[AbiS]

Great professional pictures. You have mentioned you stayed at Jungle Lodges Resort... Are they private or govt. run resort ? I am planning to visit the place soon. Thanks for sharing the pictures. If you could share your itinerary that would be helpful....

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by AbiS

Great professional pictures. You have mentioned you stayed at Jungle Lodges Resort... Are they private or govt. run resort ? I am planning to visit the place soon. Thanks for sharing the pictures. If you could share your itinerary that would be helpful....

Its govt. run, you can get the details at www.junglelodges.com

Regarding my itinerary, its pretty simple..check in on Friday before the afternoon safari then check out on Sunday after the morning safari.

However, if you want the best experience, try to avoid weekends and holidays.

[SAFIQUE]

Robi,

I just said WOW to all the pictures. These are class apart, will be interested to know the gear info. You have sighted almost all elusive creatures as anyone wish to see in a jungle trip. Thanks for sharing - I've added Bandipur in my list.

Regards,
Safique

[ambivalent_98]

Robi , you pictures are just amazing. Thanks for sharing. The first picture of the peacock blew me away. The sharpness of the images is just too good.Keep 'em coming

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

A purple heron in flight!

beautiful !!... loved the snaps.

[VinC]

Hey Robi. You have got enough congratulations on the photographs
I am just thrown back knowing the variety of species that you got to spot. Lucky you.
I had been to Nagarhole in the first week of April and the best we could spot is a lone elephant. Was all this shot during the Jeep safari with JLR ??? We opted for the safari ( by van) that is run by the forest department as we heard that safaris organized by private resorts will just be on the forest road ( the highway between the entry & exit check posts) . Your photos are motivating me for another trip.

Can you give your detailed itenary and most specifically about the safari?
I had been to nagarhole this april and the best we could spot was a lone elephant during the forest dept organized safari ( in van).
You seem to have been lucky. Plz share the details.

[Sanyd1711]

Hey dude!

Excellent snaps. I really like Peacock (1st & last one) and Serpent Eagle. I doubt u must have hired them with hefty amount to pose for you.

Almost all of them were ready to be shot when you were focusing.

[ranjith.rajaram]

Excellent images. All the pictures are sharp & nicely taken. Thanks for sharing.

So post more if you have any.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by VinC

Hey Robi. You have got enough congratulations on the photographs
I am just thrown back knowing the variety of species that you got to spot. Lucky you.
I had been to Nagarhole in the first week of April and the best we could spot is a lone elephant. Was all this shot during the Jeep safari with JLR ??? We opted for the safari ( by van) that is run by the forest department as we heard that safaris organized by private resorts will just be on the forest road ( the highway between the entry & exit check posts) . Your photos are motivating me for another trip.

Can you give your detailed itenary and most specifically about the safari?
I had been to nagarhole this april and the best we could spot was a lone elephant during the forest dept organized safari ( in van).
You seem to have been lucky. Plz share the details.

Thanks VinC

Yes all the pictures are from the JLR safari vehicles.
The safari in Bandipur/Kabini depends on the resort you saty. Since JLR is govt run they have a sort of monopoly (better safari options than other resorts). If you stay in JLR you get two safari's (0630-0900 and 1530-1800). Some other resorts like the Serai, Bison etc in Kabini and Tusker trails, Dhole's den in Bandipur have a single safari per day vehicle permit. Moreover, there are resorts which have no safari permits as well (these are the ones that run their jeeps on the highway instead)

So JLR seems to be the best when it comes to safaris.

Now regarding maximizing your wildlife sightings. I would like to share a few ideas..

First up, while booking your stay, put across a word that you will be going primarily for photography.
Try to get on a safari vehicle which has wildlife enthusiasts/photographers rather than lots of weekend tourists with kids.
Be on time for the safari..you want to get the best seat.(preferably at the front row..helps a lot if you are using a telephoto/bean bag combination besides its easy to communicate with the driver/guide)
Also try to be in a vehicle which has the best guide/naturalist. I feel Sivanand (Kabini,JLR), Basavanna(Bandipur,JLR) are the best bets as of now. Having a guide beides the driver really helps. These guys are out with photographers day in and day out. So they know a lot about light, when to cut the engine (a very important thing..to get sharp telephoto pics) etc.
Instead of blindly roaming around in the forest try to stick to areas where there is some activity (alarm calls etc)..wait up and anticipate action near water holes, salt licks. This is difficult if there are lots of other tourists in your vehicle as most people want to see the whole forest in one safari by zipping through the tracks. This is where having like minded people in the vehicle helps(else travel in a group..the whole of your group in a same vehicle)
Be very quite in the safari vehicle esp when you are waiting at a water hole or in a area with alarm calls etc (but the kinda ruckus the vehicles make in Bandipur..I don't think this is of much help..lol).
Finally, you need lots of patience and luck.

