Wildlife and nature photography from across India by Vadiraj BK — national parks, tiger reserves, mangrove deltas, deserts and high Himalaya. Every expedition below has a field story and a full gallery.
These are my collection and recordings from a farm near Kanakapura. Every time I visit this farm, I make sure my camera is always with me. Over the last 3-4 years, I have been able to record 24-25 species and have got a better shot in every sightings.
It was during 2025 when we visited Jhalana. Jhalana is a unique place close to Jaipur city and sprawling jungle setting for a Leopard Sanctuary. We sighted 'Bahadur' an old and aged Leopard, it was thirsty and came to the water hole. It drank the water for more than 20-25 minutes and gave us ample opportunities for…
This is one the best trip of our lifetime!! We were on a road trip to Spiti from Bangalore in May 2022. We had set out from Bangalore to explore the landscapes around Spiti Valley. Visited all the usual places like Chitkul, Reckong Peo, Nako, Tabo and Kaza with overnight stay planned at Kaza. While in Kaza, we…
This marked my second trip to Assam, and this time, I dedicated three to four days specifically to observing and photographing the incredible birdlife around Kaziranga National Park. Kaziranga undeniably earns its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an extraordinary wetland ecosystem, home to a diverse array…
Every Monsoon, the Konkan coast on western side of India turns to be a breeding ground for Black Backed Dwarf Kingfishers. We were delighted to visit Ratnagiri for some wonderful sightings of this colourful bird. While we were photographing the ODKF feeding its babies inside its nest, we observed some unique behaviour…
It all began one fine weekday afternoon with a phone call from my friend Rohit Kothawade. "Kabini chalna hai kya?" he asked. I said yes without a second thought, and within minutes we had a plan — two safaris, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and back home the same day. On paper, it looked perfectly…
A Himalayan Dream Realized What an absolutely magical experience! Getting caught in the heavy rain and snow, only to have the weather clear up just in time for a perfect sighting, is the exact kind of thrilling drama that makes wildlife photography so rewarding. The Rewards of Patience and Good Guidance, Shubham…
At 4500 meters, the air is thin and the silence is total. Ladakh strips everything away — no crowds, no noise, just stone monasteries clinging to cliff faces and the impossible blue of mountain lakes. I chased the golden hour light across the Nubra Valley for days before the clouds finally broke.
The Danum Valley rainforest is one of the oldest on the planet — 130 million years undisturbed. Pygmy elephants moving silently through ancient trees. Orangutans watching me from the canopy with knowing eyes. I spent ten days in a tree hide waiting for the moment a clouded leopard would emerge from the shadows. It did…
Svalbard in March is a world of blue light and frozen silence. The polar bears here are enormous — sea ice hunters who regard you with flat predatory calm. I tracked a mother and two cubs across pack ice for four days, staying close enough to photograph but always with a rifle-equipped guide at my side. The midnight…
Gir — the very name brings to mind the roar of lions! This is India's only home to the famous Asiatic Lion, and outside of Africa, the only place on Earth where wild lions still roam. Located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Gir is a landscape unlike the typical Indian tiger reserve — dry deciduous forests, open…
The Sundarbans is the only place on Earth where Bengal tigers swim between islands in the world's largest mangrove delta. Everything here is tidal and uncertain — the forest floods twice a day. I spent two weeks on a small wooden boat, watching the tree line for movement, camera ready. The tiger I finally photographed…
During our trip to the backwaters of Tungabhadra, we decided to spend a day at the famous Daroji Bear Sanctuary. This sanctuary is reserved for Sloth Bears and you get some wonderful opportunities to photograph them. The terrain is rocky and well suited for Bears as its habitat. Over the years, this sanctuary got some…
The backwaters of the Tungabhadra dam turn into "the greatest maternity ward." Those were the exact words of Mr. Pompayya Malemath, and after spending a weekend there with him, I can say they are no exaggeration. It all began with a series of stunning Little Tern photographs I kept seeing on social media. With a…
Kaziranga holds the world's largest concentration of one-horned rhinoceros. The park floods completely each monsoon season, forcing all wildlife — rhinos, elephants, tigers — onto a narrow strip of high ground. In March, the grass is short and visibility is perfect. I photographed from an elephant back at dawn, moving…
TAL CHAPPAR in Rajasthan
The Tibetan Plateau sits at an average elevation of 4500 meters — the roof of the world. The light here is crystalline and brutal, stripped of the atmospheric softness you find at sea level. I spent a month crossing the plateau by land, photographing nomadic Tibetan herders, black-necked cranes on salt lakes, and the…
Yala National Park in Sri Lanka has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world, yet they remain spectacularly difficult to photograph. I spent four days doing six-hour safari drives at dawn and dusk, scanning every rock outcrop and tree. On the fourth evening, a large male descended from a granite boulder…
asdfasdf
Kuno - The name resounds a story of success! Kuno national park in the central indian state of Madhya Pradesh, was chosen as the site for re-introduction of 'Cheetahs' in India after decades of it became extinct from India. Chose one of our family holidays near Jaipur to visit Kuno. Kuno's forest, a mix of grasslands,…
Bharathpur is truly a magical place for birders and landscape photographers. When I decided to spend a weekend, called up Devendra Singh from IORA guest house in Bharathpur to check if the timing is right and he assured it is. IORA guest house is simple yet elegant home stay managed by Devendra Singh. Since Devendraji…
Recently a friend of mine called to check my interest to explore a new jungle near Hyderabad. I immediately said yes and a plan was made to visit it during the weekend. Amrabad Tiger Reserve calling along with Manik, Dr. GK, Munna and myself. I must confess, Amrabad Tiger Reserve is a unique forest in many aspects and…
Latpanchar - a scenic, offbeat forest village in West Bengal, India, known as a prime birdwatching paradise and the highest point of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary at about 4,200 feet. It is located roughly 40 km from Siliguri and is famous for its Cinchona plantations and rare wildlife. Latpanchar is very rich in…
Photography, for me, is not a profession — it is a deeply personal passion, a way of seeing and storytelling that has taken me across the length and breadth of India. With a reverence for the natural world and an insatiable curiosity for its wonders, I am drawn to nature and wildlife photography that captures the raw, unfiltered beauty of this extraordinary ecosystems. My heart lies with the…