Tiger Photography: How to Photograph Bengal Tigers

The wild Bengal tiger is one of the most enigmatic and beautiful cat species to photograph, and if you have not already ticked this species off your list, it’s time to consider trying your hand at tiger photography.

Your first tiger sighting will give you goosebumps, and the experience of viewing and photographing a tiger is both humbling and exhilarating.

Read more: Photographing a Species In-depth

Where to find tigers

An important facet of photographing tigers is to make sure you head to the right area to maximize your chances.

Both Ranthambhore National Park and Bandhavgarh National Park in India would be considered the primary go-to areas. Both offer fantastic opportunities, and one of these locations would usually be included in any dedicated photographic safari you book.

Both areas have a very healthy tiger population and are a good place to start, especially for your first visit.

If you are looking to book full-day safaris and want to visit the above parks, then be aware that recently, Ranthambhore has ceased the full-day permits, so this will then limit your choice to Bandhavgarh National Park if you are dead set on including an all-day permit.

Also, be aware that in Ranthambhore National Park, the game viewing times are shorter in the morning than those of Bandhavgarh National Park. It is for this reason we choose to host our own photographic safaris in Bandhavgarh National Park.

It’s important to note that, with the density of tigers, this also comes with an equally high density of tourists, and as Ranthambhore is much closer to Delhi, it can get very busy on weekends.

If you are looking for alternative parks that are often a little quieter, then Kanha, Pench, and Tadoba are also good locations, and Kanha can also be combined well with Bandhavgarh National Park.

Best months to see wild tigers

Once you have selected your location, think very carefully about your time of year to visit. Most of the parks are closed in the monsoon months, usually closing by the end of June and not reopening until October.

After the monsoon, the vegetation in the parks is a lush green and a fabulous contrast to the beautiful colors of the tiger. However, bear in mind that the months following the monsoon mean the vegetation can also be very dense, making tigers potentially harder to spot.

Also following the monsoon, there is a great deal more ‘standing water’ and pools deep in the forests. This means that tigers have less reason to come to the main waterholes, which are located near forest road tracks.

So, effectively, during this time of the year, do potentially expect fewer sightings than the prime months I make mention of below.

On the contrary, however, this time of the year offers the benefit of generally fewer tourists and so can be much quieter than the ‘premium’ months listed below.

If you are looking to really maximize the best opportunity to see tigers, then the drier months of April and May (and into June) really are your best options and why we also choose to lead our own photographic safaris at this time of the year.

Each year we have visited in this period has produced outstanding photographic opportunities.

By April and May, many of the trees and shrubs have lost their leaves, making spotting tigers easier. With these dry months also come intense heat, upwards of 35–40 degrees Celsius and sometimes higher.

Whilst this time of the year is hot, it provides a huge draw of increasing the likelihood of tigers being more visible and coming to the much larger waterholes (some artificial) that have not dried up.

The intense heat also means that the months of April and May really are fantastic times of the year to find the beautiful tigers lounging in the waterholes to cool off.

This is the number one draw for this time of year and, in turn, provides outstanding photographic opportunities. You will find most photographic groups opt for this time of the year for this very reason. If you can bear the heat, April and May are some of the best times to go.

If heat is a big factor you want to avoid, then look to travel in the winter months of around December to February.

During this time of the year, it can be very cold, but bear in mind this can come with the drawback of fewer sightings (though the bonus factor is fewer tourists).

Read more: Wildlife Photography – Understanding Animal Behaviour for Better Images

Full day or half day permits?

National parks such as Bandhavgarh National Park allow all-day permits, and you may be considering if this is worth doing.

The first thing to know is that these need to be booked far in advance, as there are only a handful of permits issued daily for this purpose. They are also very costly.

As mentioned above, the months of April, May, and even June, can be extremely hot. These are the prime months for seeing tigers in the water, so it can be a good opportunity to take a full-day pass for when the tigers lounge in the water.

Unlike the morning and afternoon permits, which are booked in a dedicated zone, the full-day permit also allows you to transit across the three core zones in Bandhavgarh during one day.

The full-day permit also bags you a slightly earlier entry into the park and allows you to stay in all day, so once the parks close late morning and until mid-afternoon, there is a period in which the number of vehicles is dramatically reduced.

However, it is by no means imperative to book an all-day permit just to see tigers in the water. The chance of seeing this behavior is also very high on both morning and especially afternoon game drives.

Lastly, it’s worth bearing in mind if you can indeed stand the high temperatures of these months on an all-day permit, so something to consider when weighing up if this is the best option for you.

Read more: 8 Tips for Taking Creative Photos on Safari

Joining a photo group or independently arranged trip

My advice for any photographer would be to consider joining an organized group. There are a raft of reasons for this, and many of them center around what can be a complex booking procedure for Indian safaris unless you are using a local and very well-trusted agent.

By joining a group, you will eradicate any complexities over the rigid permit system, which needs to be secured well in advance.

A good photo tour operator will be timing any tour for the best months and parks to visit and using their past experience to do so, and in the best zones.

In addition, prior to booking any permits, a good operator will also be paying close attention to tiger sightings in particular zones prior to the permit booking process. Thus, when booking for their own tours, they will be factoring this in when booking permits.

This information and experience are worth their weight in gold.

The tipping system can also be somewhat complex, and joining a group will remove this complexity as your tour host/leader will handle this.

Joining a dedicated photo tour will also ensure you are not placed in a vehicle that crams in six people, as any good photo tour operator would cap the number in cars to around 3-4 people.

