I cried at the rare sighting of a Caracal during my travel in Africa

Nikhil B Vatsal’s obsession with wildlife is what got him into photography. He recently displayed his series on wildlife photography at the fourth edition of “Bangalore Pet Show”.
I cried at the rare sighting of a Caracal during my travel in Africa

BENGALURU: Nikhil B Vatsal’s obsession with wildlife is what got him into photography. He recently displayed his series on wildlife photography at the fourth edition of “Bangalore Pet Show”.

The self-taught photographer uses the Nikon D 5 camera, with the 600mm lens and carbon tripod to capture wildlife. City Express caught up with the wildlife photographer as he opened up about his expeditions in forest.

How did you catch the photography bug?
It was something I discovered when I used my friend’s camera and shot a few good images of crocodiles at the Crocodile park in Chennai and that is how it all started.

Which is your favourite click?
I want to tell you about my favourite moment while taking a photo instead. It was when I was clicking the photo of a  snow leopard couple during its mating ritual in my Leh Ladakh expedition in February 2016.  

What do you carry when you go to a forest?
I carry three or four cameras and lenses and camouflage clothing.

What has been most unforgettable experience in your journey as a photographer so far?
I had been to Africa in January for a specific small cat expedition. We were looking for a cat called Caracal, which is a  rare and  a very shy cat and not many sightings have been recorded of this animal. In such cases, the wait to capture one picture could  be any number of days. So, it is important to put in more than hundred percent and have patience to achieve the goal. I found the cat on the fourth day of the expedition and I was so overwhelmed at its sight that tears rolled down my eyes.

What was the longest time you spent  to capture an image?
The snow leopard expedition was definitely the toughest in terms of how long it took. The climatic conditions were harsh and it caused hallucinations.

But when I saw the snow leopards mating, I was dumbfound and it made me forget all the struggles I went through.

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