Enraptured by the flora and fauna of his native India, a wildlife photographer has taken a stunning series of photos of creatures hiding in their natural habitats. Some are such masters of camouflage, they are almost impossible to spot.
Hobby photographer Hardik Shelat, 35, lives in Ahmedabad in western India where he was born and raised. Armed with his Canon camera, binoculars, and a tripod, he travels throughout India to enjoy nature’s bounty and seek out one-of-a-kind photo opportunities in his free time.
An encounter with Indian scops owls during monsoon season in Palanpur, Gujarat, is one of Shelat’s favorite experiences to date.
“We were there for our regular birding trip, searching for different birds in their habitats since six in the morning,” he told The Epoch Times. “That was the time they generally became very active. But unfortunately, on that day, we [didn’t have] any birds.”
The heavy rains and diminished sunlight inhibited the birds’ normal activity, Shelat said. But after walking almost 15 miles (25 kilometers) into the forest, his group saw a flurry of activity in a large, old tree.
“While searching for kingfishers, I hear the call of an owl,” he said. “Initially I assumed it was a spotted owl, but after hearing for some time I found that this was another species of owl. ... We passed that tree almost four times before I found them.”
Shelat spent two hours in the large tree, trying to locate the source of the owl call, eventually spying two tiny Indian scops owls peeping out of a hole in a huge tree branch nearby.
“They were watching us but I wasn’t able to find them,” Shelat said. “I found them with binoculars, and then I managed to capture them with the support of a tripod. Initially, it was a really bad day for me, but after finding them it was one of the memorable days. ... I felt really overwhelmed on that day.”
Photographing masters of camouflage is particularly hard since these animals “melt themselves” into their surroundings, he said; and achieving a winning shot requires myriad attempts every time.
Many of Shelat’s photo subjects are nocturnal, which requires scouting for them at dawn, dusk, or under cover of darkness. “Binoculars first, then I manage to find them,” he said. “You need to identify their behavior and activities first to spot them in this type of habitat.”
Besides the adorable scops owls, Shelat has snapped Indian leopards in Rajasthan in the winter, Royal Bengal tigers napping and cooling themselves in summer in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and a jungle cat hiding in the beautiful grasslands of Gujarat.
Some of these animals are tough for the inexperienced to spot!
The photographer works for an ICICI Bank by day and has been a wildlife photographer since 2014—a passion sparked by nature walks.
“During my walks, I used to capture nature’s beauty, but have been inclined to click different candid moments of birds and animals. Gradually I nurtured my passion, started investing more time, as well as effort, visiting various national parks, sanctuaries, and forests,” he said.
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