Tiger

What a privilege it has been to spend the last 7 days,8 hours a day (2x4 hours)photographing the Tigers that live in Ranthambore,India.I cannot put into words how I felt when I first saw one of these Bengal Tigers last week for the very first time An honour!!Its been the best time I have ever had watching wildlife,these beautiful,stunning animals going about their normal lives around me left me speechless. I hope my photos will do justice to these stunning animals over time.This image was the result of 3 hours from dawn following her trail across land from a small jeep I had hired alongside my driver and expert guide,Salim Ali.We tired to second guess this Tigers movements as she crossed the vast space within her 15km+ territory,her name is 'Machali'she is 13 years old and mother to alot of the off-spring that live at Ranthambore.With the daliy temperatures of 45c there was little water about,this is a dry riverbed Machali uses from time to time to drink from,here I wanted to try and capture the habitat of the large stones which had some lovely colours/shapes to them whilst hoping for her to look my way,and this image was captured as seen on the day,she drank for some 2-3 mintues then left,giving us the slip.I hope to update my blog soon with the images,stories to go alongside what I saw when I have had some sleep and before I depart for Texel,in the mean time I hope you enjoy this image of this beautiful Tiger,Machali

All Comments And Advice Welcome


Nikon D3S
Nikon F2.8 70-200VR+Nikon 1.4 Con
F5.6,1/500
iso 1000,-0.3ev
Matrix
PP-Capture NX,CS3,Full Frame Image

Thanks For Looking

Sounds like you had a wonderful experience and it's moments such as these that make it such a rewarding hobby.
I like this very much. Quite a dynamic pose with the tiger crouching and alert.
I like the setting and the soft light too which makes the tiger stand out particularly well against the rocky surroundings.

Once you have sample Tigers Craig, they are a hard act to follow and will always (as far I am concerned) command the word 'Awesome!' This is probably the best time to go as they need water and you can hopefully get a glance or sighting with patience. The setting containing the old hunting Palace is also superb and lakes. A breathe taking location.

As you have been spending time at Dickies you should have had good sightings and only minutes from the reserve, as the drivers & guides are some of the best.

TFS

PS Forgot, image looks good.

Thanks Justin+Steve,yes Dicky really looked after me, the sightings were really good,the peaple really nice,this image Salim place the jeep here,no noise and she came They are stunning

Wonderful capture Craig of such a powerful animal, grat light Bronia

Good to see she is still around and in good health, Must me 5 or 6 years since i last saw her in the flesh-must get back as she is getting on, Good eye contact and i like the diagonal lines of her stance, A great experience

Dave

Salim is the No 1 driver, but they are all great, from the chef to Dickies wife, nothing is too much trouble. Trust you explored the rest of Ranthambore and not just Tigers, it is all about the experience, Tigers are just part of it.

A great experience, Craig. I hope you got loads of images to record it. This image shows the tiger's magnificent presence with great skill. Excellent.

Great shot Craig, really looking forward to more!



liam

What a fantastic experience Craig.Nice eye contact and good composition.Great start to what I'm sure will be a super series of images.

Phil.

great experience for you Craig and a great image to

Hi Craig, Your enjoyment and enthusiasm comes across very well in this post. I shall be checking your blog for more details of your experiences.

tfs

Austin

What a great exprerience it must have been. Great image too. Well composed and good eye contact.

I really like the way the tiger stands out against the almost monochrome surroundings. It must have been a fantastic experience.

Matt

Thank you for you kind words,it was an amazing 7 days,cheers