April 2024 – LOOKBANGALORE

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Eddy Savage

Nat Hab’s Wild Side of China Photo Expedition is a spectacularly unique journey through renowned nature reserves and culturally significant sites. From an architectural and cultural perspective, we will spend time in large cities, small towns, ancient walled villages and remote high-altitude villages. From a nature and wildlife perspective, we will spend time in lush sub-tropical and higher altitude sub-alpine environments. The photographic subjects are incredibly interesting and varied throughout the trip. I’ve put together a few of my “must-haves” I take with me on every photo expedition I lead in China. Enjoy!

My Camera Gear for China’s Nature Reserves

This is a longer expedition with lots of walking and short hikes, and we move every couple of nights for most of the journey. I have tried several camera lens combinations over the years and found that simple and versatile is the way to go. I don’t want to be weighed down as we tackle our next hike, and I also don’t want to feel overwhelmed by my lens choices. Here is my typical camera setup:

Camera Body

Nikon Z6 (full-frame mirrorless)

Lenses

24-70mm f4 – If you’re ever on an expedition with me, this lens will become known as my “go-to” lens for day-to-day shooting. At 24mm, it’s wide enough to accomplish 99% of landscape shots and 99% of people, city and architecture shots. It’s small as well, so walking through crowded streets or even wearing it all day long on my camera harness isn’t a huge burden.
100-400mm f4.5-5.6 or similar – A telephoto lens with some flexibility goes a long way. When we are out searching for wildlife or birds, having the reach of a 400mm lens is wonderful. This range of lens is also typically a manageable size for travel. Another perk of a telephoto-zoom lens is using it to make some forced-perspective landscape photos, one of my favorites.

Now, with that said, this is by no means what you need for this expedition. I find this is what works for me. The age-old saying, “The best camera is the one you have with you,” goes a long way! Whatever system you end up bringing, my general recommendation is that you have the capability to shoot landscape (wide) and wildlife (telephoto).

Camera Accessory Recommendations for a China Nature Photo Expedition

Polarizing Filter

I will bring the polarizing filter for my 24-70mm lens. A good quality polarizing filter can be a wonderful addition to your kit. If used correctly, they can remove reflections from any non-metallic surfaces, such as the reflections of wet leaves or harsh sunlight reflecting off the surface of a lake. This allows for more vibrance and deeper/richer colors to prevail in your photography. It also reduces the amount of light reaching your image sensor and can help with blurring moving water when used with a tripod.

Neutral Density Filter (or Kit)

I started regularly using a Neutral Density Filter (ND-8 filter is my most versatile, but kits often come with several options) a couple of years ago because I was trying to achieve specific blurred water effects in some of my landscape photography. Essentially, all they will do is reduce the amount of light reaching your image sensor so you can lower your shutter speed to achieve these effects. I will only use these in conjunction with a tripod.

Travel Tripod

Having a tripod in the field can help you achieve some specific shots. I use mine most for capturing specific shots where I want to blur moving water, capture moving clouds or film a timelapse. Some of the mountain streams in the national nature reserves are perfect for this. Adding this effect to your images can add an entirely new element to your photo. Pair the tripod with a Neutral Density Filter or Polarizing Filter, and you can ensure your camera is still enough to get a sharp image while the water blurs. Anyhow, I only bring my tripod if I intend to try these more advanced types of photography, and I want to make sure it’s small enough to pack and carry easily.

Camera Harness / Strap

I don’t think my camera has had a “stock” neck strap on it for some 10 years or so. I find that these straps can become quite cumbersome and don’t secure the camera well enough for my liking. All the in-and-out of vehicles, walking up and down varying terrain, clothing layers, etc. I find I get tangled in the stock camera straps often. I also carry the camera for over 10 hours a day, so having something that takes the camera weight off my neck is ideal. I currently use a camera harness that secures my camera to my chest and straps it down so that even when bending over, it doesn’t move at all. Find what works best for you, and go with that!

Microfibre Towel (3ft x 2ft)

On a rainy day in the Great Bear Rainforest, I saw a colleague pull out this 3ft x 2ft microfibre towel and, in one swift motion, dried off all parts of their drenched camera and stowed it away in their bag. Since then, a medium-sized microfibre towel has lived in one of my pockets whenever I’m in the field. Whether it’s rain, snow, mist or a spill, having a solid absorbent cloth makes drying your precious camera gear a breeze. There’s always a chance of rain in the mountains of China, and a microfibre cloth is a great tool to carry with you!

These are the items I carry in my personal camera kit while on a photo expedition in China with Natural Habitat Adventures. It works for me, but it might not work for you! Whatever gear you bring on this expedition, make sure you’ve tried it out at home and are somewhat familiar with its workings. And don’t forget to take lots of pictures!

The post What’s in My Camera Bag? Wild Side of China Photo Expedition first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.

In the autumn of 1973, wilderness writer and naturalist Peter Matthiessen joined preeminent field biologist George Schaller high in Nepal’s Himalayan Mountains on a journey that would soon become legendary. While Schaller was there to study the mating habits of the bharal, or Himalayan blue sheep, Matthieseen was on a quest for spiritual enlightenment. That is, a quest coupled with the hope of glimpsing one of the region’s most elusive animals: the snow leopard.

