#Thread. #Wildlifephotography. I hope this thread puts a lot of doubts to rest & gives everyone an insight in simple non photographic language of what goes in making a decent wildlife photo (tried my best) .
Its not really a long thread😉
Enjoy the photos too. 1/n
So lets get going-
'Know your camera' as well as you know the capabilities of your fingers. The camera is an extension of yourself & has to do what your mind wants it to do. It has to react fast. Very fast! Action packed moments in the wild last just for a few seconds. 2/n
If you’re not deeply familiar with the settings of your camera or the capabilities of your chosen lens, you‘ll either miss the shot or ruin the images you do manage to capture. Believe me thats a very bad memory to carry out of the wilderness. A lost shot is gone for ever. 3/n
Some important settings to remember-
Always shoot on Aperture priority mode. Why? Ask why do you have to change the aperture? You don’t! So lock it at maximum and play with Shutter Speed (SS) & ISO. Your SS makes or breaks the image in the wild. Dont compromise on it. 4/n
Keep the SS fast enough to capture fast movements & push the ISO in bad light as high as possible but avoid photo noise (avoid grainy images).
Learn to toggle between focus points and learn to keep the focus on the eye of the animal. 5/n
The best way to take control over focus is to switch to back button. Never use the shutter button to focus on subjects. That’s meant for shooting and let that be. Back button helps to keep your forefinger to shoot and thumb takes the charge of focus. 6/n
You don’t really have to get your eyes off the view finder. Train your eyes to get used to d viewfinder so that you don’t miss out on an opportunity. Animals sometimes give you just a moment. It’s impossible to switch from naked eye to viewfinder & get all the settings right. 7/n
Since much of wildlife photography is based upon capturing fleeting moments of natural history, it pays to be able to predict your subject’s behavior beforehand. You need to know your subject in detail. When a bird would fly, why a Tiger will yawn, when a deer will jump etc. 8/n
There are patterns of behavior ingrained into every animal species. Knowing your subject may be the difference between capturing that “golden moment” and watching in agony as it flies by.
Patience. Patience. 9/n
Spend time with your subject. Don’t just hang around for a few minutes and seek out the next subject if the one you’re observing or photographing isn’t delivering the goods. Sit with wildlife. Watch wildlife. Wait......Wait.. 10/n
Light is key and in the wild you seldom get great light when your subject decides to pose for you. So try and stick to golden light hours. The afternoons throw very harsh light & shadows. Wait for the subject to enter the light, follow them. Be focused. 11/n
In wildlife photography, you need to know how to use the light to your advantage. Often, you’ll find yourself in a position where the light isn’t ideal, or heaven forbid, the light is nice but is coming from the wrong direction. 12/n
The good news is that light from the wrong direction can add lots of mood to an image. Use exposure compensation to your advantage. Make high key and low key images. Practice at home, in a near by garden, understand the sunlight. Remember thats the only source of light! 13/n
Use wide angle lenses. They make great stories. Phones do a fantastic job too. Seldom does one realize that not all photos have to be taken from a distance or not every animal photo has to be a portrait. This was taken on my phone. 14/n
Get down low. Lower you are, better the chance of an eye level shot. Move around. Be fit and flexible or else you will cramp up . Most jeeps in the wild are not as comfortable as your Rolls Royce but get used to them. 15/n
Practice on fast moving subjects. I keep practicing on birds from my house balcony. That keeps my camera a part on my body.
Love your camera. Protect it. Take care of it from dust and rain. Believe me the camera loves you back. 16/n
I have not covered a great deal but it’s a never ending subject.
Ladies & Gentlemen, If you liked reading this, please do share.
My Dms are always open for help/ suggesstions. Always happy to help. Dont hesitate. I may not revert asap, but I will.
