Organizing Wildlife Photography Tours in India

Larger than life topic wildlife photography exhibits nature wide many facets as diverse as the wildlife itself is. With amazing wilderness, India tops the wish list of many enthusiasts from all over the globe. The main attraction is the tiger but then India is home to many attractive species like the Asiatic lion, Indian elephant, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, bison, hoolock gibbon, wild water buffalo, takin, serow, swamp deer, and many more. Most of the mammals mentioned here are found in different reserves of National Parks hence to include maximum subjects one needs to travel far and wide with the country. This calls for extensive planning and booking accommodations and transportation well in advance. Remember the entries into the reserves require a government permit which too should be booked well in advance. Most of the bookings can be done online but it is better to engage the services of a local tour operator or a destination management company.

Bird photography is highly specialized in terms of technique and labor. Even macro photography is a test of skill tough not as popular as capturing images of megafauna images of insects and butterflies are most desired in the publication of research and nature magazines. The country is home to 13 percent of the global species and with subspecies included the number rises to 2000 winged wonders.

This requires a lot of patience as well. Photography is a mixture of art and a lot of hard work besides an element of luck. Using a camera in the dense jungles of India needs a lot of experience as well. This is one activity that requires the help of a guide or a naturalist. In fact, sometimes the expeditions would require a lot of teamwork since entry and movement in the parks are regulated and intense knowledge of surroundings and animal behavior is a must. This only an experienced naturalist or a guide will have. Local area knowledge and communication ability are also important which makes teamwork imperative. Some of the naturalists are well versed in the art of photography in local circumstances and could be of great help. Understanding the impact of light and animal movements will provide excellent results.

For crossing over the barriers set by rules and regulations in the tiger reserves and National Parks special permission from the authorities is required. There is a lot of work to be done in getting over these hindrances hence a professional wildlife tour company or destination management company assistance is required.

However, most professional photography can be done within the legal framework of the parks. Special permissions are usually required by filmmakers who would like to cover deep behavioral aspects and for action sequences. Since the lensmen have to restrict themselves to limits set for tourists, they will not be able to off-road their vehicles and to drive in the night. However, they can get extra time in the tiger reserves by booking a full day safari. In this type of permit, you are allowed to enter at predawn and exit half an hour later than those with regular permits. Virtually it is dark whence you exit and the animal movement has heightened so you could get rare shots of evening activities of wild animals. But full-day safaris are costly hence you have to think twice.

The best alternative to costly full-day safaris would be to book as many safaris as you can for morning and evening rounds. In between, you can mix some night safaris as well if you find them fruitful. Thus, an extended stay for a photographic mission is much advisable.

For photographic expeditions, one needs to plan in advance and hence book safaris in advance as well. Remember entry into the reserves is limited in India hence assure your entries before embarking on the tour. This is imperative for tiger photo tours organized in reserves in India. They are sticklers for rules and regulations and a photographer will get very little leeway once the program has been finalized.

While booking flights make sure how much equipment you are allowed to carry without being overcharged. Generally, long lenses and cameras with heavy bodies are required in the field but on open jeeps, you will have to rationalize. Keep zoom lens of 300 mm along with a monopod or a bean bag. This works the best on open jeeps. Remember you are not allowed on foot in the parks. If you are taking the help of a tour organizer all this information should come through the company. It will also do away with the rigors of making arrangements yourself.

Uday writes often writes often on tiger photography tours in India. He also writes on full-day safaris in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Central India.

Uday writes often on Indian wildlife especially about the tigers. He works as a naturalist and is fond of travel. Uday also provides search engine optimization service and website contents in English.