Photography has always been one of the best methods of documenting anything and wildlife and natural world is no exception. Earlier this was done by way of sketching and writing down details but it always had a chance of error and very few people had an eye to catch all those minute details. Today wildlife and nature photography is one of the best hobbies having a big following all over the world. And, these followers vie for getting some rare moment on the celluloid. In last few years these photographers have not only taken some excellent shots which have helped us in developing a soft corner for our natural world and fellow living beings but also caught some rare actions which have opened gates for better research and understanding of wild life.
One of the best part is that wildlife photography can be pursued anywhere be it city or village, forested areas, plains, mountains, deserts, snow clad areas, oceans, seas, rivers or even a small local pond. With a good camera you can take photograph of small or big wild thing anywhere. Three very important features any good wildlife and natural history photographer has to have is good knowledge of its subject, anticipation and patience. Patience is certainly the key as at times to get a particular shot you may have to wait for hours all along and in places where you will not even have enough space to stretch yourself. Anticipation is another quality we need to have and this is possible only if you have studied your subject well.
Wildlife and natural history photo-documentation is certainly not an easy work and takes a lot of experience in mastering. So certainly a good guide to help you is always welcome. Look for someone who has been photographing for some time, someone who has good knowledge of region and animals you are covering or planning to do so. Nature treks and visiting national parks or reserves is a good way of understanding wildlife as well as a single place where you can get diverse subjects. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. J. S. Murthy and Mr. Ghosh who not only introduced me to wildlife photography but have been guiding me always. Today I have more than 200 acceptances, certificate of merits and awards due to their able guidance.
Kanha National Park also known as Kanha Tiger Reserve is one such good place where you can get excellent wildlife viewing and photographing opportunities. Most of my awards wining photographs have been taken here. One of the best part of visiting national parks or reserves is that you get to see and photo-document diverse wildlife and giving you a good chance to understand them and even get some fine photographs. Also, wild animals in these places are somewhat used to human interference so it’s always easy to capture them on film than once in virgin areas that flee on seeing you.
Best time to visit is summers although it’s very hot but due to less availability of water animals and birds come down to water holes and here you can not only photo-document them but there are possibilities of understanding their behavior and may be capture some rare moment. Kanha National Park is famous for Tigers and you can get a chance to photograph Leopard, Gaur, Spotted deer, Sambhar deer, Wild dogs, Jackals, Barking deer, lots of birds and other animals. Here you get chance to photograph one of the rarest deer species the hard ground Barasingha which is endemic to central India and is now seen only at Kanha National Park.
Landscape photography is also possible and here at Kanha Tiger reserve you get a chance to click the central Indian forest landscape as described by Rudyard Kipling in his famous Jungle book. And do not forget that you can cover the local tribal villages and their lifestyle in your photo feature which is an added advantage. So, plan a trip and if you need any help be free to contact me and I assure you a photography trip which will be a life time memory.
