On the look out
Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this image at Kanha National Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Kanha National Park is divided into 4 zones. This image was taken in the Mukki zone of Kanha National Park.Time
This was around 5pm in June 2015. We were standing at a water hole waiting for some Tiger action. After waiting for a while, we decided to move. The moment we started the vehicle, we hear the alarm call of a Sambar deer specifying presence of a Tiger. Excitement in our eyes, we looked at each other. Before we could even analyze from which direction the call came, another alarm call. We knew the Tiger was close, he was moving, and will show up soon. It was now that my guide whispered strongly, "Sir, Tiger at 11 o clock position". I looked, took me few moments to located him. It was then i see a majestic, and a massive face of the Tiger looking at me through the grass". Only his head was visible. We waited for him to make the first move. Gave him the honor to decide in which direction he wanted to go. He decided to walk towards us. My happiness knew no boundaries. We started to reverse our vehicle. He started to walk towards us on the track, and gave me many opportunities to take his head on image walking towards us.Lighting
Being the month of June, with monsoon clouds above us, and 5pm the light starts to go down. There were times he walked through a canopy of trees and this did not allow any light to come through, though i took images but i knew the light wasn't good enough. I took this image when he kind of reached a opening of the canopy of trees, some light filtered through, i got few seconds to get his clear shots heard on. Light was low, but ambient, and decent for a shot of a Tiger. Sun was not strong at all due to the clouds, so there wasn't any contrast of sun and shade.Equipment
I used Canon 300mm f2.8 lens with a Canon 1DX body. As the Tiger moving, and so was our car, so there was no way to take this image on a tripod, monopod or even a beanbag. This was a hand held image I was not standing, neither sitting in the vehicle, i was practically lying on the floor of the vehicle, and aiming towards the Tiger. Hence i managed to get this angle as well. Flash is totally out of question when shooting in national parks. Flash usage is prohibited in Indian National Parks.Inspiration
Tiger is the only inspiration when you enter a Tiger reserve for a safari. Being summers just prior to the monsoons, we were close to the water hole. I was thinking the Tiger will come towards the water hole where we were standing. But he decided to come from another direction. Taking shots while a Tiger is still, drinking water, or relaxing in water is much easier as you get time to plan your shots. But when the Tiger is moving, and we also have to move simultaneously, hence one has to be super fast in understanding lighting, composition, shutter speed, iso setting etc. Usually i keep changing these settings depending on the time of day, lighting etc even before the sighting. One never gets time to do any changes when you have the Tiger in front of youEditing
Yes post processing to enhance the image slightly is always better. I usually just sharpen the image a bit, improve the contrast and tone marginally. Also remove a bit of shadow from the image.In my camera bag
I always keep a 300mm f2.8 lens on Canon 1Dx body, i also keep a 70-200mm, f2.8 lens on Canon 5D Mark 3 body. Plus i keep a 24-105 f4 lens in the bag.Feedback
Yes, one must know the national park in which you are shooting Tigers. It also helps to understand the Tiger behavior a bit. Plus one must be able to anticipate lighting, angle of shooting, and one has to be real quick on feet and fit in body personally to shoot Tigers in India. This becomes very important when the Tiger is moving, and so is your vehicle. Time of day is surely important, and so is the month in which you are shooting.
