There are no strangers on my journey, only friends to be made. This is what keeps the adventure going for me.
As shared in my first post, I thrive on getting to know people and building new friendships. With tighter restrictions in place on social gatherings, even forging stronger bonds with existing friends are made tougher.
Birding has granted me a gift of not only keeping my sanity intact but also with new friendships with people from all walks of life.
So far, I’ve made a couple of good friendships in the past 6 months, and I am grateful to all that have made this adventure so much sweeter. And I would like to introduce them to you and share their impact on me.
The first Shout Out goes to Ingo for pointing out the beautiful Laced Woodpecker (below) on my first trip to the Pasir Ris mangrove with my DSLR. I was new to wildlife photography and absolutely clueless on how to spot a bird. In addition, my eyesight isn't good either! THANK YOU, Ingo!
Next is Eric.
I met Eric when I was still struggling with the various settings on my Canon 7D. I’ve only been using my camera (on Auto mode) to capture beautiful locations during vacations. Locations are static, and almost nothing is in constant motion.
Bird photography is obviously the opposite. I wasn‘t used to the swift movements and kept fumbling with shutter speed, etc. And Eric was there to patiently guide me.
On several occasions when we meet at the mangrove, he would point out Jack (now living in the mangrove area) to me as I can't see him in the distance, in the thick foliage. He would also teach me how to recognize the different bird calls. Well, as a newbie, I couldn't tell the call of kingfisher from a woodpecker! Slowly but surely, I will get to where I should be. THANK YOU Eric for all your tips!
Another seasoned photographer is Lai. He has one of the largest lens I've seen! Given that I am 'vertically challenged', the length of his camera lens is definitely more than half my height! LOL.
Although Lai's camera equipment is massive, he operates it with ease and does so very gracefully. As for me, I fumble A LOT with my much smaller camera and lens.
Each time we meet at the park, Lai will give me some new tips. He would ask to take a look at my pictures and provide constructive advice. I've definitely learned a lot from him.
His wise words include, "Birds don't wait for you, so you need to be one with your camera. Know it inside out and be able to change settings quickly and accurately. You have to learn to pan quickly, so practice more at home."
On one occasion, Lai asked me if I wanted to see the Collared Kingfisher nest at the far end of Pasir Ris Park. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and quickly made my way there. Below is the picture I captured of the parent returning with food for their three chicks. THANK YOU Lai for your guidance!
Next are Jimmy and Philip. I don't have their pictures as I haven't seen them in the past 2 weeks but I would like to include them as they are very much part of this story.
When I first upgraded from a DSLR to a mirrorless Canon R6, I didn't realize how complicated this camera is. I struggled with the settings. I couldn't figure out why It wasn't focusing on the subject. I started looking for photographers with either a Canon R6 or R5. That was how I got to know Philip who owns the higher-end R5. He introduced me to Jimmy who immediately configured my camera and taught me what I should be looking out for and shared some tips and tricks on capturing birds in flight.
Within an hour, I managed to capture my first clear picture of the stork-billed kingfisher (below). On several other trips, both Philip and Jimmy would teach me how to observe the body language of the kingfisher and where to focus so that I can capture those famous kingfisher dives. THANK YOU Jimmy and Philip!
And lastly, Ow who isn't a photographer. He is a nature lover and enjoys walking around Pasir Ris Park and Tampines Eco Green every single morning while carrying a smaller camera.
I would see Ow every morning at the boardwalk, and we started chatting. He would show me all the interesting spots he had chanced upon that morning.
He brought me to see the Oriental Pied Hornbill nest, which is pretty much a hole in a tree. While we were there, the parent came back with breakfast for the chick inside.
Check out the picture (below) I captured of the parent with some fruit in its large beak. You can see the chick taking a peek. THANK YOU Ow for always asking showing me all the interesting spots!
Life is a journey and it is always important to remind oneself to enjoy it to the fullest. Capture those beautiful moments or else they will be gone forever. That's exactly the reason why I love taking pictures. Well, not to mention I have a bad memory too!
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