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Camera Trap Photography: The Ghosts of the Forest

byYashpal RathoreAvailable online and takes projects across IndiaStarts from₹4,500 per printView full gallery

I combine my background in electrical engineering with field tracking to build custom camera traps. These rigs reveal the secret, nocturnal lives of animals in their most undisturbed state.

The famed pseudo-melanistic tiger of Similipal. This shot required months of planning and custom camera trap engineering to capture a printable, high-resolution image of this incredibly rare cat, a true ghost of the Indian jungle.

A tigress prowling under the "Sita Mandap," a natural stone arc in Bandhavgarh. This camera trap image places the magnificent animal within its legendary landscape, a shot featured in my coffee table book "Bandhavgarh, A Fortress of Tiger."

A sloth bear framed perfectly by a natural cave entrance. I used the weathered rocks as a frame within the frame and set up my lighting to create a spotlight effect, highlighting the bear as it approached the water.

A melanistic leopard, or black panther, on its nightly patrol. My camera traps need to be robust enough to survive the elements and be ignored by the subjects to get natural shots like this.

A leopard walking along the backwaters at sunset. This camera trap setup was designed to capture animals against the beautiful evening sky, blending technical photography with the natural environment.

A sloth bear mother with two cubs riding piggyback, a behavior unique to this species. This is a heartwarming and rare moment captured in the dead of night, thanks to a well-placed camera trap.

A sloth bear foraging under the light of a full moon. Sometimes a single camera trap location yields incredible rewards when the equipment works perfectly and the animals are comfortable in its presence.

A pair of fruit bats captured mid-flight on a busy Bengaluru street. This image shows that wildlife is all around us, and my camera trap techniques can be adapted to reveal the secret lives of urban animals too.

This camera trap image of a tiger in its cave was featured in the "Tiger Tiger Burning Bright" exhibition. It showcases how my engineering skills help create unique wildlife stories.

An unusual top-down perspective of a tiger, captured with a carefully placed camera trap. This shot, also from the "Tiger Tiger Burning Bright" series, offers a different view of this apex predator.

About Camera Trap: Ghosts of the Forest

Setting up a camera trap is rarely about just hitting a button. It involves days of scouting to identify animal paths and pugmarks, then engineering weather-sealed rigs that can withstand forest moisture and the curiosity of passing elephants. When you hire me for a project, you are booking a deployment of high-end, field-tested equipment that requires constant maintenance—battery swaps and sensor adjustments—to ensure we capture those rare, elusive moments after dark.

Custom-built camera traps, rare wildlife captures. — Approved by the tribe
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Yashpal Rathore

Available online and takes projects across IndiaStarts from ₹4,500 per print

I am an electrical engineer who traded circuit boards for forest trails. My custom camera traps are often the only way to document the wildlife that hides when the sun goes down, from black panthers to sloth bears. I do not just take pictures; I build the tools to tell the jungle's hidden stories.

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