Arvind karthik Interview
Bengaluru-based wildlife photographer and Katrivia Expeditions founder Arvind Karthik spent over a decade observing animal behavior across Indian tiger reserves like Bandipur.
Q. Could you tell us about your journey into wildlife photography and what first drew you toward the wild?
It has been more than a decade since I began my journey into wildlife photography, but I still remember the early days vividly. I started around 2014, completely as a self-learner. I was curious, experimenting, making mistakes, learning from them, and slowly understanding not just photography, but the world I was photographing.
Then came 2016 and my first visit to Bandipur. That trip changed everything.
There was something about being in the wild, surrounded by forests, wildlife, sounds, and stories, that awakened a passion I didn't even know I had. From that day, I wanted to understand more, not just how to photograph an animal, but why it behaved the way it did, how it interacted with its surroundings, and what the forest meant to it.
Over the years, technology has changed tremendously. The cameras and lenses I use today are far more advanced than what I started with. But one of the biggest lessons wildlife has taught me is that photography is never really about gear. It is about the person behind the camera with the ability to observe, understand, anticipate, and tell a story through a frame.
In 2019, my journey took another meaningful turn when I began hosting guided wildlife photography tours.
Q. What does wildlife photography mean to you beyond simply capturing beautiful images?
For me, wildlife photography has never been just about creating beautiful pictures. It is about freezing a moment in the life of an animal, a moment that may never happen again.
In the wild, there are no retakes. You may wait for hours, days, or even years, and suddenly, in a few seconds, something happens in front of you. A particular behavior, a look, a movement, or an interaction happens once, and then it is gone. That fleeting nature of wildlife is what makes photography so meaningful to me.
I often draw inspiration from the way animals experience life. They don't seem burdened by the past or anxious about the future; they simply exist in the present. They live in that particular moment completely. And in some ways, wildlife photography allows me to do the same, to slow down, observe, and truly be present.
When I am in the wild, I don't feel like I am simply photographing an animal. I feel privileged to be a witness to a small chapter of its life. The more I learn about their behavior, struggles, relationships, and survival, the more I realize how fortunate I am to document even a fraction of their world. For me, the greatest reward isn't the photograph itself, it is the privilege of witnessing that moment and knowing that I have preserved a tiny piece of an animal's life for someone else to experience long after that moment has passed.
Q. As the founder of Katrivia Wild, what inspired you to create customised wildlife experiences for others?
When I started Katrivia, I wanted to do more than simply take people into a forest and show them wildlife. I wanted to share my relationship with the wild, the knowledge, experiences, observations, and emotions that I had gathered over the years. Because wildlife is never just about sightings.
A tiger crossing your path or a leopard sitting on a tree may be an incredible moment, but the real experience goes much deeper. It is about understanding why that animal is there, learning to read the forest, recognizing behavior, appreciating the smaller creatures and the ecosystem around us, and understanding how every element of the forest is connected. That is what I wanted Katrivia to create, a space where people don't just see wildlife, but experience and understand it.
I also believe that teaching is a two-way journey. Every time I share my knowledge and experiences with a participant, it makes me reflect, learn, and strengthen my own understanding. In a way, every tour allows me to relive my own passion for the wild through someone else's eyes.
That is why my team and I want our guests to leave with something more than photographs. We want them to carry back memories, knowledge, a deeper appreciation for nature, and an understanding of conservation and responsible behavior in the wild.
Ultimately, our goal is simple: when someone leaves a Katrivia experience, I want them to remember not just what they saw, but how the forest made them feel. That, to me, is the difference between a wildlife trip and a truly unforgettable wildlife experience.
Q. What is the biggest lesson the wilderness has taught you about patience and observation?
The wilderness has taught me that nothing truly worthwhile comes easy, whether it is in the jungle or in life.
You can spend hours waiting in silence, sometimes returning without seeing anything at all. There are disappointments, missed opportunities, empty safaris, and moments when you question whether the wait is worth it. But every one of those experiences teaches you patience. And when that one extraordinary moment finally happens, you realize that waiting was a part of the experience.
Wildlife has taught me not to demand a particular outcome from the forest. Go in with the least expectations, observe more, and allow the wilderness to surprise you.
