What a privilege to watch the extremely playful cubs of the Sukhi Patiah Tigress enjoying in the Patiah water body at Bandhavgarh National Park!

We spent around 1 1/2 hrs with these cubs playing in the water. We learn so much about these tigers when we do the sunrise to sunset photo safari in the parks. For example, our understanding has been that tigers are active in the morning and late evenings. But these cats are smart, they become far more active after the regular safari timings. 

Most of my excellent tiger experiences have been during the non-tourism times between 11am to 3pm and later in the evening. The shot above was taken between 1pm to 2:30pm. The cubs played in the water for a long time and we could make some amazing images and videos.

It’s true that the afternoon light can be a bit harsh…but with proper processing skills you can get rid of the harsh shadows. And anyway, the thrill of watching them at play more than makes up for the extra work required to turn the photos into perfect shots!

Canon 1DX + Canon 400mm f2.8 L IS II + 2X III Converter, ISO 400, f5.6 @ 1/3200, Evaluative Metering -1/3 Stop, Aperture Priority, WB at 5800K.