Pixiq

Photographs come about as a result of different scenarios: from a return visit to a fruitful location; from meticulous planning or just stumbled upon by being in the right place at the right time. Most often, once the image is seen, there will be time to think about which lens to use and how to best crop the shot. But once in a while a shot appears for just a fleeting moment. You then have to make decisions at the drop of a hat to ensure you grab that shot:

• Forget a tripod, no time to attach the camera
• Select fast shutter speed (in Shutter Priority or Manual mode)
• Maybe up the ISO (to gain a fast shutter speed)
• With a long lens, check VR or IS is switched on

You should be completely au fait with the camera — you cannot afford to hesitate working out where an essential knob or button is located. Another way to save precious time is to get the camera ready the night before:

• Format flash cards straight after backing up
• Check a formatted flash card is in the camera
• Charge camera batteries immediately after a shoot
• Check flash batteries after a shoot and stow a spare set in a photo vest

All these images happened to be taken on a month-long trip to India. Within Kaziranga National Park in Assam, we could see fires burning in the distance most days and charred fragments rained down from above. One day as we were driving along a track, flames were rapidly approaching. My driver reluctantly stopped for me to take a few grab shots of the flames licking up from the long grass as an example of a burn in a National Park. The shape of the flames was a fluid one, so there was no hope of appraising the composition. Only after we had moved a safe distance away, did I chimp them and to my astonishment found one shot of a flame resembling a tiger standing up on its hind legs — complete with tail.

You know when monkeys and deer have spotted a tiger because they make alarm calls. At the start of a game drive in Kanha one morning the calls were loud and clear, resulting in the game going beserk and running in every direction. A pair of sloth bears raced down beside the jeep and wild boars suddenly appeared and then disappeared. Moments later a wild boar raced across the track in front of us. I just had time to up the ISO and get one shot in the dawn light of the boar leaping up at 45º as if it was a horse about to jump a fence. Fortunately the Nikon D3 reacts very speedily — I doubt if any of my previous cameras would have clinched the shot.

The easiest of the three grab shots shows a langur monkey bounding along a wall at Ranthambore. Whilst waiting for our driver, I happened to have a camera with a long lens in my hands and the wall gave me the line the monkey would follow.