Musings of a wildlife photographer

Qatar-based wildlife photographer Dileep Kumar says patience and passion are equally important to get the best shots.

By Fran Gillespie

 "To get a good shot of an animal,” said the expert, “you have to get down to its eye level.”

Although some among his audience were wondering nervously if this applied to such creatures as snakes and rats, one could see what he meant. “If you photograph an animal from above,” he explained, “it looks subdued, dominated by the human and the camera. At eye level it comes into its own.”

The well-known photographer Dileepkumar Valaparambil Pushpangadhan (Dileep Kumar to his friends) was giving a presentation on wildlife photography to a large audience of members of the Qatar Natural History Group and the birding community of Qatar.

In the first part of his presentation he discussed cameras and the technical details of light, lenses, angles, shutter speed, focus points and so on. “Patience,” he advised, “is a necessity for a good wildlife photographer.” He illustrated this with a series of photographs of a squacco heron standing in shallow water, absolutely still, waiting to catch a fish.

Kumar waited too … and waited …and waited, and after 40 minutes he was thinking of giving up. But he gave it just a few minutes more and then — bingo! — the heron grabbed its fish. Patience rewarded them both, the heron got its supper and Kumar had a remarkable series of action shots.

“You have to stand absolutely still,” he advised, “and you can’t even look away, or blink, or you might miss the action. It’s all over in a split second so you have to keep your eye glued to the viewfinder all the time.”

To illustrate this he showed an extraordinary shot of two owls squabbling over a mouse in midair, and a perfect shot of a kestrel hovering with its tail feathers spread out like a fan. It took him two years to get this particular image, he said.

In the second half of his presentation, Kumar showed several groups of photographs, each linked to a particular birding site in Qatar which he identified on a map of the country, the best site (Irkhaya Farm in central Qatar) being given six-star status. They included coastal sites, inland effluent lagoons, farms and oases, each with its own unique range of wildlife.

His audience was surprised to learn that it is not always necessary to have a very expensive camera to take a good picture. He uses costly equipment for many of his shots of course, but he showed an excellent image of an eagle that he came across unexpectedly when on a family outing.

It was just too tempting to pass by, so he took a shot with the small camera he uses for informal family snaps and the result was amazing. Of course, in the hands of an expert anything is possible!

Dileep Kumar’s ambition is to convince people of the beauty of the natural world in Qatar and the vital importance of taking positive action to preserve it. His magnificent photographs of birds and other forms of wildlife open the eyes of those who might not otherwise be aware of just how much there is outside the city and townships.

Kumar’s advice to anyone wanting to take up wildlife photography is, “You need both patience and passion. Invest in the best equipment you can afford. Getting as close as possible to your subject is vital. And one more thing — be at your chosen birding spot at sunrise!”

Details of the equipment Kumar uses for his superb shots are:

Camera: Nikon D300, Lens: Nikon 500mm VR f/4 + TC 14E II (1.4x), SB-800 Flash with Beamer, Wimberly-II Head & Benro Tripod and Bean Bag.

Below

1) The perfect shot: a common kingfisher poses for the camera.                                                                                                          

2) It’s mine! No, it’s mine! Two young little owls fight over a mouse.

3) Snake’s eye view — a hooded malpolon, a common snake in Qatar, raises its head to smell the air.

4) Patience rewarded for both bird and photographer. A squacco heron nabs itself a fish supper.