9 dogs were attacking it; the dog at its tail was already tearing flesh of the sambar's back. One dog was standing watch.

Exactly 3 seconds after this photo was taken, the sambar was down on the ground. Within two minutes, the dogs were tearing into the sambar's flesh. Mind you, the sambar was still "alive" at this time.

This requires a closer look, for the gory detail.

I waited for a few minutes, shooting in video mode too, but I could not watch it much longer. Sambar served with idli or dosa is fine, this was too raw for my liking. Of course, out in the jungle, it was just another meal.

It was our 12th safari drive in India, our first in Kabini... and we hadn't spotted a tiger yet. My wife was questioning if tigers even existed any longer. I had read that tigers were spotted once in a while in Kabini, but there was a better chance of seeing a leopard. Tired of spotted deer, langur and peacocks, we desperately wanted to catch sight of a big cat... leopard, if not a tiger.

About twenty minutes into our drive, our guide (an enthusiastic Basavayya) received a call on his mobile. His expression indicated that something exciting had been spotted. "If you will permit, we will now drive very fast because a leopard has been spotted," he whispered. Of course we permitted him...

We reached the spot a few minutes later; there were two other vehicles with people excitedly pointing towards the dense deciduous forest that marks the Western Ghats. "Look at that curved branch between the two trees ahead, there's a leopard lying on it," Basavayya instructed us. Which two trees? There were many curved branches. This is what we could see with the naked eye.

While the others in the vehicle tried to time-share the guide's binoculars, I used the 500mm end of my Sigma to scan the area that the guide was pointing at. This is what I saw.

Finally, something! Of course, as a I clicked a few shots of the leopard, I realized that there was too much distraction in the background and one of the trees was blocking the leopard's head. Our guide realized that I was not getting a good shot and asked the driver to move the vehicle ahead. Now, I could get a better shot. I also got some time to adjust the camera exposure settings.

A few clicks later, I was not satisfied. What's the point if one can't get the face of the animal (even if its eyes were closed). I hoped (aloud) that the leopard would shift its head towards us, and maybe even look at us. How long could we wait? And should we not vacate the space for other vehicles to occupy? Basavayya noticed my predicament... he said, "Let us wait till our photographer gets a good photo." 

And wait, we did, for almost twenty minutes. I kept the camera focused on the leopard (thanks to back-button focusing and my new bean-bag), waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, the leopard's head moved and it turned towards us.

Wow! The binoculars were passed around again. I kept my eyes focused on the leopard and my fingers active on the shutter button. Maybe it would yawn or do something interesting...

Yes, it did... a :p to all of us for disturbing its lazing hour! Here's a closer crop:

Having ticked us off, it went back to its resting pose, but now, face turned this side.

A few minutes later, we left that spot, satisfied that our patience and Basavayya's persistence had paid off. He grinned and said, "Sooper photo, sir!"

(Title translation: Us Two, Our Two)

We were on a safari drive in Kabini (Nagerhole National Park); during the summer months, the Kabini backwaters attracts many elephants from other parts of the Western Ghats. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that we saw several elephants during our four drives into the park. On one such occasion, we spotted a couple of elephants in a plain (this was the Kabini reservoir which would be filled with water a few weeks later).

As I observed through the lens, it became obvious that there were more than two elephants out there. A third was facing away... and almost hidden away from our view was a fourth, a baby!

It was a family of four. The guide said that the baby must not be more than three-months old, and would stay highly protected by the parents.

We spent some time, waiting for them to separate out a bit. But, there was enough grass there and the family was content just standing there, enjoying breakfast. The elder son - probably 7-8 years old - moved around a bit, but the baby remained out of sight. About five minutes had passed since we had stopped at that point, and the driver was restless, wanting to get a move on. I requested that we wait for a while because I wanted to get the full family.

Even a couple of minutes later, this was all that I could get.

Just when it seemed that there was no point in waiting any longer, the baby elephant ventured out of mamma's protection and began her (his?) own exploration. Now I had a family photo!

Recently, I was at the Taj Samudra in Colombo and just as I was leaving the hotel, I saw this earthen pot filled with lotuses. They looked attractive, the pink flowers amidst the green leaves. Nowadays, I carry my camera kit whenever I travel, so I began clicking some pictures while the driver waited patiently. I was using a 90mm macro lens on my Canon 550D.

I have been taking photos for many years, like almost everybody does. When I was a kid, I used to beg my father and uncles to be allowed to use their cameras. Of course, the outcomes were comical at best… and one of my uncles still cannot forget that I ruined his marriage photos!