“Missed it all cause they could not have been captured with merely a 70-200 lens”

It was supposed to be a routine day – a couple hours on flight, a couple hours on the road to our destined location and then take in the possibility of endless hours on boats and on foot hiking through a pristine limestone forests deep in Borneo. That was the plan.

Though it was a short two night expedition through the Kinabatangan river, there were more than many unexpected surprises from this somewhat over 500km river. Gleaming with life, this is the most immaculate places (in my books) for wildlife photography. Countless species of aves, mammals, reptiles and amphibians found here almost resemble paradise, an untouched land depicted by ancient travellers, where wildlife thrive without knowing the existence of man. Some of the great wildlife here includes hornbills, various kingfishers, darters, raptors, elephants, proboscis monkeys, orang utans, and saltwater crocks. Truly a wildlife Photographers heaven.

Though it was a shame to have missed out photographing the star subjects – it was a spectacular delight to have witnessed a large crock splash into the river with great might, elephants grazing in the fading light and proboscis monkeys feeding in the canopy – all from the safety of our small boat. Missed it all cause they could not have been captured with merely a 70-200 lens (slap forehead!)

I’m not sure when i will be back there again (hopefully soon) – all in all, it was a great ‘reccee’ trip to immerse & sample the richness of biodiversity in the Malaysian rainforest with wildlife conservationists that truly care for the greater good of our natural heritage.

We’ve been busy – now that’s a great thing. Taking off could be easy but staying up is quiet a task and that’s exactly what we’ve been ‘up’ to. We’ve been up till 5am last night, had two hours of sleep and back to work once again.

Most of our passions in photography is more than clicking the shutter. And going through wildlife images for a photo competition brings back fond and frustrating memories of which were the best times in my life. Fond for the shots we’ve nailed, frustrating for the shots that got away – but it doesn’t dampen my spirit – I take it as motivation to get better in what I love doing.

Wildlife photography boasts some of the best images worldwide and much appreciated by many. Wildlife photographers such as me spend weeks in the forest seeking the most illusive and sometimes almost impossible shots to execute. This makes the entire experience worth the while.

I see myself as a mercenary for that great shot and after a week in the wild, out of reach to the outside world – I was inflicted with the ‘Doolittle’ syndrome. I have found myself silently talking to wildlife in the forest, in hopes that they would understand me for me to get that shot. ‘Tilt to the light’, ‘turn around’, ‘smile for the camera’ (though it’s impossible for birds to smile – they have beaks)

5am – I was talking to my pictures – and I just told myself to smile.

-Sanjit-

*photo: Olmpus E-3 + 300mm 2.8 + 2x teleconverter

(Photographed handheld from a small rocky boat)

A good sign for photographers?

Ushering in the year of the Snake, it is said that…  “This 2013 year of Snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. Focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create.” – http://www.hanban.com/chinese-culture/chinese-zodiac/the-2013-year-snake.html

It’s unlikely to take a camera (which would have cost a lifetime of savings – or at least just mine) which has no weather sealing or any sort of protection whatsoever and furthermore a camera strap to the wild. Slippery by wet rugged terrains, unpredictable weather and every possible danger like twigs, branches and thorny bushes seem like flying daggers out of the forest tempted to make their mark on the camera – in this case, it’s the Phase One 645AF fitted with Schneider 80mm LS f/2.8 & the P30+ digital back.

Honestly, it was my sheer curiosity of how this camera would perform in wild that got me into a weekend spiral of hunting ferocious primates such as the stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides) also known as ‘bear macaque’ and river landscapes.

It is my first time working with a medium format camera, which is usually tucked comfortably in a studio – now in the big ‘wild’ world.

More to come…

He’s always aspired to be part of the elite. With various media coverage and shoots almost in all parts of Malaysia. He’s constantly on the prowl, and ever constantly wishing he’s out ‘there more’ often, hunting to photograph the best of Malaysian wildlife. Sanjit was hunted down for a special feature in the May issue of Persian Tourist Monthly (touristmy.com).

Persian Tourist Monthly – Vol04, No41, May2011

Online edition here…

http://www.touristmy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3304:1390-02-11-09-15-18&catid=96:1389-02-21-07-31-01&Itemid=290