Wildlife Photography Makes You A Better Person

The King Stands Tall-Asian Antelope at The Sultanpur National Park

Perhaps one of the greatest realities of Wildlife Photography is that things rarely turn out as planned! Setting out on a photo shoot in the wilds will make you question all the rules that you have been taught or learnt through experience! There have been times when I have made the arduous trek to my favourite spot only to realise that I had the wrong lens, or that I had in my hast forgotten to set the correct ISO setting or even that it was too foggy, cloudy or even that all the wild birds and animals had disappeared from sight. One of the greatest disappointments was to spot a family of Sarus Cranes which began to disappear into the underbrush the moments I pointed my lens at them! These obstacles, however, should not force one to back out of Wildlife Photography and instead opt for any other form of photography, that is, of course, if you have an inclination for the adventure offered by this form of photography.

The Inquisitive One

The story behind the photograph on top was a rather interesting one. I stepped down from the trail at the Sultanpur National Park towards the edge of the lake in search of a family of Sarus Cranes. While walking towards the edge, I suddenly turned back to see my Brother in Law Atul gesturing urgently indicating something right in my path. On peering into the trees I spotted a male Asian Antelope standing still looking at me. It was so sudden, there I was with my camera in my hand and standing a couple of meters away was a young male Antelope, face to face. This Antelope gave me the chance of taking quite a few photographs before moving away. My brother, who was also with me joked stating that the Antelope probably had very poor vision. I, however, have my doubts. It was not very dark and the sun was in front of me, so I was in a dark zone and the Antelope could not see me.

A pair of Nursing Sarus Cranes spotted at the Sultanpur National Park

The first photograph titled The King Stands Tall was an interesting one since this Asian Antelope Bull first confronted me on the trail in the Sultanpur National Park. He stood unmoving, blocking my path for quite some time and I also did not know what to do. After some time, the bull bolted off the trail and blundered into the open field, but by that time I was prepared for him and took a few shots of him. If you look closely at the photograph you will notice a Doe looking at me from the distance!

The Curious Three

It is always a good idea to take photographs of three animals together. It is somehow much more interesting than having a single animal before you. I was able to photograph three of these female Asian Antelopes while on a visit to the Sultanpur National Park recently. The rather curious expression on their 'faces' particularly drew my attention. I guess, therefore, a threesome provides a better story to photograph!

A Flash of Yellow-An Indian Golden Oriole

Things happen in a flash for those who set out to photograph wildlife. An incident, in this case, was a flash of yellow that crossed my vision. If it hadn't been for the bright yellow colour, I would have missed spotting a pair of Indian Golden Orioles. One of them paused long enough for me to focus on it, after, of course leading me on a run to catch it as it flitted from one tree to another. The strong wind helped me as the birds clung on to the branches battling the wind!

A Regal Crest Dominates the View

Hoopoes are generally amicable birds and they will offer the photographer a good opportunity to photograph them. I was able to follow one of them recently while on a visit to the Sultanpur National Park and the gusting wind seemed to ruffle quite a few feathers, literally as well as metaphorically. Like the Golden Oriole, I had to catch up with the Hoopoe as it hopped from branch to branch. Catching a Hoopoe in the middle of two dead branches brought out the colours really nicely. The dark-grey colour of the bark of the tree highlighted the brown tone of the feathers.

Babbling Cuckoos

Sometimes a lucky photographer will be able to capture the story of the shot. Spotting one 'Koel' or an Asian Cuckoo will be a lucky sighting, but photographing a couple of them fighting and squabbling with each other is simply amazing. I was able to spot not one but two Cuckoos squabbling with each other recently on a visit to the Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon. Their chattering and loud voices drew me to the Acasia tree where they were having a heated debate. Somehow, they were so wound up in their arguments that they did not pay any attention to me.

