Wildlife Conservation and Urban Nature Photography
Documentation of wildlife and human-animal coexistence, focusing on the urban jungles of Mumbai and beyond.
This is the reality of Mumbai, a city of millions where humans and leopards share the same space. This camera trap image captures a leopard on a hill overlooking the city's expanse, a powerful symbol of urban wildlife adaptation and the complex relationship we must navigate.
A tigress and her four cubs quench their thirst at a forest waterhole. This rare nocturnal scene, captured after weeks of patience, highlights the importance of protecting not just individual animals, but entire families and the corridors they need to thrive.
A leopard walks through the alley of a Warli tribal settlement on the edge of Mumbai's national park. The tribe's traditional art, seen on the walls, often depicts wildlife, reflecting a deep-rooted culture of coexistence that offers valuable lessons for modern urban society.
Thousands of flamingos gather in the Talawe wetland, a vibrant splash of pink against the backdrop of Navi Mumbai's high-rises. This drone photograph documents the fragile beauty of an urban ecosystem under threat, serving as a visual plea for its protection.
I documented a team of dedicated researchers and forest officials as they radio-tagged a wild leopard in Mumbai. This process is crucial for gathering data to understand the animal's movement and behavior, forming the scientific backbone of our conservation efforts.
A moment of direct connection. This tiger, cooling off in a stream in Central India, looks directly into my camera trap. It is in these intimate, unguarded moments that we can truly appreciate the sentience and majesty of these incredible predators.
Dinesh Barap, a young Warli artist, stands before a mural that integrates the leopard into his community's cultural narrative. My work often focuses on the human element of conservation, telling the stories of people who live alongside wildlife every day.
About this collection
Unlike standard wildlife photography, my work relies on long-term field study and camera trap deployment to document behaviour, not just one-off sightings. Whether it is tracking Mumbai's leopards through Aarey Colony or documenting flamingo habitats, my process starts with understanding the ecosystem and the people who coexist within it.
My approach to photography is rooted in field biology. I spend years following individual animals, such as the leopards I monitor in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, to document authentic behaviours rather than seeking a single lucky frame. This method requires a deep understanding of animal corridors and the tolerance levels of local human communities, like the Warli tribe, whose cultural integration of wildlife is a central theme in my work.
I employ specialised equipment, including motion-sensor camera traps and drones, to capture nocturnal activities that remain hidden from the naked eye. This technical rig, combined with a commitment to minimal interference, allows for high-resolution documentation that serves both editorial needs and scientific research.
Whether I am documenting the flamingo populations in the Talawe wetlands or the movement of tigers in Central India, every project is built on the premise that conservation requires visibility. My images are used by wildlife advocacy campaigns and academic researchers to present evidence-based narratives of human-animal coexistence. If you are looking for documentation that goes beyond aesthetics to communicate a conservation message, we should talk about the requirements of your specific field assignment.
Nayan Khanolkar
I spend my nights tracking urban leopards and my days documenting the stories of those who coexist with them. My work is not about capturing a fleeting moment, but about building long-term evidence of the wild spaces we share.
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