This photo was taken during my 14-day expedition trip to Ladakh (Northern India), Hemis National Park.
After reading several books about snow leopards, it was my dream to see this elusive cat in the wild. I’ve done a lot of research and reading to maximize my chance to make my dream come true.
A trip to see Snow Leopards is not like other wildlife tours I’ve taken before. There is a reason why people call Snow Leopards an elusive cat or Ghost of the Himalayas. It’s almost impossible to see this cat with the naked eye, and you need to have an experienced team of spotters to find it for you.
Spotters spend hours scanning mountains with their scopes to find Snow Leopards.
I leased a RF 1200mm lens specifically for that trip and a heavy-duty tripod with a gimbal head.
We saw snow leopards almost every day, so I was able to see the animal and take some environmental shots. However, as a photographer, you want to bring home more than just a photo taken from 700-1000 meters away. To get your dream shot, you would have to hope the Snow Leopard had a kill.
Snow leopards are known to guard their prey for several days, which gives us photographers a chance to get closer to take our dream shots.
We were incredibly lucky to watch the cat for a whole two days guarding its meal. Our group leader said it usually happens 4-5 times during a “photography” season. Most of my best shots were taken during those two magnificent days. This photo was taken when the snow leopard was returning to its kill.