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Dust – Dust is a big problem in India and you need to protect your equipment from this. Carry
dust proof covers to protect your camera. Change lenses very carefully. You must clean your
camera after every shoot.
Bags – I would strongly recommend carrying one bag that fits all your equipment. It helps if
you have straps on the back or a roller.
Batteries / Chargers / Adapters – Indian electricity works on 240 volts and 50-60 Hertz and
circular plug points. You may need to carry adapters for the chargers accordingly. It is recom-
mended to carry spare batteries.
Tips for nature photography in India
Best time in the day for shooting – The best light conditions are found in the early mornings
and the late hours of the evenings. This is also the time when wildlife is most active. This is par-
ticularly true for summers, when the light is good only for about an hour or two in the mornings
and evenings.
Patience is a virtue - You will need to be patient. You may have to wait for long for an animal
to come to a water point or make the right move. Wait and watch will have to be the approach.
Be ready for the action. Have your camera ready before you enter the forest with basic settings.
Action can happen any time. Once I missed a great opportunity. As we entered the allotted
zone, the tiger was right there at the gate, by the time I could get my camera out, it had gone
behind the bush.
Focusing right - Your subject may have twigs, eaves and grass in front which will get picked
up by your auto focus system. Before you click, re check if your main subject is in focus. Prac-
tice focusing to get sharp shots. In the case of wildlife photography, focusing on the eye of the
animal while composing the shot is the best way to go about things.
shutter speed. Always have a high shutter speed, at least 1/500 or more to freeze action. You
may have to crank up the ISO to achieve this.
Master exposure - Most wildlife safaris in India happens during the early hours of the day or
late evening, which makes it difficult to gauge the right exposure. It is advised to use multi-seg-
ment metering wherein the camera reads the light from various segments of the composed
frame and gives an average exposure of all these segments. It is a reliable way of metering.
Before you click check that your exposure is correct.
Composing your shots - More than being technically correct, what makes a good photograph
is framing your shots aesthetically. Try and follow the rule of thirds or else you may have to crop
your shots in post processing.