Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur in Rajasthan

Each time I head into the field to photograph wildlife I watch their movements within the habitat patiently and then think about how best to tell that individual’s story. Frequently action is a dramatic part of it.

Shutter Speed is an important parameter of the “exposure triangle”. When photographing action you can freeze the image using a high shutter speed or can create motion blurr with slow shutter speed.

As a photographer you need to decide in advance how you want to capture the image, whether it’s a silky flow of water, panning shot, long exposure star trials, long exposure vehicle tail light trails etc. There is no one correct answer.

In the photo above I used a high shutter speed to freeze the water droplets of the pelican’s landing. Composition is another important point; this one required getting down to eye level with the subject to get this particular point of view. No one ever said photographing wildlife in their habitat was easy! More about eye level photography in another post.

Canon 1DX + Canon EF 800mm f5.6 L IS + Canon 1.4xIII Tele Converter, ISO 400, 1/1250 @ f8, Evaluative Metering -2/3 Stop, Aperture Priority.

I’m thrilled to announce that this image has been used in National Geographic Traveller India as a part of their cover story. Click the image to the left to take a peek inside.