Rodrick Writes: Better Wildlife Photography-Photographing Emotions and Behaviour

Face-off (Juvenile Asian Antelope greeting each other)

Are you bored with the wildlife photographs you take? Could it be because most of them are predictable, two dimensional and perhaps boring? A large number of wildlife photography initiates would believe that the best wildlife photographs are the ones with birds flying and carnivores leaping to the kill. Unfortunately, this is far from true! Some of the best wildlife photographs tell a story. A photograph that has a human interest angle to it will definitely stand out from the others.

The Contortionist - A Juvenile Painted Stork enjoys a scratch

People often believe that photographing wildlife requires simply a zoom lens, a DSLR and a tripod, along with camouflage clothes and the typical wide-brimmed hat. The fact is that the truth is far from what is described in the previous sentence. While, no doubt, having the necessary equipment and clothing goes a long way in capturing some of the most iconic photographs, there is much more that is required in terms of skills. Patience and persistence are important values that can help you take some amazing wildlife pictures. Sometimes, wildlife photography enthusiasts focus on motion photography, especially flying birds and animals in motion. I too used to focus on flying birds but then realised gradually that photographing bird and animal behaviour can be most fulfilling. There is, often a great story in photographs that capture bird or animal behaviour, especially when this behaviour focuses on adults and juveniles! In some cases, it is a great joy to see adult birds and animals displaying affection towards each other. Good photographs tell a story, they don't just capture a moment.

Juvenile Painted Storks sparring with each other

One of the most important skills one needs to develop as a wildlife photography enthusiast is the ability to observe the behaviour of animals and birds, to learn to predict their actions and to have an eye for behaviour. In this blog of mine, I will focus on the typical behaviour of wildlife including bonding amongst siblings, parental bonding and general curiosity of wild animals towards the photographer. All this is possible only when the photographer is able to creep in close enough to the subject without frightening it away. Moving noiselessly, avoiding abrupt movements, blending in with the background, avoiding creating long silhouettes can all help one observe animals in their natural habitats.

Face-off

Visitors to the National Parks will often have come across larger mammals like the Asian Antelope and smaller mammals like the Golden Jackal sizing them up. This could also be an example of wild animals displaying behaviour that is indicative of their sense of feeling threatened by the presence of human beings. The animal-human conflict is exemplified by this aggressive posturing by these resident animals.

A Male Asian Antelope stands guard

A curious Golden Jackal faces the photographer

The eyes say it all!

Observing animals and birds in their natural environments, moving around comfortably and being able to capture their interactions and behaviour amongst themselves can be a most fulfilling moment. I have concentrated on Jackals, Sarus Cranes, Painted Storks and Ducks in general. Even looking at the more commonly found pigeons in the backyard can offer great ideas for meaningful wildlife photography!

Two Pigeons share an intimate moment

Animals and birds have emotions. The love that a mother Crane shows for her child is relatable, and so is the joy of going for a scratch in the morning! The sight of two juvenile antelopes facing each other is rather like a silent greeting between siblings. A picture of a mother Antelope feeding her calves is something that one can relate to as a human being! In these rather difficult times of the Pandemic, lockdowns, online classes and work from home have all robbed us of the emotional support of our peers, friends and family members. Looking at wildlife displaying emotions is something that helps us salvage remnants of feelings that we have for each other. I have thus selected a few of my photographs that depict emotions in wildlife, especially as a suggestion for taking meaningful photographs of wildlife that inspire us to be more human!

Singing and scratching in unison

Sarus Cranes do things in unison. They sing together, scratch together, forage together and fly together. It is interesting to see how the dominant partner starts the song which is followed by the partner. These photographs were taken at Najafgarh Lake.

A pair of Sarus Cranes sing in unison

The male Sarus Crane stands guard while the female grooms herself

Sarus Cranes enjoying a grooming session

Sarus Cranes grooming themselves for the day

A grooming session

The equipment I use includes two DSLRs, a Canon 1300D and a Canon 1500D. The lenses include a Canon IS II 55 - 250 mm and a 70-300 mm Canon EF 70-300 mm IS II USM lens. The reason why I don't use a bigger lens is that I like travelling light. While I do carry a tripod at times, I feel that it limits your movements. As far as clothes are concerned, wearing a pair of jeans, tees with muted colours and a cap are a must. My favourite camera settings include an ISO range of 100 to 400, a shutter speed ranging from 1/320 to 1/800. For metering, I choose between spot metering or evaluative metering options. For the focus, I use the single focus or AI focus.

Some of the best wildlife photographs record the maternal instincts of mothers feeding their offspring. Mammals will feed their offspring milk while birds will root up in the shallows to bring out delectable crustaceans and other food for their offsprings. These photographs were taken at the Sultanpur National Park.