Filming in Wild India

Filming wildlife with Canon Cinema C300 Mark II

2016-01-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

Filming Wildlife with Canon Cinema C300 Mark II

I recently tried the Canon Cinema C300 Mark II to test its suitability for wildlife and low light filming. I have been using the Canon Cinema C300 Mark I since 2012 and was eager to test the Mark II version.

The Canon Cinema C300 Mark II camera is priced at a hefty $16000 US dollars.

I found the 4K files of the C300 Mark II to be highly detailed. The dynamic range is good even in the c-log. According to Canon the C-log 2 has got 15 stops of dynamic range.

For more check the attached video review.

On the Brink: Bee-eaters of Naguvanahalli

2015-05-12T02:26:00.001-07:00

On the Brink: Bee-eaters of Naguvanahalli

We often hear the sounds of these tiny, bright coloured birds and if we are fortunate see them holding a bee in their beaks. These are global citizens and their needs take them far and wide.

During the breeding season starting with April, these blue-tailed bee-eaters visit parts of India and find out suitable habitat on river banks. Unlike many other birds, these bee-eaters are ground nesting birds. The chick is fed with bees regularly till it is able to hunt on its own. Every year they return during the breeding season. This has been continuing for eons. Unfortunately they don't know that our concept of development means taking over all those river fronts and "developing" or concretising those.

This film was done in a small sleepy village called Naguvanahalli near Srirangapatna, mysore.

Sharing a short film, all of 3 mins keeping in mind the busy schedules of our viewers. You may click on this link to view "On the Brink: Bee-eaters of Naguvanahalli" https://youtu.be/tqocpyGA3GA

Save the Himalaya

2015-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Save the Himalaya

Two years ago I was filming in Uttarakhand in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary when the first landslides started. I immediately knew that something is wrong and then came back to Rudraprayag. The next day the sky was clear and it didn't rain. So I stayed back a day and then went to a near by village called Gauchar to interview a woman whose grand son was carried away by a leopard. Though I felt like going to Pauri region, but something deep within me was telling me to get out of the place.

I drove back to Delhi in my trusted Tata Safari. Within three days, nature showed us its violent side and swept away many a bridge, building, roads and villages. Thousands of people perished. Even today skeletons are being found.

In this times when the memory of people is extremely short and attention span even shorter, I am sharing a short video that I had done to make people aware. Please view it here or in youtube at the following link: https://youtu.be/aDIGMh_rA54

Wild India: Wandering with Camels

2015-03-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Rann of Kutch: Wandering with Camels

Sharing a short video of from my explorations in Rann of Kutch. Technically this short video is not of wildlife, as I have focused on Camels. I shot this while taking break from the intense midday heat of the december sun. Yes, it was december and Kutch like any other desert landscape is very hot during day tiime.

These camels can drink about 70-100 litres of water at one go. This helps regulate their body temperature. The maldharis who manage these camel herds are poor folks. They drink the milk and tea. They hardly have anything else to eat. The camel milk is to be drunk fresh.

Do let me know after watching this:

You can also click this link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/va4pNemgHVU

This was shot with a Canon Cinema C300 camera at 1080p. More of this series will be posted later.

Wild India: Jungle Cat

2015-03-07T23:46:00.001-08:00

The Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) like all other cats appear cute on first sight. The jungle cat is difficult to sight in the wild, however they are not threatened. They can often be seen looking for prey during the day time.

They are not only found in the forest, but also can be found in swamps and other wetlands and can also be seen near human habitations if there is a wetland nearby. They do inbreed with domestic cats. Barrings on the flanks, pointed ears, tuft of hair on the ear tip, black bands on the tail tip are some of the identifying marks.

Unfortunately, due to reclaiming of wetlands for real estate purposes, the jungle cat is increasingly losing its habitat and is getting wiped out. According to IUCN redlist their population trend is decreasing.

This footage was shot in 1080 at 24p.

Changeable Hawk Eagle on Kill

2015-03-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Changeable Hawk Eagle on Kill

Sharing a short video of a Changeable Hawk eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) eagle with its kill. I was in Kabini ie. Nagarhole National Park in India and was in search of leopards. This Changeable hawk eagle was perched on a tree infront of us and then suddenly it dived to the ground. Thinking that it would have caught some prey, we moved ahead and the eagle landed on a nearby tree with the rodent kill.

The Changeable hawk eagle then proceeded to strip the fur of its prey and after eating cleaned its beak by rubbing it on the tree. It defecated and then flew off.

Without these birds of prey the rodent population would have exploded. We should have enough trees so that these birds can perch and then hunt the rats.

This was shot with a Canon Cinema C300 camera in 1080p at25 fps.

Wild Tiger

2014-12-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Wild Tigers

With each passing day, the number of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in the wild is coming down due to poaching and loss of habitat. The demand for tiger skin and other body parts emanating from China has become a very lucrative proposition for various people as the loopholes in the prosecution process doesn't come as a deterrent.

Habitat loss due to construction of large dams, canals, land grabbing and the fragmentation of habitat by roads has resulted in very less space for the tigers. The population of their prey like deers, sambars, wild boars etc also get reduced impacting the tigers. Sharing some footage of wild tigers so that you all can enjoy.

