[Rudra Sen]

Lovely captures you have here. And I'm sure more to come.

Originally Posted by Subrat Seet

Light was against and AF was difficult due to glarres in the water.

I didn't get this part. Have you customized your auto focus zone?

That is the fact about wildlife photography. Everything beyond your control.

And if this is the fact then..

Right, ND+polariser would have been helpful.

.. How do you justify losing +/- 2 stops?

abheek and Subrat, I don't want to go off topic in this thread. But in your kind of situations where every single stop and moment counts, reducing speed is not the right thing to do.

Please enlighten if I've missed out something here.

[Fauji]

Subrat, Excellent pics and very good sighting. Hope you are posting some more.

[Subrat Seet]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Lovely captures you have here. And I'm sure more to come.

Thanks Rudra. Definitely more is there.

I didn't get this part. Have you customized your auto focus zone?
And if this is the fact then..

I have not customised it. I was using MF in camera. As 7D has various AF viz., MF (where you can change focussing points manually), Zone AF (Particular zone will be focussed automatically), and 19 AF points (automatically focus a bigger area). Actually, light was against. Too much glare in the water with waves. So, Auto focussing was little difficult and subject was still. There was no action, so MF was good.

.. How do you justify losing +/- 2 stops?

Good idea but picture was coming little dark. So i leveled it to zero.

abheek and Subrat, I don't want to go off topic in this thread. But in your kind of situations where every single stop and moment counts, reducing speed is not the right thing to do.

Please enlighten if I've missed out something here.

You have not missed anything here. As i am using 7D, pumping ISO for speed is not an bad idea rather than negative exposure compensation. Sometimes i too use - exposure compensation.

Actually, i tried all sort of combination there, as i said no action was going on. Some how, light was too harsh at 2.45 p.m. that to in April heat.

Hope i have cleared your doubts.

[Subrat Seet]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Subrat, Excellent pics and very good sighting. Hope you are posting some more.

Thanks Fauji Sir. Offcourse, more is coming.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

And if this is the fact then..
.. How do you justify losing +/- 2 stops?

abheek and Subrat, I don't want to go off topic in this thread. But in your kind of situations where every single stop and moment counts, reducing speed is not the right thing to do.

Please enlighten if I've missed out something here.

, I wouldnt want to lose any time on the shutter for sure. You could play around with some degree of exposure compensation if the camera metering isnt giving you desired results but stopping down even 1 stop would prove costly.

Also, there is no way you can perfectly expose a picture with a high dynamic range unless you combine shots which is usually done for landscapes. In case of the tiger shot with water reflections, the camera wouldnt have metered it right in spot or evaluative mode because there's so much variation in the lighting within the frame. You could have completely avoided that reflective patch to be in the frame to get a proper exposure. I know its difficult to think of all these things while you're on the field which is why you need to keep trying different composition and or exposures so you get atleast one good shot.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by Subrat Seet

Hope i have cleared your doubts.

Not really and I've some more questions based on your last reply. But we'll take it up later through private messages. As I mentioned before, we're not going off topic here.

That said, your pics are coming up too slow.

[fazalaliadil]

Subrat,

You are right,how it gets 'Oh so boring' when a tiger decides not to move and stays in one place, for hours sometimes.

The Kingfisher shot both, hovering and with his fish are good, but the shutter needed at least to be between 4000-5000 for the freeze.
Was this shot on aperture priority?

One reason I shoot on shutter priority always, opposed by many wildlife photographers who shoot on aperture, is this.

Ist pic. in post #13, the tiger is deliberately out focused , to keep the crocodile in the foreground in focus. Did you also try a manual focus where you could get both mid way focused?

Since, you had the time I am sure you also spot metered the tiger and set the shutter and aperture manually, as per the spot meter reading and recomposed the subsequent shots with auto focus off?

The water dripping from the tiger as he stands, needed to be sharper with your gear. Are the images cropped, if so how many percent.

These questions are for my learning, hope you don't mind.
Regards,

[Subrat Seet]

Originally Posted by amolpol

, I wouldnt want to lose any time on the shutter for sure. You could play around with some degree of exposure compensation if the camera metering isnt giving you desired results but stopping down even 1 stop would prove costly.

I know its difficult to think of all these things while you're on the field which is why you need to keep trying different composition and or exposures so you get atleast one good shot.

True, really difficult to think so many things at that point. Good discussions, i am learning something.

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Not really and I've some more questions based on your last reply. But we'll take it up later through private messages. As I mentioned before, we're not going off topic here.

That said, your pics are coming up too slow.

I will expedite.

Originally Posted by fazalaliadil

Subrat,

You are right,how it gets 'Oh so boring' when a tiger decides not to move and stays in one place, for hours sometimes.

Though it is boring but the fellow used to turn every now and then, so we used to get ready with the expectation tat he will get up. Which continued for two and half hours. S excitement level was high for that time.

Was this shot on aperture priority?

I always shoot in Aperture priority and it is mostly recommended for wildlife shooting.

