Mirchani Cub (Female) Bandhavgarh -Portrait

[Anand Madabhushi]

We saw two cubs in the morning from an elephant back and were fortunate to find them out in the open in the same afternoon..............all to ourselves. First the Female cub came out, Yawned, growled at a monkey on top a tree and sat down for a photo shoot with me. She was on one side of the dirt track and we were on the other side.................bank opposite the young lady. After a good few minutes and loads of images, she walked in to the bushes...............only to have her sibling (a male) to delight us.

[Anand Madabhushi]

70-300 @300, 1/400. f7.1, ISO1600(Auto), Evaluative.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

One has to be careful about the Auto ISO mode. Higher ISOs like 1600 and above gives you noise and you find a grainy image.

When the tiger is relatively still, it is better to lower your shutter speed and create a few images using lower ISO. Of course, I am assuming other members in your vehicle are not moving much.

The eye contact here is nice. The blacks have become too black and you can't find details in those. Lowering the contrast will be better.

Were you clicking in RAW mode or jpeg?

Sabyasachi

[Anand Madabhushi]

I was shooting in Large Jpeg. Next time around it will be both in RAW and Jpeg. I will preset the ISO to a comfortable 200 and carry a mono-pod.

As mentioned earlier I was too excited. Only Geetha, my wife, and myself were in the vehicle. Geetha and the guide were also clicking away. This will not be allowed next time :-)

[Mrudul Godbole]

Lovely stare. The licking pose looks nice. Agree about the ISO. ISO in the range from 200-400 can be safely used, as there is no noise, and we can get a good shutter speed. I feel a more rectangular composition than a square would look better. If you are not using a monopod, you can rest the camera on the seat or use bean bag for support. Thanks for sharing.

[Anand Madabhushi]

Thank you, Mrudul, for your suggestions. I was a first timer in a tiger reserve.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Anand,
I can feel your excitement. However, I will not suggest your wife not to click and increase disharmony between you two. Just the increased coordination between both of you is required. Use a bean bag or monopod to get better sharpness. You can check this tutorial for improving sharpness: Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities

Tell the people inside the jeep not to move when shooting, else that creates problems.

As you start shooting more and more and getting critiques, the points start flashing in your subconscious mind. And soon you will realise that you are wanting to reposition the vehicle to get a better angle, background etc. It is a long journey. A good wildlife photographer is one who knows about the behaviour of wildlife as well as the technology and aesthetics of photography. So it is a life long learning. With devotion, dedication and willingness to learn, you will go a long way.

[Bhargava Srivari]

Anand,

Nice to see the tiger in the open. Getting a sighting like this all for yourself sounds new, may be because it is from Bandhavgarh I agree with Mrudul that a more rectangular vertical composition might look nicer.

tfs