I think that philosophy has gradually found its way into my life as well. We often spend so much time expecting things to happen in a certain way that we forget to appreciate what is already happening around us. The jungle taught me something very simple: expect less, stay patient, keep observing, and when the moment comes, be ready. Because sometimes, the most beautiful moments in life, just like in the wild, arrive when you have stopped expecting them.
Q. Wildlife photography often requires waiting hours for a single moment. How do you stay patient and mentally present?
Patience, in wildlife photography, eventually becomes a habit. You learn to sit quietly, make less noise, observe more, and simply wait. But I don't think patience means just sitting in one place and hoping for something to happen, the real skill is knowing what you are waiting for.
Understanding animal behavior makes a huge difference.
Of course, there are countless times when you anticipate something, and it simply doesn't happen. That's something the wilderness constantly reminds you of: you have absolutely no control over it. Wildlife doesn't work according to our plans, schedules, or expectations, but that is also what makes it exciting.
You may wait for hours with nothing happening, and then suddenly, in a matter of seconds, everything comes together. You realize you didn't need ten great photographs; you needed just one frame that makes the entire wait worthwhile.
Over the years, both my mind and body have naturally become trained for that kind of patience. You learn to stay alert even in silence because you know that the moment you have been waiting for could arrive at any time. And when it does, it feels like a jackpot. The longer the wait, the sweeter that one unforgettable moment can be.
Q. What are some common mistakes beginners make when photographing wildlife, and how can they avoid them?
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is being too focused on the photograph and not focused enough on the animal.
Patience is the first requirement, and the second is understanding animal behavior. You can know everything about your camera, settings, and exposure, and still miss a great photograph if you don't understand what the animal is doing or what it might do next.
And then comes something that is perhaps even more difficult to control: your excitement.
When you suddenly get a tiger, leopard, or any other incredible sighting in front of you, it is completely natural to get excited. But the real skill is learning to manage that excitement. A sighting becomes truly rewarding when you can stay composed, observe the moment, and translate what you are seeing into a meaningful photograph.
One thing I particularly encourage beginners to do is look beyond the tight portrait. Today, there is often a tendency to fill the frame with the animal to get as close and detailed a portrait as possible. While there is a place for that, wildlife photography is also about telling the story of where the animal lives.
Try photographing the animal in its habitat. Show the trees, the landscape, the light, and the environment around it. Ask yourself: Why is this animal here? What is the forest telling me? What story can I tell beyond the animal's face?
Habitat photography teaches a beginner so much about composition, framing, perspective, and storytelling. These are the things we emphasize during our guided wildlife tours—not just how to operate a camera, but how to see.
Q. How do you balance getting a compelling photograph with respecting an animal’s space and natural behavior?
For me, respecting animals always comes before taking photographs. In fact, I believe the two go hand in hand.
Animals in tourism zones are often aware of the presence of vehicles and people. They know we are there. That makes it even more important to give them time and space to become comfortable with our presence. The moment an animal feels disturbed or pressured, its behavior changes, it may move away, become alert, or simply disappear into the habitat. Once that happens, not only have we lost the opportunity to photograph it naturally, but we may also have disturbed an important moment in its life.
I believe in giving the animal the choice and the space to be itself. When you remain quiet, maintain a respectful distance, and allow the animal to settle down, something beautiful happens: it eventually becomes less concerned about your presence and starts behaving naturally again.
That is when wildlife photography becomes truly rewarding. You get to observe genuine behavior, something that cannot be recreated or staged. You learn how the animal moves, interacts, communicates, hunts, rests, or responds to its surroundings. Often, those moments lead to far more meaningful photographs than simply getting physically close.
The best wildlife photographs are not the ones where you have invaded the animal's space, they are the ones where the animal has allowed you, from a respectful distance, to witness a moment of its life.
Q. For someone planning their first wildlife photography tour, what should they look for when choosing a destination or guide?
For someone planning their first wildlife photography tour, I suggest doing a little homework before entering the forest. The more you know before you arrive, the more you will understand and appreciate what you experience there.
Start by learning about the destination: understand what species inhabit the forest, what the habitat is like, what kind of behavior you might expect, and what the climatic conditions could be. Every forest is different, and preparing accordingly makes a huge difference to your experience.
