Learning to Shoot: I Tried to Fly Before I Could Walk

I started my journey in photography with birds. At the time, it felt like the natural choice—birds were everywhere, the trips seemed relatively cheaper, and I genuinely believed that bird photography would be my primary interest.

A few months in, reality struck.

Bird photography is anything but easy. You’re on foot, your subject gets spooked at the slightest movement, and you often end up lugging around equipment that feels heavier with every passing minute. I wasn’t a trained photographer either; whatever I know today comes from years of experimenting in the field and reading endlessly on the internet and constant interactions with fellow photographers.

Two decades ago, when I began, I bought gear that was far beyond my skill level. I often joke that I was like “a pygmy with a tommy gun”—armed with advanced equipment but without the know-how to use it. Every click was a trial-and-error attempt, and every sharp image felt like a mini eureka moment.

Back then, I used to wonder how photographers managed to capture those crisp birds-in-flight shots. I was struggling to focus even on birds sitting still! Convinced that the problem was my focusing speed, I spent entire weekends on my terrace trying to photograph parakeets and pigeons in flight. It took me a while to realise what a fool I’d been — all I had to do was switch on autofocus on the lens and the camera. But those countless hours of practice weren’t wasted. They sharpened my anticipation, trained my eyes to read movement, and slowly but surely improved my ability to capture action.

Since then, I’ve come a long way. Over the last 20 years, I’ve managed to capture some fairly decent bird-in-flight photographs. Sharing a few of them here—images that mark not just sightings, but small milestones in a journey built on curiosity, mistakes, persistence, and the joy of learning on the go.

     Pelican- Botswana /2017​

     Bee Eater- Botswana-2017​
 
       African Fish Eagle-Botswana -2017​

 
      Lilica Breasted Roller-Botswana-2017​

         African fish eagle- Kenya-2015​
    
         Gilded Hummingbird -Brazil-2019​

 

      Hyacinth Macaw-Brazil-2019​

     Common Kingfisher-Panna-2025​

 
        Pallas's Fish eagle-Kaziranga-2025​

    Stork Billed Kingfisher-Corbett-2014​


    Peregrine Falcon-LRK-2019​
 
       Tawny Eagle-DNP-2023​
 
      Laggar Falcon-DNP-2023​
 

       Tawny Eagle-DNP-2023​
   
        Lesser Kesterl-Tal Chapar-2022​


     Himalayan Griffon-Spiti-2019​
 
       Common Kesterl-Ladakh-2019​

    Indian Skimmer-Chambal-2014​
   

     Lammergeier -Spiti-2019​


     Darter-Bharatpur-2013​
 
      Cormorant -Bharatpur-2013​


     Pelican-Bharatpur-2014​
 

       Kites-Rameshwaram-2014​
   
           Black shouldered Kite-Corbett-2014​
     

     Bat-Gir-2019​
 
    Great Hornbill-Kaziranga-2025​
 
    Indian Roller-Corbett-2015​


     Great Indian Bustard-DNP-2017​


     Red Necked Falcon-DNP-2017​

Copyright: Shivram Subramaniam