Dedicated tour companies that provide tiger photography tours will also usually ensure English-speaking drivers are provided, and your leaders will manage positioning at sightings with them.

This is a factor that can be a challenge if you have booked with a lodge directly and your guide does not speak English, which can happen.

There are many people who will offer you a safari, but be sure you are booking with someone with experience.

Also, if you are from the UK and your tour involves flights, make sure this company and your booking are covered by ATOL, and also that your monies are held in secure funds and insured for supplier failure insurance, thus complying with the 2018 Package and Travel Regulations.

If they are not, your money may not be protected.

Whilst you may find a dedicated photo tour is more expensive than arranging independently, it is highly recommended to take the organized tour option, as it will pay dividends on the final product and even the quality of your sightings.

Read more: Do You Need Camera Insurance as a Photographer?

What to take

A safari in India is very different from that in Africa, and one of the prime differences is the vehicles used, which is important to be aware of when planning your photographic adventure and especially when choosing your kit to take.

The game vehicles used are usually small ‘gypsy’ style vehicles. Whilst these technically take six people, ensure you look for a tour that has no more than three, and an absolute maximum of four people in the vehicle.

Because the vehicles are much smaller, we suggest avoiding taking any large camera bags in the vehicle; this will simply reduce the room available. Often, tiger sightings can happen with no notice, so keeping your camera handy at all times is imperative.

Those few minutes getting your kit out of your bag can mean you miss that vital shot.

So, keep your camera out and keep it in a good dustproof bag, making it available to shoot at a moment’s notice.

There is not always a mount or platform for your beanbag to stabilize large lenses in the vehicles, so you may want to consider taking a monopod to handhold those heavy bits of glass.

The lenses you would generally take for an India tiger safari are very similar to those you would have in your kit bag for an African safari. Lenses that have wide apertures are highly recommended for times when photographing in low light.

A zoom lens would be highly beneficial as tigers can be seen at a distance or sometimes very close to your vehicle. So, having the capability of capturing a shot far and also close with one lens is recommended to avoid multiple lens changes in what can often be very dusty conditions.

For example, something in the range of 100-400/500mm would be recommended.

Prime lenses of 300mm, up to 600mm, would also be recommended, especially those at f/2.8 and f/4. If you have an extender, also pop that in your bag for those distant shots.

It’s also well recommended to bring a lens that can capture landscapes. Some of the India parks are beautiful and really allow some lovely landscape or environmental shots.

Read more: Safari Photography – The Essential Gear Guide

Other useful advice

If you’re traveling in the hot months of April and May, it would be well worth having these extra items in your bag to make those hot days more comfortable.

• A cooling necktie or cooling towel is highly recommended;
• Take a buff/scarf with you to protect from dust;
• A hat is essential. The game vehicles do not have canopies to protect you from the sun, so pack that wide-brimmed hat;
• Sun cream!

Tips for tiger photography

Tigers will generally be more mobile at dawn and dusk, and during these times the light can be low, so you may wish to be armed with a lens with a wide aperture.

Tigers, like many of the big cats, like to use the tracks to transit. It is both quieter than walking through leaves crunching in the forest and also reduces the chance of getting thorns in their paws.

They sometimes also favor lying in the tracks as it can be cooler. So, if you find a tiger lying on the track, consider using the shape or line of the road as a leading line, bringing it into your shot rather than resisting it.

If you are photographing in the intense heat of the day and especially when photographing tigers in the water, be aware of heat haze. Get as close to the subject as possible by using your longest lens.

Heavy post-processing cropping can exaggerate heat haze, and using a polarizer can often also assist.

If you cannot avoid the heat haze, this can often be rectified with some minor adjustments in your editing phase afterwards by using some dehaze, clarity, contrast, and also tweaking your ‘blacks’.

As tigers live in forested areas, there are also often great opportunities to shoot your subject low-key. So, keep an eye on opportunities that may allow this – a lighting technique that can be adopted at any time of the day.

Look for opportunities where your subject is in shafts of light and ideally aided by a dark background. If so, you have a great potential scene to capture some creative low-key shots and really make your images stand out from the crowd.

Don’t fight against the vegetation; use it creatively and as part of your storytelling. There may be cases where the tiger is potentially obscured by vegetation or only certain features are visible. If this is the case, don’t put your camera down; think about some creative compositions.

Use the vegetation to effectively frame the tiger, or go in tight with your longest lens to isolate a certain part of the tiger – the eye, the paws, etc.

Whilst it is not something you may want to do on your first tiger shoot, also consider panning your tiger. The stripes and the contrast to the vegetation mean tigers are a fantastic subject to pan.

If you are holding a long and heavy lens without any way to stabilize, don’t forget to bump up that shutter speed to combat any shake from both excitement and any movement in the vehicle.

Whilst it is easy to get consumed with photographing tigers, also remember the other amazing wildlife that is likely to be on offer. For example, the langur monkeys make incredible subjects to photograph, along with many bird species.

Read more: 7 Tips for Taking High-Key and Low-Key Photography on Safari

In conclusion

It is fair to say that tiger photography will always be a fantastic experience, especially when you see your first wild tiger.

The tiger’s majestic grace and power can be felt as you raise your camera to capture that lifelong memory. All the while, the sounds of the jungle are alarm calling the tiger’s presence, adding to the anticipation and excitement.

The days are long and hot, but a trip to India to photograph tigers in the wild should be on any photographer’s bucket list, and by following these useful tips, you too could be up close and personal with the world’s biggest cat.