Join Dhir Jakharia as he explores the art of photography, sharing essential techniques, social media strategies, editing tips, and personal mindset insights from his experiences as a photographer
My scariest wildlife encounter...
|
I was 18. It was an early morning. And I had no idea what was about to happen. It was dark. The sun hadn't risen yet. We set out on safari, and went directly to the last evening's sighting's location. It was a lion couple mating. Luckily, we found them. No cars. Just us. It was quite dark, so we managed to spot them with our vehicle's headlights. When I saw it, I noticed the moon above the couple. A full moon! Just seconds after we arrived, the couple started doing its thing - mating. I knew it lasts a few seconds only, lol, but the full moon was situated right above them! It was an epic composition, and I knew I had to try capture this before the king's stamina runs out. I switched my camera on. Surprise surprise, my camera settings were based off of the last evening's light. Remember, it is still quite dark, and the moment was going on. Not caring about my settings, I bumped my ISO settings up to probably 128000. As I am trying to find the couple in my camera, all of a sudden, something happens. Dennis, my guide, foots on the accelerator. We sped off forward In those milliseconds of us moving forward, my back hit the seat from the sudden speed. I looked on my left, where the couple was supposed to be. I'll never forget this sight. I just saw an outline of the lion, under the moonlight, running towards me. It continued for a few seconds, then stopped. Dennis stopped the car, at a far distance from the lion, and we just took a moment to process that. He told me that was a crazy lion. I obviously agreed. He said it might have taken me from the car. I don't know how true that is, but the fact that it chased us, was already crazy. Later, I found out that that lion was part of a pride that was responsible for killing a 14 year old Maasai boy just months ago. Usually, the Maasai (local tribe), take their cows for grazing inside the national reserve, full of predators. Apparently, this boy set out to the park to graze his cows. Then, he fell asleep. Honest child's mistake. He never woke up. The thing about big cats, once they taste a specific type of blood, they crave it more. So that makes them a little crazy. No wonder this lion's body language was always off whenever we sighted him. Normally, animals don't see the humans inside the vehicle - but rather think of the entire vehicle as one large object. Probably a moving elephant or something? Maybe this one was able to distinguish the humans? Or he was craving blood? Or he saw humans as a threat? I don't know. Anyway, his eyes were always wide open, and he never seemed to relax. Safari vehicle always kept a distance from him. This day, to make matters worse, he was mating. A testosterone filled beast. I pondered on that scene for some time, and wondered if it was my last day, or was it exaggerated? I truly don't know. But at that moment, I was scared for my life. After we'd driven off, our adrenaline filled selves tried to understand what happened. Dennis told me something that stuck with me. He told me that his hand was fixed onto the ignition keys the entire time - as a precaution. Great anticipation. Kudos to him. If he was 3 seconds late, I wonder what could have happened. That's the thing about being in the bush. You can prepare all you want, have the best guide, camera gear, vehicle, etc. But none of that matters if you don't understand the animals. At the end of the day, these are wild animals and we are at their homes. They can be very unpredictable. I was just 18 at that time. I have learned a lot since then, and I'm grateful to have that experience that humbles me whenever photographing wild animals. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying don't get close. You can, but there is a specific way to do it; with respect. Has to be guided by an expert. Respect the animal, no matter how familiar the environment starts to feel. If you'd like to experience this - without the lion almost taking you from the car - message me. Here are my next group photo tours: 2026:
2027:
If you'd like a private tour, highly customised for you/your group. Feel free to respond to this email. Until next time, Dhir |
Photography with Dhir
Join Dhir Jakharia as he explores the art of photography, sharing essential techniques, social media strategies, editing tips, and personal mindset insights from his experiences as a photographer
'The perfect image doesn't need any editing.' The biggest lie in photography. Today, there is a massive misconception that the perfect photograph doesn't need any editing. Wait till you see the shock when you tell a non-photographer that all professional photographers edit their images. Photograhy isn’ just about capturing the moment. Perhaps for journalists and ‘naturalists’ it is. But if photography means more to you than just capturing the moment, then this is for you. If you’re also a...
There's one major difference between a tourist photographer and a serious wildlife photographer. It's the angle. It has a significant impact on how an image looks, and we'll explore what kind of potential an image can bring from just a shift in the angles. Today, I'll try to change your perspective on...well perspective. High Angle: This is probably the worst angle you can take a wildlife photo in. It's above eye level, when you see the back of an animal facing you. These are shots you take...
At 23, I've grieved a dream, lost someone irreplaceable, had my heart broken, and had to kill off an entire version of myself just to keep growing. This is that story. Before photography, I wanted to be a footballer my whole life. I grew up in a small town in Kenya, where weekends were either spent with one friend, or alone at home. YouTube, cartoons, FIFA, playing football by myself in the backyard, that was my life. And honestly, I was fine with it. I had one dream and everything pointed...