A Mental Workout in the Bharatpur Fog

Learning to See: Lessons from a
Frozen Morning in Bharatpur

Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) Subject: A solitary Pied Kingfisher Conditions: Winter fog, low visibility, stillness!

We often talk about nature photography in terms of "action"—the dive, the kill, the flight. But sometimes, the most valuable lessons happen when absolutely nothing is happening.

I was recently in Bharatpur on a biting cold February morning. The fog was thick, and the park was eerily quiet. I came across a Pied Kingfisher perched on a dry branch. It wasn't fishing; it was simply fluffing its feathers, trying to conserve warmth in the winter chill.

The light was low, and the conditions weren't right for a "spectacular" award-winning image. But looking back, that quiet encounter was the perfect training ground. It gave me the time to slow down and practice "working the scene."

Here is the mental exercise I went through—a workflow you can use the next time you find a cooperative subject.

Insurance policy!

1. The "Record Shot"

The natural instinct when we see a bird is to lift the camera and shoot immediately. We are wired to worry that the subject will fly away.

The Action: Take the photo. Secure the moment.
The Reality: This initial shot is usually messy. The composition is reactive, not creative.
The Mindset: Think of this as your "insurance policy." Now that you have the bird captured, you can stop panicking and start refining.

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2. Patrol the Background (Cleaning the Canvas)

The Pied Kingfisher is a high-contrast, black-and-white bird. On a foggy grey morning, it can easily look flat or get lost in the clutter.

The Drill: Take your eye away from the viewfinder and look at the background behind the bird.

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The Adjustment

I noticed a dark tree limbs? behind the bird's head. In a photo, this creates a "merger," making it look like the tree is growing out of the subject.

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The Fix

I shuffled just two feet to the right. This shifted the trunk out of the frame, placing the bird against a clean negative space of white fog.

Adobe Lightroom also helped with removing two twigs

See the light!

3. Align with the Light

Even in heavy fog, light has direction. The sun was struggling to break through.The Drill: I moved along the path to align myself better with the light source.
The Goal: I wasn't looking for golden hour drama. I was looking for just enough angle to create a catchlight in the bird's eye. That tiny spark of reflection is what gives a bird "life."

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4. Understanding Layers: Wash vs. Bokeh

This was the most critical part of the exercise. Since I was shooting upwards through vegetation, I had branches at different distances between me and the bird.

We often think everything that isn't in focus is just "blur." But there is a big difference between the Foreground and the Middle Ground.Immediate Foreground (Close to Lens): Elements that are almost touching your lens will render as a "buttery smooth" wash of color. I used this to my advantage, positioning a close leaf to create a soft, dreamy vignette at the bottom of the frame.

The Middle Ground (Between You and the Bird): Elements here do not blur out completely. They retain their shape and character.

The Observation: There were leaves in the middle ground catching the filtered light. Because they weren't fully blurred, they created bokeh—soft, glowing circles of light.

The Lesson: Don't treat the middle ground as a mistake. If managed well, that dappled light adds texture and context to the image.

The Micro-Move: The key was to move my head slightly left or right to ensure those middle-ground shapes didn't overlap the bird’s face, but rather decorated the empty space around it.

Few other things to keep in mind:
When is the best time to shoot portrait orientation? Right after one shoots the landscape orientation!
Rule of thirds! - Give the subject breathing room!

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5. Using the Environment (The Mood)

Because the bird was too cold to move, I had time to experiment with the foreground. I stopped trying to fight the fog. I decided to embrace it.Instead of zooming in to 600mm for a tight portrait, I zoomed out.

I wanted to show the vast, white emptiness of the winter morning with the Pied Kingfisher as a small, solitary figure. The fog wasn't a hindrance; it was the negative space that emphasized the bird's isolation!

Pro Tip for Fog: Camera meters hate fog. They try to make the white mist look "middle grey," which makes your image dark and muddy. The Fix: Dial in positive exposure compensation (+0.7 or +1.0 EV).
This tells the camera, "I know it's bright; keep the fog white and the bird properly exposed."

Summary: The Photographer's Checklist

1. Snap the safety shot.
2. Scan the background for distractions.
3. Move to clean the frame and find the light.
4. Compose with foreground elements for depth.
5. Feel the mood—does the environment tell a better story than a close-up?

Happy Shooting!