
This month a viral video of two snow leopards frolicking in Ladakh’s Zanskar valley won over the internet. Captioned the ‘Fleeting Dance of Wild Joy’, it showed these elusive cats playfully chasing each other at lightning speed amidst the snow-clad mountains. If a digital screen can mesmerise viewers, witnessing them live is pure adrenaline.
Delhi-based wildlife photographer Yogesh Bhatia, felt it when he captured a snow leopard last month in Spiti Valley. Braving -15 degrees, he embarked on a gruelling 10-day expedition at an altitude of 18,000 feet to capture their untamed passion.
“I had to stay at a spot for eight hours in the harsh cold to finally click it. It has been the most challenging chase of my lifetime. But the thrill is what I live for,” he says, adding, “The snow leopard was on another side of the mountain, and there was a deep gorge and valley between us and him. I was able to capture his various movements as I was far from it.”
Bhatia was up there with a 10-member group. They stayed at a base camp in Kaza, a remote town in the Western Himalayas, when a professional mountain trekker informed them about the wild cat’s presence. Bhatia also managed to capture the rare Himalayan blue sheep and red fox. TMS speaks to the photographer on the tips and tricks that have got him brilliant captures of deadly carnivores like lions, cheetahs and tigers to vulnerable bird species like the great Indian hornbill.
An active lifestyle
Bhatia’s childhood visits to the Delhi Zoo and a fascination for animals got him interested in wildlife photography. But he actively took it up after retiring from his business. “By 60 when I retired and all my children were settled, it gave me free time to dive into my passion. Age is just a number, in fact, travelling to capture wildlife gives me a kick,” he tells TMS on how he backpacks to over 20 plus trips in a year.
Enduring harsh temperatures, rugged terrain, and uncertain situations in jungles requires mental grit and peak health. Bhatia stays fit as a fiddle with an active lifestyle — his day starts at six in the morning, followed by running and daily exercise, complemented by a clean diet. For mental stimulation, he takes photography workshops and stays up-to-date with new camera models and equipment. “While I teach students about camera angles, settings, and how to survive the wild, in return, I also learn a lot from them as they are equipped with new-age tools,” he says.
The fruit of patience
Bhatia’s lens immortalises nature’s raw drama. Last year, he captured a striking image of a tiger mid-roar at Ranthambore National Park. At Kaziranga National Park, he captured a powerful composition; a rhinoceros and a tiger on either side of the mighty Brahmaputra. In another magical frame clicked at Jim Corbett National Park, a tiger wades through the Ramganga river with Sambar deer in the background bathed in the golden light on a misty morning.
And amongst his most challenging shots is a heart-pounding scene — where two cheetahs are chasing a deer as prey. But how does he freeze those split-second moments? “Wildlife photography is a game of patience and sharp eye-tracking. For instance, in the Kaziranga shot, we had to wait for a full day from eight in the morning to five in the evening when the tiger came near the river.”
Minds of the wild
His most liked photographs are the ones where predators like African lion, and Indian tiger are looking straight into the camera lens. But it doesn’t scare Bhatia as he aims to understand animal psychology with empathy. “Anticipating an animal’s behaviour and reaction is extremely important. In photographs, where they’re looking in the camera, they are not in an attacking mood. They’re just curious and want to know what I am doing.
Sometimes they come very near to me but I’m simply dazed by their beauty rather than fear, while maintaining caution. You cannot show your fear as they may become suspicious. They may be a little furious when they have babies around.” He’s also quite amazed by their intelligence.
Two years back at Kanha National Park, he saw a baby monkey, trying to get milk from another monkey. But the female was pushing her away. “I felt something was fishy. Moments later, another monkey comes and feeds the baby. It made me realise that she was the real mother, which is why the previous one was reluctant, to avoid conflict.”
Bhatia’s next stops are Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, and Panna National Park in search of tigers. “My favourite click is yet to come. I hope it happens this year.”