“I photograph birds and wild places alongside the communities that protect them, using my images to drive awareness, support sustainable tourism and help keep those places wild.”

Fresh from the field

Jungle Babbler

Sanjay Van, New Delhi, Delhi, India · October 2025

Sanjay Van sits in the south of New Delhi, a 784-acre reserved forest on the Aravalli ridge where the 12th-century walls of Lal Kot are now wrapped in shaded woodland. I was working the understory just after 0800 on an October morning, when the light under the canopy was still soft and low. Jungle Babblers are everywhere here, moving through the leaf litter in loose, noisy family groups, and the trick is to let them come to you. I used the Canon EOS R5 with the RF800mm F11 IS STM and Extender RF1.4x, at 1120 mm, 1/125 s, f/16, ISO 3200, −1.5 EV.