While I was looking for a birding related trips and walks, I came across a twitter post on a birding photography workshop organised by Sigma India. I went through the details of the program and found it interesting as well as affordable. Without wasting another second, I signed up for the event.

IMG_2880D-Day arrived. I drove to Pulicate Lake and Nelapattu bird sanctuary early in the morning. I don’t have any prior experience in handling a DSLR camera or telephoto lens, so I thought it was going to be tough. But I must say that the team’s hospitality and guidance took my breath away.
The Sigma India instructor patiently taught me all about the basic settings of the DSLR camera and the operation of the telephoto lens. In addition to this, Sigma India offered me a Canon 7D camera and telephoto lens of Sigma 150-600mm range. This was the first time I was handling such a big gadget and I was considerably nervous. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot. It wasn’t perfect. I tried again and was rewarded with yet another imperfect shot! I gave my tutor a puzzled look. He patiently instructed me again and shared a lot of tips.
This once, I clicked with confidence. Soon, I spotted an Eurasian Spoon Bill posing like a Miss World model. I tried to capture different shots and ended up with some pretty good ones. It was heart warming to see my maiden attempt produce a masterpiece. I explored a bit more and got great shots of Spotted Pelicans, Little Cormorant, Asian Open Bill, Eurasian Spoon Bill and a flock of Black Headed Ibis.
IMG_2700Like any other hobby,  birding is tough. Add to that photography, and you have a pretty big challenge. But on that particular day, nature was on our side. Good lighting and a flock of birds at a reasonable distance made for a great experience.
Heartfelt thanks to Sigma India for offering me a DSLR camera, telephoto lens as well as a good mentor. The workshop was extremely well organised. All the attendees learned a great deal and went home happy. The event made me fall in love with the DSLR camera and telephoto lens. I’d definitely love to attend more such workshops.