Behind the Lens

a blog every Friday on a specific species of animal or bird and stories of photos

Search for a specific species, genre or even a location or use the directory for a complete list of species I have photographed and written about till date.

Bansilalpet Stepwell

The Bansilalpet Stepwell (Naganah Kunta) is a six-level baoli or stepwell in close proximity to the centuries old Hussain Sagar Lake. Much of its history has disappeared with the passage of time but its architectural features stylistically date it to over 300 years old. The Pharaoh & Co. mentions the well as Naganah Kunta in their 1954 map of Secunderabad as part of a garden of tamarind and palmyra trees during the British period. Later, in the 1930’s, a Britisher - T.H. Keyes - developed the area and the project was funded by local businessman Seth Bansilal, after whom the stepwell came to be known.

This is the first chapter in finding the Stepwells of the Deccan series in collaboration with the Rainwater Project.

#wildartworks, #canon, #1DxMkII, #7DMark2, #EF1635f4LIS, #EF2470f4LIS, #landscape, #landscapes, #Cityscapes, #LongExposure, #LongExposures, #Syrp, #SyrpGeniMini2,#PromediagearTR424L, #LightandShadow, #NightScapes, #BreakthroughPhotography, #sunset, #holygrailtimelapse, #timelapse, #timelapseplusview, #bulbramping, #Hyderabad, #CityLights, #Bansilalpet, #BansilalpetStepwell, #Stepwell, #17thCentury, #Renovated, #SethBansilal, #Secunderabad, #HistoricalMonument, #Landmark, #HistoricalLandmark, #17thcenturystepwell, #therainwaterproject, #bhoigudalandmark, #hyderabadhistory, #groudnwaterconservation, #rainwaterconservation, #baoli, #nagannakunta, #subterraneanheritagestructure, #hyderabadsubterraneanheritagestructure, #sustainability, #BreakthroughPhotographyX4ND, #PolarProPeterMckinnonVND, #MomentCinebloom, #momentfilters, #tiffenfilter, #tiffenglimmerglass, #tiffen, #tiffenblacksatin, #telanganahistory,

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Indian Silverbill/ White-throated Munia

The Indian Silverbill or White-throated Munia is a small, long-tailed finch with a chunky body and short, stout bill. It is gray-brown above & pale below with a whitish rump and black-pointed tail. It is highly sociable and is found in semidesert, scrub, and dry woodland but also proliferates in urban areas. Distribution is centered on the Indian subcontinent and it is a popular cage bird and feral populations are widespread.

#wildartworks #canon #Wildlife #wildlifephotography #telanganabirds #natgeoindia #conservationphotography #indian_wildlifes #indianwildlifeofficial #wildlifeonearth #planet_untamed_magazine #bbcearth #natgeowild #birdsofthedeccan #hyderabadbirds #lakesofhyderabad #ameenpur, #biodiversityheritagesite, #HyderabadBiodiversity, #heritagesite, #ameenpurlake, #ancientmanmadelake, #manmadelake, #indiansilverbill, #silverbill, #whitethroatedmunia, #munia,

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Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Shambhu

Scion of Wagdoh, Shambhu is one of four gladiators waiting in the wings in the Junona - Adegaon - Dewada - Agarzari range; Chota Dhadiyal, Taru & Paras the other three. The stage is set for some significant battles as each of these approach their age of dominance. The first skirmish was with Taru on 4th December with Shambhu emerging the winner.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #canon, #tiger, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #maharashtra, #Tadoba, #Dewada, #Adegaaon, #DewadaGate, #pantheratigris, #bengaltiger, #royalbengaltiger, #bigcats, #tadobatiger, #gladiatoroftaru, #wagdoh, #waghdoh, #wagdohcub, #Shambhu, #shambhumaletiger, #shambhutiger,

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Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Taru

The first gladiator we encountered in this enchanted realm of Gondwana was Taru (T-185) himself - a magnificent male tiger about 6/7 years old and ready to make his move into the light of fame and glory.  

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #canon, #tiger, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #maharashtra, #Tadoba, #Dewada, #Adegaaon, #DewadaGate, #pantheratigris, #bengaltiger, #royalbengaltiger, #bigcats, #taru, #tarumale, #tadobatiger, #Shivanjhari, #Kolsa, #Shindewahi, #Navegaon, #KhatodaGate, #tarumaletiger,

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Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

W-mark Female

The W-mark female of the Adegaon - Dewada range traces her lineage back to some illustrious tigers through the generations. She was born to Bajrang and Lara of Telia Sisters fame. We saw her daintily stepping out from the brush directly in front of us about a kilometre north of the ancient step well of Adegaon almost halfway to the Adegaon-Dewada-Agarzari Gate.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #canon, #tiger, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #maharashtra, #Tadoba, #Dewada, #Adegaaon, #DewadaGate, #pantheratigris, #bengaltiger, #royalbengaltiger, #bigcats, #Wmark, #wmarkfemale, #tadobatiger, #tigress, #Bajrang, #Lara

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Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

C2

The Adegaon - Dewada - Agarzari range is home to a number of powerful male tigers - Paras, Taru and Shambhu who have made this range their home, Chota Dhadiyal who ranges from Dewada and Junona all the way up to the Tadoba range in the north, C1 and C2 who range between here and the Kolsa Range to the east.

Our time today is with the 4 year old C2 who was sired by the great Khali (T50), also known as the coal mines male, and Sharmili.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #canon, #tiger, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @globalcapture, #maharashtra, #trackingwildlife, #tracking, #Tadoba, #Dewada, #DewadaGate, #pantheratigris, #scentmarking, #flemengrimace, #Flehmenresponse, #bengaltiger, #royalbengaltiger, #bigcats, #C2, #C2Male, #tadobatiger

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Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Nilgai

The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) (/ˈnilˌɡaɪ/, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest antelope of Asia, and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus Boselaphus.

It is a sturdy thin-legged antelope, characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. Females and juveniles are orange to tawny while adult males have a bluish-grey coat and possess horns. Read on.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #canon, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @globalcapture, #maharashtra, #tipeshwar, #SunnaGate, #Nilgai, #bluecow, #antelope, #largestantelope, #Boselaphus, #bluebuck,

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Photographing Fireworks

Why are fireworks so mesmerising? The sudden, bright, moving sparks they emit are compelling to watch and seem mysterious because we’re so unused to light of that type travelling directly into our eyes. In general, the colours we see are created by light bouncing off the reflective surfaces of objects around us. As we encounter this reflected light all the time, we’ve become very good at unscrambling the colours in our brain and, as a result, anything different can seem other worldly. This could be why other sources of moving light, like shooting stars and fireflies, are also thought of as magical.

People are fascinated by pyrotechnics. In an age when highly-polished and sophisticated computer generated images are the norm, a live firework display feels like ‘border country’. It’s a rare mix of controlled, careful choreography with that exciting sense that anything might happen. For, while almost all large displays are fired electrically, once that electrical pulse is turned into fire, the device is unstoppable. It’s a hypnotic cocktail of science and spectacle, raw power and beauty, colour and noise.

#WildArt.Works, #Canon, #Photography, #Nightscapes, #Landscapes, #Fireworks, #LongExposurePhotography, #FireworkPhotography, #LightTrails, #Celebrations, #EventPhotography, #Cityscapes, #Skyline, #Singapore, #NDP, #CNYFireworks, #MarinaBay,

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