Yes. All of my fine art limited edition canvases are wild and free roaming animals.

In my formative years I had once travelled to the Mysore Zoo and photographed the denizens. Since then I have had the opportunity to witness those same species in the wild and the contrast between the impact of captivity vs the freedom of the wild has been striking and hard to understand leave alone explain. So now I only shoot animals in the wild, usually with some of the habitat in an attempt to showcase the wild as it should be.

There are a few photographs from bird parks in Singapore I have clearly labeled as not from the wild. But it also needs to be understood that the bird parks in Singapore are not entirely caged up so it does get a little grey.

There are actually many reasons why photographing truly wild animals can be harmful to the animals I might want work with. The Endangered Indian Wolf, for example, are very shy and easily disturbed. Like all canids they will move their young from a den they sense has been compromised in any way. With the ever increasing number of photographers hoping to get “The Shot,” the welfare of the animals is often the last thing being considered. And with the advent of drones this problem has only been exacerbated.

It is always humbling and amazing to see how many people come up and ask, “Is that a painting?“ followed by “How did you get that picture? Did you just go out and sit?” Well, typically not. There is most often a great deal of planning involved. The first thing I do when deciding to go after a subject is to find out where and when that subject is the most prevalent. To find the location and time of year that they are at their  highest numbers is absolutely essential. Then putting myself in a position to be surrounded by the animal is the best way to get the most chances to photograph as is possible. A good example would be the harriers from a local grassland.

I found out that these winter migrants were there in numbers and early mornings and evenings they’d perch on the ground all over the grassland. So I went there almost everyday to identify the perches both in the mornings and in the evenings. And once I had my perches figured it was simply a matter of getting to the location early, camouflaging and waiting for the birds to perch.

Incidentally trying to photograph these harriers also created opportunities to photograph the local fox and owls - the Bengal Eagle Owl and the Short-eared Owl.

No. I make sure I am ethically creating my photos and am committed to not harming or disturbing wildlife. Which is why almost all my photos have a unique story which I share when a limited edition canvas of that photo is sold.

With a lot of patience, time and effort. In countries where they are allowed and safe I use blinds, in others I stalk the bird or animal with long lenses. In other instances when I have local - read tribal - support who know the animal behavior, I take their help and advice.
Some of these instances are illustrated in my On Location Gallery.

This, given the advent of AI, now holds a completely new meaning and ought to be defined elaborately.

The simple answer is no! I have never felt the need to digitally manipulate my photos.

I do use LightRoom for standard adjustments (color, exposure etc) when required and for my composites I use the most suitable software - especially for astro and star trails where stacking is required I use StarStax.

I prefer getting it right in camera as much as possible to save time later. And through so many years of shooting I have learnt that if I am patient and wait long enough the animal or bird will always give me the photo I have visualised.

No. I’m a firm believer in journalistic integrity. My work as a natural history photographer falls into the category of journalism, or telling a truthful story. I’m not interested in creating an illustration as an artist might do. I want people to know that the image they see is exactly as I saw it in the camera. I’m there to record the actual event and if it doesn’t take place then I have no interest in making one via computer technology. The only computer work I do to an image is minor color or exposure corrections. I’m not in the least proficient at Photoshop and the only time I have used it is for basic preparations to prepare the photo for printing or publishing.

Although all my photos are geotagged I do not explicitly share the location unless it is along with a Limited Edition Canvas. I do this specifically to protect the precise locations of vulnerable species and to prevent disturbance. The instances where I have shared the location is usually a publicly accessible location.

Photographing wildlife can and does cause disturbance, but if you are ethical and careful the impact is minimal. These are some best practice guidance points I follow to behave around wildlife:

• Never corner or chase animals and/ or birds.

• Be mindful of noise disturbance and using artificial light like torches and flashes and sometimes even car headlights.

• Do not cause damage to the habitat/environment.

• Do not litter.

• Ensure I comply with any applicable wildlife protection laws.

• Do not geotag images of animals in a way that may reveal their precise location and potentially put them in danger. This I have specifically addressed in the earlier question too.