Part of what I call the previsualization process in photography relates to lighting. A good photographic artist must be able to understand their equipment well enough to blend what they see through the viewfinder and visualize the framing from the lens+camera combination.

I was walking in this path at Bharatpur when I saw this group of Rhesus Macaques coming from behind me. I saw this light patch in front of me and stopped for the Macaques to cross that patch.

I knew I would get the image I visualized if any of the macaques stopped at that point. Continue reading →

This photo of a tiger cub with its mother was taken at Tadoba Tiger Reserve. Composition is an art and it takes time, patience and perseverance to collect your thoughts and compose the image you’ve visualised.

There are guidelines for composition, but as the name implies, they are just guidelines to be aware of. In this photo I composed an image where the mother’s face isn’t seen, and the legs and majority of the tigers’ bodies are cropped out of the frame…but still, I feel this image has a strong visual impact. Continue reading →

There are 4 key elements to be a better photographer.

1. Understand your subject.
2. Understand the fundamental concepts of photography, including composition aspects.
3. Understand your equipment and shooting techniques.
4. Have a good grasp of digital post processing.

Each of these are very tightly coupled with each other and it is important to have a good grasp on each of them. Continue reading →

One of the most frequently asked question I receive is about what settings to use to photograph a sunset or sunrise.

This image was photographed at Satpura National Park – an amazing place to capture both due to the beautiful watery surroundings. The open grounds offer the added advantage of being the habitat of mammals like the spotted deer so I planned to capture them in silhouette against the magical sky. Continue reading →

As a wildlife photographer and educator I have the privileged opportunity to give workshops in numerous national parks of India. At the Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh I witnessed this kind of behaviour from the Sambar Deer for the first time. It was playing by itself in the muddy water. It sunk its face in the mud, got up, ran around in the water and suddenly jumped. Continue reading →

During travel to national parks and wildlife areas, apart from concentrating on mammals, birds and local fauna, it’s always good to absorb and document the flora and habitat as well. Kanha is a very beautiful park and the habitat is what makes it special. The early morning mist especially provides a lot of opportunities to make creative images. Continue reading →

This is one of my favourite images from Kanha National Park. Half the work of a photographer is being a keen observer of your surroundings, always being on the look out for pleasing compositions wherever you are.

In many images the background makes or breaks the subject. The reddish meadows of Kanha in the background and the evening golden light made this image for me. Continue reading →

An important tip in image making is a photographer’s ability to visualize the shots before clicking the camera. Take some time to study the subject and see what you can do with it.

Early mornings are the best time for these kind of creative shots when there’s play of shadow and light combined with mist or fog. During the drive in Kahna National Park I saw the rays of light falling on areas of shadow across the safari track. I asked the driver to stop and waited for some subject to enter the frame. This scene is good by itself, but a subject in this light creates a powerful impact on the image. Of course, a tiger entering the scene would be the jackpot. Continue reading →

As I scan through the various images photographed at Kanha National Park, I found this one interesting as it takes a simple subject but presents it in an unexpected way. I’ve said many times that tigers aren’t the only subjects in the Indian wilds. Kanha is such a beautiful place that it’s not difficult to  make creative images of more commonly sighted wildlife subjects. Continue reading →