The basics matter, too. A good pair of binoculars, comfortable earthy-toned clothing, appropriate footwear, and weather protection are essential. Carry sun protection in summer, warm layers in winter, and rain gear during the monsoon, as conditions change quickly in the forest.
Beyond the destination, choosing the right guide and skipper can completely transform your experience. A good skipper isn't simply someone who drives you through the forest; an experienced skipper knows the forest almost instinctively. They understand its terrain, animal behavior, individual animals, territories, and movements, and they learn to anticipate what might happen next.
Anticipation is incredibly important in wildlife photography. There are no retakes in wildlife; a moment may last just a few seconds, and if you miss it, it's gone. Having someone beside you who understands the forest, anticipates animal movement, positions you appropriately, and guides you through those fleeting moments makes all the difference.
This is something we value deeply at Katrivia.
So my advice to a first-time wildlife photographer is simple: know the forest, prepare yourself, choose the right destination, and, most importantly, go with the right skipper. When that once-in-a-lifetime moment appears, you don't get a second chance. Having the right person beside you can turn a fleeting sight into an unforgettable experience, and sometimes into that one photograph you've been waiting for.
Q. Is there one wildlife encounter or photograph from your journey that you will always consider unforgettable?
There are many moments from my journey that I will always carry with me, but one encounter stands apart from everything else: the sight of a black panther and its mother drinking water together in the backwaters of Bhadra, set against a falling sun.
Even today, it is difficult to put that moment into words.
Imagine sitting quietly in the forest and suddenly seeing a melanistic leopard emerge with its mother. Both of them come to the water, drink together, and for a few moments, look in your direction. The light of the sunset is behind them, their reflections are in the water, and you can see that unmistakable pink tongue as they drink. It was one of those moments where, as a photographer, you almost forget to press the shutter because you are simply trying to believe what you are witnessing.
There are certain things we expect from life, and then there are moments that go completely beyond anything we could have imagined. What makes it even more special today is knowing that this was a moment in the story of their lives that would never happen again. The mother and son eventually went their separate ways and never met again. Unknowingly, what I was witnessing that evening was perhaps the last time they would ever share that space together.
That thought makes the photograph far more meaningful to me. It isn't just a picture of a black panther and its mother; it is a photograph of a relationship, a fleeting chapter in their lives, and a moment in time that can never be repeated. Some photographs are rare because of what you see; others are priceless because of what you realize only later. This one is both.
I don't know if a moment like that will ever happen again anywhere. That is what makes it one of the most unforgettable wildlife encounters of my life.
Q. If you could spend an entire day photographing just one wild animal, which would you choose and why?
Without a second thought, it would be the leopard.
For me, the leopard is perhaps the most beautiful and fascinating of all the big cats. There is something incredibly special about their relationship with trees. On the ground, they can be alert and energetic, and then within moments, they disappear into the branches. Watching a leopard climb a tree, descend from it, or simply settle into the canopy offers some of the most incredible photographic opportunities in the wild.
And then there are their rosettes: every leopard carries its own unique pattern, almost like a fingerprint. But my fascination with leopards goes far beyond their beauty, what I admire most is their ability to adapt and survive.
Leopards exist in an extraordinary range of environments, from the fringes of villages to deep tiger habitats, from forests to deserts, and even in extreme landscapes. They have found a way to coexist with changing environments and continue to survive against incredible odds. That resilience is deeply inspiring to me.
I also have a very personal connection with one particular leopard from Bandipur who has taught me a great deal over the years. She is one of the most photographed leopards in South India, but what makes her special isn't just the number of photographs taken of her, she has inspired an entire generation of photographers who have followed her story in Bandipur.
For me, that is the beauty of wildlife photography. Sometimes, an animal becomes more than just a subject in front of your camera, it becomes a teacher, a storyteller, and an inspiration. If I had an entire day with just one animal, I would choose the leopard without hesitation. I'd spend the day watching it move, climb, rest, hunt, interact, and simply be a leopard, and I'd probably still feel that the day wasn't long enough.
BIO
Arvind Karthik is a Bengaluru-based nature and wildlife photographer and the founder of Katrivia Expeditions.
Interviewed By Vanshika Gupta
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