29/11/2022
As we entered zone 3 this afternoon, Krishna was spotted far away walking towards Chhotti Chhatri. All the jeeps parked on the track, waiting for her to move closer. The forest was dry and brown and looked seemingly burnt. She was walking towards a patch that was bone dry. A visual began to form in my mind and if Krishna obliged, I imagined it would make a stunning portrait. The dry seemingly burnt forest would make the tiger pop. In that entire patch, there was one lone tree that made a nice frame and in my earliest memories of talking to the animals under my breath, this was probably the first one. She was walking with a purpose, and I prayed that she would halt and take a rest under the tree. As I pulled out my 800mm to make the frame I had in mind, I saw many self-proclaimed experts there openly laughing at my face, and it was evident that they thought how stupid I was to even pull the camera out in such harsh light and such a poor background. I ignored them when no one pulled their cameras out and focused on creating the perfect settings that would capture this frame to perfection within the camera itself. I wanted to make this image with no manipulations needed after.
She came and sat right under the tree I was hoping she would and my vision of the perfect frame with the tiger popping out was realized. This is the unedited raw image from that afternoon. The best way to shut up people is through your work. Always believe in your vision even though the world laughs at you!
Krishna (T-19), Ranthambhore National Park, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, 17th April 2014, 3:06 PM
