INTO THE WILD

Photographer Yashas Narayan specialises in capturing the beauty of Asiatic wildlife with special focus on the big cats. As told to Shashwat Tyagi

- Shashwat Tyagi

The forests are most beautiful during the change of seasons. 

For photographer Yashas Narayan, who has been the subject of a Discovery Channel feature film for his stunning wildlife photography, the period of transition from summer to monsoon is magical when the rains bring new life to the brown and dry jungles and makes them lush green.

"The lush green backdrops and divine golden light creates great photo opportunities. The forests are alive with the sounds of cicadas and toads echoing through the tall trees. The rains bring new possibilities to get creative while making images," said Narayan, who hails from Mysore. He specialises in capturing the beauty of Asiatic wildlife, with a particular focus on big cats like tigers and black panthers.

As a child, Narayan would accompany his parents to wildlife sanctuaries where he once saw a tiger chase a leopard up a tree.. Now at 31, he is known for his exceptional skills of tracking big cats, and offers dedicated forest treks in pursuit of these majestic animals.

"There is a single black panther in the Nagarhole forest that I have been studying for years," said Narayan. "Leopards and black panthers are my favourite animals. They are smart, elusive and most challenging to track. They lead a life of refugees in their own land, which is dominated by tigers. 

They are the most adaptable; we see them in the jungles, villages and in cities like Mumbai. They are also stunning with sleek bodies, rosette pattern, long whiskers and green eyes." 

A lot of effort goes into taking pictures in the wild. Finding subjects are not easy, especially big cats.

"On safaris, we have to check every tree for a leopard's hanging tail and paws, while keeping an eye on the bushes below for tigers. The jungle keeps giving us clues about presence of big cats in the form of pug marks and alarm calls.