Originally Posted by Sanyd1711

Hey dude!

Excellent snaps. I really like Peacock (1st & last one) and Serpent Eagle. I doubt u must have hired them with hefty amount to pose for you.

Almost all of them were ready to be shot when you were focusing.

Thanks Sanyd

Originally Posted by ranjith.rajaram

Excellent images. All the pictures are sharp & nicely taken. Thanks for sharing.

So post more if you have any.

Thanks Ranjith

[Nvgtr6776]

Hi Robi. I am a photography hobbyist and I must say, these pictures are simply outstanding. The sharpness, composition, perspective everything is terrific. Now, I'd like to know how you resize your images for web. I use photoshop (bicubic sampler) and reduce the image size but I feel it makes the pictures lose a lot of sharpness. Yeah, by the way my favorites among the ones you've posted here are 1) The sitting peacock 2) Second picture of spotted deer (with its calf) and 3) The Indian Roller (The picture looks more like a beautiful painting). Regards, Thamim.

[Guderian]

Hi Robi,
To say that these are some of the best wildlife snaps I have seen on this forum would be an understatement.
Well done. Loved every snap put up. Will be going over them time and again.
Like Oliver Twist stated -"Can I have some more please ?"

PS - Rated it 5* !

[bikxsans660]

The pics stand out as any pro at work. 500 f4, really is a trusted partner at wildlife. Monopods are much useful than beans i guess. Still, excellent job done. Congrats.

[skartik2]

Can anybody share more information on when to shut off the engine when you are in a safari in the jungle taking photographs.

When close enough the engine is surely going to rattle the animals away and one can't get closer to the animals if the engine is shut off.

[abheekg]

I second every word thats written in this post here. If you are in the jungles with the intention of some serious photography, then having a sensible driver and a guide is a must.

Great documentation. Keep it up.

Dr. A Ghosh

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Thanks VinC

Yes all the pictures are from the JLR safari vehicles.
The safari in Bandipur/Kabini depends on the resort you saty. Since JLR is govt run they have a sort of monopoly (better safari options than other resorts). If you stay in JLR you get two safari's (0630-0900 and 1530-1800). Some other resorts like the Serai, Bison etc in Kabini and Tusker trails, Dhole's den in Bandipur have a single safari per day vehicle permit. Moreover, there are resorts which have no safari permits as well (these are the ones that run their jeeps on the highway instead)

So JLR seems to be the best when it comes to safaris.

Now regarding maximizing your wildlife sightings. I would like to share a few ideas..

First up, while booking your stay, put across a word that you will be going primarily for photography.
Try to get on a safari vehicle which has wildlife enthusiasts/photographers rather than lots of weekend tourists with kids.
Be on time for the safari..you want to get the best seat.(preferably at the front row..helps a lot if you are using a telephoto/bean bag combination besides its easy to communicate with the driver/guide)
Also try to be in a vehicle which has the best guide/naturalist. I feel Sivanand (Kabini,JLR), Basavanna(Bandipur,JLR) are the best bets as of now. Having a guide beides the driver really helps. These guys are out with photographers day in and day out. So they know a lot about light, when to cut the engine (a very important thing..to get sharp telephoto pics) etc.
Instead of blindly roaming around in the forest try to stick to areas where there is some activity (alarm calls etc)..wait up and anticipate action near water holes, salt licks. This is difficult if there are lots of other tourists in your vehicle as most people want to see the whole forest in one safari by zipping through the tracks. This is where having like minded people in the vehicle helps(else travel in a group..the whole of your group in a same vehicle)
Be very quite in the safari vehicle esp when you are waiting at a water hole or in a area with alarm calls etc (but the kinda ruckus the vehicles make in Bandipur..I don't think this is of much help..lol).
Finally, you need lots of patience and luck.




Thanks Sanyd



Thanks Ranjith

[MadTiger]

Just jaw dropping images. Out of curiosity just wanted to know, the bird shots I beleive you had to take on your hands. I was wondering how it is possible to get such sharp images in hands or you have used tripod in most case. What ever it is truely amazing shots.