Ist pic. in post #13, the tiger is deliberately out focused , to keep the crocodile in the foreground in focus. Did you also try a manual focus where you could get both mid way focused?

Absolutely right. I deliberately keep the crocs in focus. Yeah, manual focus.

Since, you had the time I am sure you also spot metered the tiger and set the shutter and aperture manually, as per the spot meter reading and recomposed the subsequent shots with auto focus off?

I did not think of this that time. Surely, if such situation arise i will try.

The water dripping from the tiger as he stands, needed to be sharper with your gear. Are the images cropped, if so how many percent.

Yeah, picture is cropped quite a bit. Tiger was too far and my 100-400 was too small. Atleast 600 mm was required there.

These questions are for my learning, hope you don't mind.

Fazal Sir, I am also learning in this process.

[Subrat Seet]

This was the last picture from first safari. This one liked so much. The reason is that lots of drama in the sky, forground tree branches and background is golden. It looks like lava eruption.

After spending the entire evening with these mating pair, we returned to resort. Gathered information that a tigress with cub being sighted around Tadoba (Bison Bunder). We wanted to target that point. We wanted do safari in our self driven gypsy but it had self start problem. So, after evening round, Varun, one of our group member took the gypsy to Chandrapur for repair, so that we can take it for the drive in the morning. Though, it could not repaired but Varun got tigress with two cubs in the buffer zone around 8.00 p.m. in the night.

Next day morning, we took a round of Telia lake and proceeded to Tadoba range for cubs. Some photos of the second round.

[Subrat Seet]

This is the last set from the second day morning drive. I saw wild dogs but they were inside and could not capture them. I was dissapointed because i even could not capture a record shot. I just love the colour of those fellows. So far i had not seen them, it was a heart filling moment.

However, the serpant eagle catching hare and killing infront of us, was a real wild experience. In this process we forgot to be tiger centric. Again it was a magical morning. Each drive had a new experience. I was falling deeply in love with Tadoba.

Here are the pictures.

[SAFIQUE]

I have just joined as a member, and really impressed by reading the passion and the pictures. I think I should have join this forum mush earlier, there is lot I can learn and share here. I visited Tadoba just last month and this is one Tiger Reserve (primarily) which I felt should equally be popular for its pristine and unique eco-system that has full of herbivores, carnivores and bird life.

I had total three safaris in the morning and evening. I didn’t sight a Tiger- it was just not my time, but I enjoyed the rests most – will come back sure until I see the gorgeous Big-cats some of you posted. Sharing some pictures herewith. Would love to join you guys one day..

[fazalaliadil]

Shafique,
Welcome to Team BHP.
Your trip to Tadoba and photographs are good, especially the Bee Eater's.

However, since you are a newbie and as a fellow member, I would like to inform you that we cannot post bulk pics. on some body else's thread. It is known here as 'high jacking'.

You have the privilege of starting your own thread and posting pics on it.

Looking forward to more of Tadoba 'on your own thread'.
Regards,

[abheekg]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Lovely captures you have here. And I'm sure more to come.
I didn't get this part. Have you customized your auto focus zone?
And if this is the fact then..
.. How do you justify losing +/- 2 stops?

abheek and Subrat, I don't want to go off topic in this thread. But in your kind of situations where every single stop and moment counts, reducing speed is not the right thing to do.

Please enlighten if I've missed out something here.

Sir
You know the best when the topic is of polarisers and ND filters as we all know from your Himalaya photographs. I was actually casually suggesting options on how subrat could have controlled the harsh lighting better. Please don't take the discussion with subrat offline, rather do it here so that everyone gets to know your line of thoughts. How in your opinion , could Subrat have controlled the condition of that particular photograph ? This is a question that I throw to you all.

regards,
Dr. A Ghosh

P.s: Back from an evening drive in Tadoba. Will update soon.

[Subrat Seet]

Morning drive was quite sucessful without tiger sightings. Returned to resort and the unanimous decission was to follow the tigress with cub. We entered the gate first and straight away moved to Tadoba range. Before, us the National Geographic's filming crew had taken position at the waterhole, where the tigress was resting with a cub. We saw both tigress and cub relaxing in the thicket. Thought of not overcrowding the place, so that the Nat Geo guy got some good shots. Because Varun knew those guys and we had developed good friendship with them. It was Mr. Kalyan Verma and his team. We are trying to go away but the flock of gypsies came. Without losing time we took position and waited there at the waterhole. Another two hours wait at the waterhole. After to hours the cub moved but did not came near the waterhole, went inside the thickets. Then mother moved, but not good shots as they moved inside. I could see the mothers love for her cub by licking and caring.

Some photos from the round.

Mother and cub resting.

Tigress movement.

While returning, we saw this pack of wild dogs, cooling off. I was excited, as for the first time got this oppertunity to click these guys. Made lots of mistakes, as light was little low, i should have changed the setting.

[vinay.pillai]

Hi Subrat,
Nice moments captured. Lovely images. Lucky to spot so beautiful wildlife of our jungles. I envy you. Let the images keep coming.