Julianne joined us for the second week of our Indian photography tour to photograph the Asiatic Lions of Gir. She was looking to hone her composition skills & hopefully capture some stunning images of the majestic residents of the Gir forest, the Asiatic Lion.
Whilst her first day drew a blank for lion sightings, Julianne was lucky enough to spend time with a mother jackal & her adorable young pup.
In fact, Julianne proved to be extremely lucky on her first day when during the afternoon game drive, whilst trying to get a good angle on a buzzard in a tree, she encountered a leopard lounging in the bushes. In her own words “I have been trying to get great leopard photos for a decade & this is THE best encounter!”
My first visit to India was in April 2016, also with NaturesLens, & I absolutely fell in love with the place, we had some awesome tiger sightings in Tadoba, but let’s just say I came away with some ‘unfinished business’ so it didn’t take much persuading to book myself onto the Indian Wildlife Photography Holidays that NaturesLens had arranged for May 2017.
In the weeks prior to our trip there had been many posts on social media showing some amazing tiger sightings so the anticipation grew, & Bandhavgarh didn’t disappoint. It has to be said, however, that nothing is guaranteed – we heard of a few people who had seen very little but NaturesLens put everything in place to give their clients the absolute best opportunity, securing top class drivers & guides, who, over our time in Bandhavgarh, became part of our ‘Team Tiger’ group.
When I refer to ‘sightings’ I really mean ‘photographic opportunities’ not a shadow in the bush which is hardly distinguishable or a bum shot! When I say ‘photographic opportunity’, I mean time to capture an image of quality that meets my own personal standards & that I would be happy for others to see. In total, over the week the group encountered 17 different tigers, some shared moments with numerous other folk & some very special exclusive moments with no one else around other than one Gypsy vehicle – just you & the tiger – those really are moments to treasure.
This image is very much one shared with practically everyone else on safari. For several days Kankatti & her cubs visited the waterhole at pretty much the same time each day so naturally, everybody gathered to witness this special event. We sat & we waited for over an hour in the blazing heat – about 45˚ – & then suddenly the sound of camera shutters. I couldn’t see anything to start with thanks to a beautiful growth of bamboo but then the family appeared, walking around the waterhole & bathing in just the perfect spot.
Head to South Africa to photograph the African wildlife of the Zimanga Reserve, the first reserve in Africa to be designed specifically to satisfy the needs of today’s wildlife photographer.
The 2018 event has one place available – you can join the NaturesLens Zimanga African Hides & Safari Photography Holiday, which is taking place between the dates of May 4, 2018 – May 11, 2018 , & is priced at £3599 – you can hold your place with a 20% deposit only.
The African bushveld is an environment famed for its variety of wildlife, & the unique safari experience it can provide for wildlife photography enthusiasts. Join NaturesLens photography leaders on an African wildlife experience, delving deep into sub-tropical bushland; photographing incredible native species from both jeep & specially designed hides which are embedded within the landscape.
This is a trip you’ll never forget, & will have you leaving with both stunning images & memories which you will treasure for a lifetime. Places are limited so make sure to book early to avoid missing out.
Our trip offers you 5 traditional game viewing drives from open safari vehicles, with no more than two photographers per row to ensure maximum comfort & access to the best angles for photography. These are not limited to tracks, so off-roading will give you maximum photography opportunities. You will also have at your disposal a range of water-level hides, which are perfectly positioned to capture images of the African wildlife at their eye-level. These hides have been created with the photographer in mind, providing the optimum structure & positioning throughout the park.
Accommodation & internal transport is included within the price of the trip to keep things simple for you & NaturesLens will provide photography tuition as needed.
As we mentioned earlier this week, we took clients who were participating in a NaturesLens Photography Holiday in India to two locations in India in late March; the first week was spent at Tadoba Tiger Reserve, whilst the second was spent in Nagarhole – Kabini, we also promised to share a series of photos from Jayne, here they are.
Enjoy …
Some of the beautiful Bee Eaters that we took clients to photograph at a location near Mysore Continue reading →
With our clients, we had a great time on a NaturesLens Photography Holiday at two fantastic locations in India during late March; the first week was spent at Tadoba Tiger Reserve, where the guests experienced encounters with sloth bears, tigers, a leopard (in Jayne’s case) & many birds. The second week was spent in Nagarhole – Kabini, where our target species were tiger, elephant & the leopards of the region.
We will share a second series of photos from Jayne later in the week, but first up, we have a selection contributed by Ian.
Enjoy …
One of the elephants of Nagarhole, these gentle giants loved to wash themselves by the water Continue reading →
We’ve got one place left on our photography holiday to photograph the Leopards of Kabini – it is held between March 12, 2016 – March 20, 2016 & costs £2499, everyone on the trip is getting their own single person accommodation with no supplement, that applies to this last place too – in Kabini, you’ll have your own tented cottage, single hotel rooms in Mysore & Bangalore. Flights are superbly priced at the moment – return was under £600 when we checked and booked earlier this week. Full details here.
More Leopards of Kabini Photography Holiday Details
After flying in to Bangalore & meeting the group, a transfer from the airport will see you spend six nights in the Nagarhole National Park, with ten safaris into the Kabini jungle, seeking the Leopards of Kabini, these safaris are all included in the price. Upon leaving Kabini, we will overnight near Mysore. Early the next morning, accompanied by our guides, you will photograph the blue-tailed bee eaters; the blue-tailed bee-eaters are rare, colourful birds which feeds on dragon flies & bees, the remainder of the day will be spent at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary; here the painted stork, Asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, woolly-necked stork, black-headed ibis, lesser whistling duck, Indian shag, stork-billed kingfisher, egret, cormorant, Oriental darter, & heron breed regularly. Upon leaving Mysore, the group will travel to Bangalore for an overnight stay, the following day will see the group transfer to the airport for the return flights.