Do follow @wildontheright
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The Matka Story. #junglestoriesbysagar. Dont miss this one :-)
It was the summer of ’18. Matkasur was ruling the Tadoba Core and Pandhar Pauni was his castle. I had not sighted him before & this time the agenda was only & only to photograph King Matka. 1/n #wildlifephotography
Tadoba was booming with Tiger sightings and the saying “ Tadoba never disappoints” or “Tiger sightings in Tadoba are guaranteed” had started making rounds in the circles of Wild Life. I had no intentions of finding or photographing other Tigers. 2/n
I had seen almost all Tigresses and other males in the TATR. But! I had always missed Matkasur. So, I land in Nagpur and head to Tadoba with one hope and prayer. Matkasur dikh jaye bas. 3 days passed, many tigers were seen but not the King. 3/n
This was in Kanha 4 years back. I was staying in the house of my guide as we have that kind of a bond.
We went for the afternoon attempt and came back with some amazing sightings of Barasingha and a female Tigress. Happy!
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I decided to take a stroll. While my buddy went in for a nap, I decided to step out for a stroll. It was winter and nice cool breeze was combing my hair.
I walked and walked and didnt realise I had gone too far. Sun was setting fast & I took a quick turn.
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It was almost dark with no visibility and slight panic struck in. As usual I was carrying my camera along which slowed me down just a bit.
Occasional unexpected earthly noises thrown by the bushes kept me alert. I told my self- this was a bad idea.
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I hope this helps someone pursue one of the most enjoyable, thrilling & by far d most difficult forms of photography.
Do share & please please do read for fun! 🙏
BTW this photo won me the All India Tiger Photography Award. 1/n
Equipment- Now before I start on this, ‘I would like to tell you that please don’t go over board on spending lakhs of hard earned rupees before you have understood the basics of using a DSLR.’
Picking the right camera in your budget is much harder than it might appear.
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Fast auto-focus, sturdy, and a fast burst are something you need to check in the body. ISO capability is also key as wildlife has only one source of light-The Sun.
More amount of money you spend, more the capabilities of the camera will be. But don’t go over board.
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It was 1230 am. Lights were off but both me & my room partner were awake. I had put on my earphones but realised he was saying something. I removed a ear piece & asked Kya Hua? So ja kal jaldi uthna hai.
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No answer. But I could see he was upright. I put on the mobile light on him and he was sh!t scared. I said bhai kya hua? He said- "TIGER! I smiled and said relax yar. Dikh jayega kal. koi sapna dekha kya?"
He said "Nahi. Aawaz suni."
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I was not sure whether to believe him. We had a couple of drinks before sleeping and he was new to me so had no clue how much 2 drinks meant for him. But in the jungles you give a benefit of doubt to everyone. So I was laying down and this time didnt put my earphones on.
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I was at Kanha and had come back to my lodge after the morning attempt (I call a safari an attempt).
I was sitting outside basking in the sun, having coffee and transferring the work to my laptop and was reviewing some good shots.
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I could sense someone walking towards me but I usually ignore as most people want to touch my camera. A lady approached and said "Appko Dikha kya?" I said "Kya"? I very well knew what she was referring to- Obviously Tiger!
Her reply was borderline rude.
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She said- "App kya dekhne aaye ho yahan?" I just looked at her and my look said a lot of things which she understood and again asked; "Appko Tiger dikha kya"? I replied haan Mada aur bache. She said Kahan dikhe? Now I was getting annoyed. I said Kanha zone 8 number pe.
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I spend approx 5 lacs on my camera equipment and spend approx 2 lacs on travel etc to enter the jungles and try to track different Tigers across India in very difficult circumstances.
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Seldom do I sight the Tiger but when I do, I have that split second to ensure I get a good shot which people would like.
Then I go back and post process it but sometimes its not good enough. So I keep trying..
I go to another jungle and the story continues.
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I keep venturing in different jungles and keep trying, sometimes I am successful and sometimes I come back with nothing.. money is draining out in the whole process.
But my passion and motive does not deter. I keep going. Always away from family
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