Wild India: Gaur Fights

2014-12-17T06:32:00.003-08:00

Wild India: Gaur Fights

Gaurs are mistakenly known as Bison. Belonging to the Genus Bos (scientific name: Bos gaurus), the gaurs are the world's largest cattle. Ofcourse they are wild and don't allow close approach. An adult male can weigh more than a ton and measured over its shoulder it stands 6 feet high.

Normally the gaurs don't fight bloody battles with each other. They just present their side profile to their opponent and based on the size the opponent doesn't proceed. In this short video titled Wild India: Gaur Fights, you can see two gaurs jostling with each other. This was shot in very low light, during dawn. The sun was yet to arise.

Share this to raise awareness and spread the love for the wild.

Wild India: Elephant fights

2014-11-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

Wild India: Elephant Fights

Elephants test their strength with each other and then remember these victories and defeats which help them assess their rivals in future battles. Elephants often come in conflict with each other when they aspire to mate with the same female elephant. These jostling also helps them learn tactics for future battles. If an elephant misses a trick then the other can just gore it with its tusk.

During these battles, the elephants often bite each others tail and as a result one finds elephants with broken tails. One can see that behaviour in this video of Asiatic Elephants pushing and shoving each other. This was filmed in Kaziranga National Park, India.

Indian One horned Rhino

2014-11-20T03:19:00.001-08:00

Wild India: Indian One horned rhino

The Indian One Horned Rhino is now mainly found in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. It is also found in Jaldapara. A few had been shifted to Dudhwa National Park more than two decades ago.

Highly endangered because of poaching. It's horn is mistakenly believed to cure a host of problems including virility in men. Sadly every year they fall prey to poachers bullets.

Love in the Wild

2014-11-19T00:15:00.000-08:00

We often feel that it is only humans who are capable of loving others. We have coined terms like love, compassion, caring, affection etc. However, the amount of violence we unleash at each other is unthinkable. A mother beats her kid for not listening to her or for not coming first in class etc etc. Whereas, in the wild, an animal shows infinitely more patience in teaching her offspring.

With daily dose of violence, rape and murder dominating our newspaper headlines everyday, I thought of creating a short depicting the unalloyed love and affection displayed by our wild animals. May be we can learn from them?

Preview of "Leopards: The Last Stand"

2013-04-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

Leopards: The Last Stand

The making of "Leopards: The Last Stand" looks at the leopards living outside protected areas in close proximity to human habitations. In some areas, people are tolerant of the leopards as they have seen them since their childhood days. In other areas, people are intolerant and kill the leopards whenever they sight them.

This 8 min preview has been shot with a Canon Cinema EOS C300 camera and also examines the impact of this camera in my getting those shots.

I hope we can save our magnificent leopards.

Scavengers

2013-03-01T03:25:00.001-08:00

Scavengers is a short film to examine and document the scavengers in action and understand the impact. In this close to 4 minute short film you will see wild boars eating carcass followed by feral dogs and only then jackals get a chance. You will also see rare scenes of porcupine scavenging in garbage...

Our feral dog population has increased and they are impacting our wildlife by outcompeting them. In the film you can clearly see it. Most of us are concerned when we see a street dog, however, if we feed them then they become stronger and out compete the wildlife.

Entangled

2012-08-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

Wild India under threat: Illegal fishing in Wild India

After a break posting again. Today I will share a short film that I did to highlight the plight of a crocodile caught in fishing net in Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Cauvery river.

Illegal fishing is impacting our rivers a lot. People use dynamite to kill fishes. Use of dynamite results in sudden drop of the oxygen level and immediately the fishes die. The big fishes gasp for breath and float on the surface. People then catch them.

Fishermen also fish illegally in areas where fishing is not allowed. Normally fishing is not allowed in the sanctuaries and in reserved forest areas. However fishermen illegally move in, at times in connivance with the forest officials and fish. They often discard their old nets in the waters. They don't realise the impact of such actions. I invite you all to watch this short film "Entangled"where an adult marsh crocodile or mugger is caught in a fishing net. I am sharing the HD version.

Illegal fishing in Wild India needs to be stopped.
Sabyasachi

Wild tiger footage from bandipur India

2012-05-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

Filming in India is much different than filming in other countries. The vast geography, the many different terrains, climatic conditions, species along with the different languages spoken by people makes it a big challenge in the field.

While many people are stunned by the beauty and the aura of the tiger and many films and documentaries have been done on tiger in India, not much has happened on other equally important species. That had led me to first document Lion-tailed Macaques, and then Grizzled Giant Squirrels.

To take a break from other activities, I went to bandipur and had a nice time with a tigress and her cubs.

Sharing an ungraded raw footage, just downsized. I had converted this earlier to show how good the new Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM lens was. I had used that lens to handhold and get this footage.

2012-04-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

Filming in Wild India

Filming in Wild India is an endeavour to document India's fast vanishing wilderness areas and wildlife and bring it infront of the masses to raise much needed awareness. I hope awareness can reduce the cynicism that is displayed by our politicians, industrialists, Government officials and the common man and help in saving wild india.

To start with I am sharing the preview of my film "A Call in the Rainforest". It took millions of years for these rainforests to evolve and in less than 150 years, the rainforests have been clearfelled for creating space for plantations, timber, human habitations, roads, dams etc. Today, the rainforests have been fragmented and its denizens are either wiped away or like the Lion-tailed Macaques - ekking out a precarious existence.

This was filmed in the Valparai range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in India.