Right Time, Right Place

Photography Tale from Wildlife Sanctuary, India

For over a decade, I’ve been chasing the magic of light and place in photography. You could say it’s 98% about timing and location — being there at the right moment to capture a fleeting scene. The other 2% is your skill, using your camera and knowledge to frame the shot.

This philosophy holds especially true in outdoor and nature photography. Here’s a story from my own experience that exemplifies this.

![Once the sun dipped below the horizon, we’d typically wrap up our work for the day and head back to our field station. Me and Our Field Assistant

Once the sun dipped below the horizon, we’d typically wrap up our work for the day and head back to our field station. [Me and Our Field Assistant

Back in 2015 and 2016, I spent two years at the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, documenting flower visitors. One April evening, as our day’s research drew to a close, we were packing up on a hilltop. The sun, a fiery orange ball, was sinking towards the horizon.

Being nature enthusiasts, we couldn’t resist pausing to witness the sunset. As I watched the spectacle unfold, I noticed a dark, structured silhouette overlapping the sun. The distance made it hard to discern, but my curiosity was piqued.

Grabbing my camera, I zoomed in with my 250mm lens. The silhouette revealed itself to be a machan, a watchtower built by the forest department. The sight was breathtaking — the sun, a perfect sphere, framed by the intricate structure of the machan.

The window of opportunity was narrow. Within five minutes, the sun dipped below the horizon, taking the silhouette with it. I reviewed my shots, zooming in to appreciate the contrasting shapes. The image captured the fleeting moment perfectly.

The Magical — Time+location click- Watchtower Silhoutting over Setting Sun

But here’s the twist: this wasn’t just about being at the right place. It was also about being there at the right time of year. The Earth’s tilt and the sun’s solstices cause the sun’s position to change daily. That specific alignment of the machan and the setting sun would only happen for a few days around the summer solstice.

This experience solidified my belief: photography is about the perfect convergence of timing and location. You miss that window, and the image vanishes. It was a reminder to be present, to appreciate the fleeting beauty of the world around us, and to be ready to capture it when opportunity strikes.

… I’ve actually shot this phenomenon two consecutive years in the month of April. But there’s one variation I’d love to try in the future: capturing the scene with a powerful telescopic lens and a couple romantically posing inside the watchtower, silhouetted against the setting sun. That image would be truly magical!

Looking forward to this….

This was with a 55 mm- Focal Length- Hardly see

The Timing between the shots…

29 April 2016, 18:53:52

29 April 2016, 18:54:41

TIMING + LOCATION = OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Softly the evening came with the sunset.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow