As soon as I had set eyes on some photographs of Dalmatian Pelicans on the internet I knew that I was going to visit them, I was so profoundly enchanted by them. It didn't take me long to find the NaturesLens Dalmatian Pelican Photography Holiday & I booked it right away!
Six months later I found myself standing on the shores of the beautiful Lake Kerkini in Northern Greece, adjacent to the Bulgarian border, & I discovered that these majestic birds are even more charming than I had first imagined.
Each morning & evening for four fully-packed days we went out for lengthy sessions of Dalmatian Pelican photography & I never got tired of doing so.
We started off with a gorgeous sunrise on the first morning out on the lake with our avian models following in the wake of the boat. Our fabulous boatman & Dalmatian Pelican expert kept them entertained & happy so that we could catch wonderful moments.
These early morning boat trips were a treat by themselves; the colourful sunrises with these gorgeous birds in front is something you will never forget as well as the sight of the lake that lies calmly like a perfect mirror for the flying Pelicans.
What a beautiful experience … after a 3 hours boat trip in the mornings & a nice break in our comfortable hotel for lunch & warming up we went out a second time to photograph the Pelicans from ashore in the afternoon.
I was amazed at the sheer abundance of dalmatian pelican photography opportunities; flying, landing, portraits, close-ups, details, panning, long exposures, reflections, wide-angle shots, single birds, pairs, groups vying for fish & many more.
The cloudy days provided for capturing calm pictures with perfect reflections & vibrant colours, the sunny days golden light. & if you ran out of ideas all you had to do was ask Sean, our excellent guide; so easy going, knowledgeable, always helpful & encouraging.
The workshop was perfectly organised, the hotel comfortable, providing piles of delicious Greek food & thanks to a friendly group of NaturesLens guests, we also had a lot of fun & laughter … what more would you want?
You are welcome to view more images of these beautiful birds on my homepage.
To photograph the charismatic Dalmatian Pelicans yourself, join Sean Weekly, one of the most active members of the NaturesLens guiding team, in Kerkini, Greece during January 2018 for a trip lasting 4 nights; this photography holiday will offer you the opportunity to capture images of the Dalmatian Pelican; the NaturesLens Dalmatian Pelicans Photography Holiday is offered on a full board, non-shared room basis, & costs £1099 per participant.
All the details of the Dalmatian Pelicans Photography Holiday are available on the dedicated event page.