The Dancers Of Bharatpur
As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, I set out on my journey to capture the beauty of the Sarus cranes.These magnificent birds are known for their spectacular courtship dance and symbolize true love and devotion, mating for life and remaining loyal and faithful to each other. With my camera in hand, I set out to capture the essence of these birds in their natural habitat.
As I traversed the grassy plains, the misty fog rolled in, and I caught a glimpse of the towering Sarus cranes. Standing at a towering 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan spanning 240cm, these birds are truly a sight to behold. Their gray feathers blended seamlessly with the dull and dry background, making them difficult to spot, but as I approached, they seemed completely unafraid, their massive size giving them a sense of invincibility.
I quickly set up my Nikon d810 and my trusty Nikkor 80-400 f4-5.6 lens, eager to capture every detail of these magnificent birds. With the lightconditions being challenging, I set my shutter to 1/1000 of a second, aperture at f6.3, and ISO 400 to avoid noise in the image. The lens aperture also helped me to keep the background blurred and the bird clear to focus on the main subject, the Sarus crane.
As the birds began their courtship dance, it was as if all the elements came together to create a truly magical moment. The male bird started jumping and running with a loud trumpeting call, in a circle around the female bird, as if they were two excited children splashing around in a puddle of water. The sight was both hilarious and heartwarming, and I couldn’t help but smile as I captured the moment on film. With each frame I captured, I felt a deep sense of connection to these birds and their devotion to each other.
The dance was nothing less than a choreography of love, and the way they moved, their wings outstretched, it was like they were painting a beautiful picture in the sky.As they danced and played, I felt a rush of emotion. The birds were so close to me, and their size was truly awe-inspiring. But in that moment, I knew that I had to capt ure their beauty for posterity, so that others could see the power and wonder of these magnificent creatures.
With each frame I captured, I felt a deep sense of connection to these birds and their devotion to each other. Their love was a reminder of the power of loyalty and the beauty of a love that endures. As the Sarus cranes flew off into the horizon, their beauty and grace forever etched in my mind and on my film, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and wonder at the magic of nature.
The experience of capturing the Sarus Cranes on film was nothingshort of magical, a moment that I will treasure forever. Thesemagnificent birds have forever left their mark on my heart and my art. I left the grassland that morning feeling humbled and grateful for the opportunity to witness such natural beauty.