Wildlife Photography: A Portfolio of Rare Moments
From the high-altitude Himalayas to the Arctic ice and the jungles of India, these images capture my journey of documenting the wild through patience, custom camera traps, and storytelling.
This is the 'Ghost of the Forest', a pseudo-melanistic tiger from Similipal Tiger Reserve. Capturing this incredibly rare cat required months of collaboration with the forest department and using my self-developed DSLR camera traps. This image is a testament to the innovation and perseverance that I bring to my fieldwork.
A young polar bear pauses on a rock at the edge of the Arctic sea ice in Svalbard. We use small expedition ships to get close yet respectful encounters like this, allowing for clean, high-key portraits that highlight the stark beauty of the polar realm.
A male lion patrols the vast plains of the Masai Mara as the sun sets. On my tours, I teach how to use dramatic light and wide-angle lenses to create environmental portraits that tell the story of not just the animal, but its entire world.
A truly special sighting in the Masai Mara. After days of patience, our group was rewarded with this intimate moment of a lioness moving her newborn cubs to a new den. This is the kind of unplanned, magical encounter that makes wildlife photography so rewarding.
A ring-tailed lemur caught in dramatic rim light in Madagascar's spiny forest. I always tell my groups that "backlight is the best light," and this image is a perfect example of how to use it to create a powerful, artistic silhouette that emphasizes form and texture.
A glimpse into the heart of our Svalbard expedition. Small zodiac boats allow us to navigate through ice floes and get eye-level with glaciers and wildlife, offering unparalleled photographic opportunities in a small, dedicated group setting.
This is the moment we always wait for: the 'Palat', or the look back. This tigress in India gave us that perfect glance just before disappearing into the tall grasses. It’s these fleeting connections that we strive to capture.
About this collection
For me, the perfect shot is never about luck. It is about waiting for that 'Palat'—the split-second a tiger looks back before vanishing into the tall grass. Whether we are tracking lions in the Masai Mara or setting up custom DSLR camera traps for nocturnal sightings in Odisha, I prioritize the behavior and movement of the animal over a quick frame.
From the frozen landscapes of Svalbard to the dense jungles of Bandhavgarh, my work focuses on telling the story of the animal and its environment. As an engineer turned photographer, I apply a technical, methodical approach to the field. I build my own DSLR camera traps to document nocturnal species like the Black Panther, capturing behaviors that are otherwise impossible to witness.
On my expeditions, we avoid the 'checklist' approach. I keep group sizes intentionally small—usually capped at four photographers—to ensure everyone has a clear line of sight and hands-on guidance. We spend our time mastering natural light. I am a firm believer that backlight is the best light, and we spend our drives learning how to expose for silhouettes, rim lighting, and dramatic environmental portraits.
If you join one of these tours, expect long hours of patience. We do not chase sightings aggressively; we position ourselves, understand the terrain, and wait for the animal to reveal its story. Whether we are in the Arctic using zodiac boats to reach glacier fronts or tracking wolves in the Himalayas, the goal remains the same: creating images that contribute to conservation awareness while deepening your own understanding of the wild.
Yashpal Rathore
I used to work as an electrical engineer, but the call of the wild was too loud to ignore. Now, I spend my time tracking tigers, building my own camera traps, and leading small groups through the most pristine ecosystems on the planet. I do not just teach settings; I teach you how to see the story before you press the shutter.
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