Drongos are very difficult to photograph, and that is probably because their dark feathers make it difficult to photograph outdoors. However, if you have sufficient distance between the bird and the background, and if the background is of a different colour from that of the Drongo, then hopefully you might be able to get the eyes in focus. It is easier to get the eyes of the Cuckoo in focus because of their red colour, this doesn't happen in the case of the Drongo,

A Drongo Sits Still 

Sometimes, however, it is quite possible that you might come across a beast of prey, well, not exactly Tigers and Lions, but then you might be surrounded by Jackals such as what happened with me. There was one particular Jackal that I named 'Scarface' because of the scars on his face. It looked as if he had entered into a fight with other jackals, or perhaps something much bigger had attacked him?

Scarface, the Veteran

The Cunning one

Wildlife photography often leaves you improvising and changing well-laid and time-tested rules. I often ditch my tripod so that my movement is not hampered. I keep changing the settings for each photograph, switching from an ISO setting of 100 to a maximum of 1600. Depending on the situation I switch from an f-stop number of 5.6 to anything up to f-22. Similarly. the shutter speed can vary from 1/100 to 1/2000 or even higher.

A pair of Nursing Sarus Cranes have their chick cleverly hidden in the grass

In spite of all the disappointments one might face during a particular visit to a Biodiversity hotspot, one should believe that the very act of attempting to photograph wildlife can help make the world a better place! A record of animals and migratory birds spotted at a particular time of the year and the locality can help trace migratory patterns, ecological degradation, food patterns, the impact of human activity on ecosystems and even the impact of global warming. 

A Flock of Greater Flamingos spotted at the Basai Wetland

Sometimes, the most graceful birds of prey can give you a sense of beauty in all their forms. The Black-Winged Kite, a small-sized, rather beautiful raptor can be most enthralling to look at. The black and grey colour scheme of its plumage accompanied by its sharp beak and bright red eyes makes it rather imposing. The red eyes are suggestive of its nature, it is a hunter and it has the sharp eyes of a hunter. The Shikra too is an impressive bird. It is a hunter and in the past, it was used to hunt for small rodents like rats to feed larger falcons that were maintained by the kings of the Mughal era.

A Shikra in search of Breakfast at the Sultanpur National Park

A Black-Winged Kite spotted at the Sultanpur National Park

In the end, I would like to conclude this blog post with a poem that summarises my experiences as a wildlife photographer. It is called The Connect.

The Connect

I spot a flash of yellow from the corner of my eye.

A tingling in the back, warns me of something in the

Copse, watching me. I know it is there and scan the

Bushes for something to spot.

A rustle in the branches above as a bird watches me.

From above, a pair of doves take flight as I pass by.

Two Cranes walk past majestically, a baby, hidden

In the grass follows them.

In the distance, the Antelopes watch me wary and tense

Ready to take flight at the earliest alarm. The sun shines

Bright, the wind gathers strength, the Golden Oriole and

The Drongo hold on tightly to the branch.

A Peacock in the distance calls out to its mates, a single

Call multiplied by ten more, a loud cacophony of calls a

Message passed on to others. Up ahead a pair of Geese

Glide gracefully down to land.

I wonder where they have come from, the Bar-headed 

Geese, the Greylag Geese and the Northern Pintails. Is

It cold from where they come? Will they stay long in this

Place so I might visit them again?

And I thought all the Flamingos lived in the coastal areas.

But here they are, far inland. Perhaps they are searching

For ancient wetlands that once had vast swathes of water,

But now are no more to be seen.

Out of the undergrowth a brace of Partridge streak across

My path, too fast to note, and after them amble a pair of

Golden Jackals. They stare at me and then move away with

A dismissive gesture as if I don't count.

They chuckle at me, even as I carry my Camera and Tripod,

Denying me a decent pose! And I, the exhausted one think 

Breakfast to eat! I guess it was all a waste of time to come all

This way to get a good photograph!

As I walk past the trail and head back home, I wonder if I was

Able to get anything in my camera. A voice tells me what was

Important was the connection I had with them, the wild birds

And animals, even if they laughed at me!

A Heron waits for Breakfast at the Basai Wetlant

A Purple Heron Flies across the water at the Basai Wetland

The Remains of a Monitor Lizard at the Basai Wetland