Like a dream…

I started to take wildlife photography seriously in 2011.

At the time, I knew nothing about bird and wildlife photography. I couldn't nail the focus nor correct exposure most of the time.

But I still remember my first time using a 500mm f/4 rental lens vividly.

Summer, 2011.

I got off work and drove an hour there on a Friday evening.

I was setting up the tripod and the Wimbeley head, trying to put the lens onto it, right next to the Los Angeles River near the intersection of 405 and 101 Freeway.

Across from the river was a colony of great egrets and cormorants.

A kid about 7 years old walked to me from afar, with his parents watching.

"Can I take a look?" He asked.

He obviously was impressed by this gigantic telescope-like lens and wanted to take a glance of how far he could see.

"Sure, okay, just hold on a second."

Well it took me 30 minutes to balance the heavy lens onto the tripod and eventually I failed to locate a stationary great egret just 50 feet away from me onto the camera viewfinder.

I kept aiming the lens all over the place towards the bird colony across the river to no avail.

The kid looked really annoyed and impatient.

He walked away eventually, looking really disappointed.

"You suck!" He didn't say that. I said that to myself.

I was sweating all over and was ready to throw the lens onto the ground. It was an expensive rental over the weekend too.

That's my first experience with a super-tele photo lens.

With a full time corporate job at a cubicle and limited time to travel, how dare I even dream of taking good photos, ever?

At the time, I was constantly being blown away by the works of 3 of the most accomplished photographers in the world.

1. Federico Veronesi. He just won the Grand Prize of Nature's Best Photography in 2011. His photos were super powerful and emotional. Seeing him holding the award in front of the elephant at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, my favorite museum of all time, my jaw dropped. I didn't know photographers could have their photos displayed there. And his courage and dedication to move all the way from Italy to Kenya and became a full time guide and photographer there, learning the local language and all, deeply moved me.

2. Andy Parkinson. Seeing how many photos of his made magazine covers blew my mind. He also won numerous prestigious awards including the grand prize of Bird Photographer Of The Year. His minimalist backlit approach is so zen and stunning. And he was able to win international awards with photos of some of the most common species such as a coot. This opened my eyes. It's not about the species. It's about creativity and skills.

3. Marsel van Oosten. He won Wildlife Photographer Of The Year and I couldn't believe my eyes every time I saw his perfect, artistic and creative photos. I remember it was during the days when 500PX was really popular, and I would see his photos there and every time I was blown away.

Then, one day, I got super lucky and found myself standing next to my own print at the Smithsonian's, and then in a few years I was taking photos next to Federico in Kenya.