This strenuous two-month expedition resulted in one of Matthiessen’s best-known and award-winning books, The Snow Leopard—a work that still enlightens and inspires readers today.

It’s no secret that big cats stir imaginations, from the majestic lions of Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the jaguar, a large and spotted feline that holds court over South America’s Pantanal. And snow leopards are no exception. For a long time, so little was known about these shy and solitary creatures that inhabit Earth’s uppermost reaches that they took on an almost mythical status. Local residents call them the “gray ghost” or the “ghost of the mountains” because they’re so rarely seen.

In fact, when Matthiessen embarked on his expedition, only two Westerners had reported seeing a snow leopard over the previous 25 years. One of those Westerners was Schaller, who was also the first to capture a snow leopard on film. In 1971, his photos appeared in the pages of National Geographic, giving the world its first opportunity to view this fabled being in its natural habitat.

The Elusive Snow Leopard

Getting a photo of a wild snow leopard is no easy task, although it’s been made much easier in recent years. Spotters and master trackers know exactly where to look and what to look for, such as fresh scat, snow-embedded tracks and even marking patterns.

Since Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard was first published in 1978, a lot has been learned about these shy and solitary creatures. They can reach up to seven feet in length and weigh anywhere from 60 to 120 pounds. They roam mostly at dawn in the pre-morning hours, then again in the afternoons and evenings.

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Due to a difference in their anatomical structure, snow leopards can’t actually roar, though they do chuff, purr and growl. They move about quietly, preferring steep, snow-covered mountainsides high above the treelines, in places where the air is thin and the weather often relentless. Their thick fur—colored whitish to gray with black spots and rosettes along the neck, head, and back—easily camouflages them within the landscape, making them extremely difficult for the average eye to see.

Where to See Snow Leopards in the Wild

According to the Snow Leopard Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the snow leopard, there are believed to be between 3,900 and 6,400 wild snow leopards left around the world, though the actual number remains unknown. They inhabit a large swath of alpine and subalpine terrain that traverses 12 countries in northern and central Asia, including Mongolia, Afghanistan and Bhutan.

Schaller captured his now-famous photos in Pakistan’s Chitral Valley—another place snow leopards are known to frequent—and dozens of them roam freely in Russia’s Altai Mountains, at the convergence of China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. However, one of the best places for spotting them is in India’s Ladakh territory, part of the larger Himalayan mountain range, where approximately 200 or so reside.

India’s Ladakh Region Awaits

For the perfect opportunity to explore this storied region and capture images of the rare snow leopard, embark on Nat Hab’s 11-day Snow Leopard Quest Photo Expedition. Tucked away in the remote Himalayas of northern India, Ladakh itself is framed by dramatic peaks and dotted with Buddha-filled monasteries, meditation caves and secluded villages. It’s a region heavily influenced by Tibetan culture and home to India’s largest national park, Hemis National Park, where you’ll find one of the highest population densities of snow leopards in a protected area on the planet.

Nat Hab’s small group size of eight and a flexible daily schedule offers participants the best chance of catching a snow leopard undisturbed. Perhaps we’ll see one who has descended to a lower altitude to feed on bharal, ibex and smaller marmots and hares that inhabit the sides of steep rock walls and graze along valley streams. Or we may spy a cat perched inconspicuously along a high ridge line. Be sure and keep your camera at the ready!

Getting a Good Photograph

The odds of capturing snow leopard pics increase once you immerse yourself in the territory of these magnificent creatures. Nat Hab’s adept spotting scouts and master trackers work tirelessly to follow the cats’ every move. The terrain may be rugged and difficult, but the rewards of seeing a snow leopard in the wild are indescribable. If you’re especially lucky, you might even spot a snow leopard cub (or two!).

Ladakh’s additional wildlife is as equally as incredible. Look for long-legged wild sheep known as urial, golden eagles and bearded vultures soaring overhead. And stay alert for a sighting of the Himalayan wolf, known for its wooly fur and ability to adapt to cold and high altitudes.

There are also the natural and cultural beauties of Ladakh itself, such as narrow valleys and colorful roadside prayer flags, winding rivers and unoccupied palaces, all of which are ripe for discovery…and for photographing.

Although Matthiessen never did spot a snow leopard during his 1973 expedition, seeing one wasn’t his sole purpose. As a 2018 New Yorker article points out, “If Matthiessen had merely wanted to set eyes on a snow leopard, he could have driven from his home on Long Island to the Bronx Zoo, where snow leopards have been bred in captivity since 1966.”

Matthiessen knew that the possibility of glimpsing a snow leopard in its natural habitat, rather than in a zoo or menagerie, would be something else entirely. However, even not seeing one would be a tremendous feat, especially when you’ve scoured the world’s tallest peaks and loftiest landscapes in your quest. That’s because it’s in the ‘seeking,’ Matthiessen realized, that the real magic occurs.

Ready to see and photograph snow leopards in the wild? Learn more about our Land of the Snow Leopard adventure and our photo-focused Snow Leopard Quest Photo Expedition. Or, explore our photo expeditions around the globe!

The post How to Get a Picture of a Wild Himalayan Snow Leopard first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog.