As the day started it was time for me to forget my tele lens and take up my wide angle and macro. My plan was to dedicate the moody morning for making some landscape images and then as the light improves head for the boating to explore some macro opportunity.
I was impressed by the cycling in Bharatpur and wanted to do cycling any one of 5 days and today was my opportunity. I hired a cycle and having my Lowepro on my back I headed behind the cycle rickshawallas to catch up my team.
We had a team photo session and after having finished the session we all headed onto our own ways!
When you enter the park just few hundred meters ahead on the left you will find a dead tree standing.On all the days I was glancing at the tree and wanted to make an image of it but had reserved the last day for doing the same.
The Sun was just begining to show up! It was another delightful morning. There was less mist compared to the last day and in fact I was a bit disappointed with that! Thank GOD that I had made some images the last day and that reduced my guilt feel a bit for not utilizing the misty day!
Spent quite a some time there around and slowly started stepping my cycle ahead. I was silently enjoying the cycle ride as well. Birender, my rickshawalla was hosting Ganesh that day!
As the sun slowly came up, I reached the boating point and hired a boat. Luckily the officer agreed to issue a complete boat to me and I was preparing for some macro in the water.
I knew it would be a great challenge to attempt the macro sitting inside a boat! You will have loads of challenges to face - the boat will not be rock steady and you cannot use your tripod inside the boat, it is not possible! The water is no calm and the ripples spoil the show many times. I knew it is going to be fun!
As we started slowly, the resident King Fisher took off signaling that we are coming! A small blue King fisher was quite close and made me re-think about my decision of leaving my tele back at room! But I tried some wide angles with that but with no great score....kept headed front...
The boatman was silent and I had already made him clear that I was not there for CSE or KFs. I was there to photograph some water plants and insects! That puzzled him a bit as he might not have encountered any specie doing this kind of activity! He kept silent! I knew its going to be a damn borrrring round for him as he also cannot talk anything with any birds or others and about what I wanted he dint have any knowledge except a stare at me! :)
We were in the middle of the waters and I started searching for some macro opportunity. After some 15 min of search I found some dead mosquitoes and started shooting them. As I had dead stopped the boat, the ripples were disappeared and probably the boatman had slept ;) ! So the life around me slowly getting unwrapped and the skaters dared to come close. As I was shooting one mosquito, a skater suddenly appeared in the frame to eat it! That poor guy might have thought that I might steal his breakfast!
Then the small plants on the water, bearing the morning mist slowly started coming nearer, thanks to the wind. Their color pattern and the misty drops attracted me and I turned my lens towards them and made some image. I had no idea what my boatman was doing!What I only noticed was he was cautious enough to not to shake the boat, he was rock steady!
After making some more images I looked at the boatman and he was having an expression - 'what a pathetic job u are doing there, when you have loads of birds flying around you were clicking that dirty mosquito and the skater!' :)
Finally decided not to make him bored more and decided to head back with a conclusion that one has loads and loads of opportunity for macros in the waters of Bharathpur! Its just the matter of exploring it!
When I was back it was already 10:30 and I decided to cycle till the Kevaladev Temple and only watch all the things on the way! I had decided to rest my photographic brain and wanted to enjoy the place as a normal tourist! :) (You do need change sometimes!:) )
On the way I had a fantastic time with a great Nature Photographer Dhritiman Mukharjee and tried his 400mm f/2.8 for some shots and man! what a lens! Brilliant piece of glass and I was dumbfounded after seeing the results! After saying bye to him and his sister Moushmi, I headed towards the Temple where Pramod and Shiv were planned to meet and we had decided to return from there.
At 12:00 we had a last Tea at the tea stall and after a long sigh I was back on my bicycle heading towards the gate...with a heavy heart and loads of memories to cherish in the months to come..... and with a pledge that I will come to Bharatpur again....and again....and again....
Returned the cycle, payed the rent and headed to the hotel on foot....
Long Live Bharatpur!
1 comment:
lovely!
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