Slowly the trend began changing," young wild life photographer Lalit Rajora told Agratoday.in in an interview.

 After schooling, Lalit began his creative journey exploring mediums and platforms that would help him express himself naturally without any "banabtipan and dikhawa."

 It is difficult to make him talk, but his pictures speak volumes. "In the beginning I was totally focused on beauty and spent lot of time in Mumbai to shoot stills for films, but restless soul that I am I could not adjust there and returned home. At the turn of the millennium, I literally went wild, making wild life sanctuaries my second home," Lalit said.

 These last few years Lalit has been fascinated with tigers, trekking dense forests in Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh reserves. "It takes days and weeks to shoot a good photograph of a tiger in his natural habitat and it is risky too. We have to hire elephants and wait anxiously for the wild cats to disappear and then suddenly look right into your eyes. That time if you lose your cool, you had it."

 A simple boy next door type, Lalit is totally obsessed and engrossed with wild life photography. His calenders are a huge hit and so are the desktop showpieces.

"These products of mine are meant for the corporates and the nature lovers who can spend liberally. I get support from the MP Government's forest department and the project tiger people."

 Still a bachelor, he seems to be in no hurry to settle down. "I am in deep love with the tigers and can’t share my love with others for the moment," he says.

Talking about himself he says "I started photography as a hobby when I was a teenager. Later the photography became both my passion and profession. I do advertising, fashion and wildlife photography. I am more into wildlife photography as a conservationist and nature lover. Besides, the Tajmahal has always fascinated me and I have captured this monument of love in different shades."

Tell us something about the finer nuances of photography. "To me photography is all about capturing moments. Those moments that slip away unnoticed because of our hectic lifestyle. I believe that for the creative satisfaction, the sky is the limit in photography. I am a painter using camera as a brush. I play with colors and light. Photography stops the time. No other medium of expression can do that."

Lalit is a die-hard Agraite. When not in the wild he is with his friends. The Taj Mahal continues to fascinate him and he has captured the building in every conceivable way and angle. He plans producing a book, a coffee table book soon on the tigers and may be one on the Taj Mahal.

Last December, Lalit was honored for his contribution to photography at a public reception organized by the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society. Culture critic Mahesh Dhakar talks about his photos "he is the best in the business right now. It is sheer poetry. Look at the tiger crouching near a water hole. The royal look has been so beautifully captured. He is amazing."

Lalit is in no hurry to reach anywhere. "Its like meditating for hours waiting for your subject to turn up and oblige you with a precious moment to be captured in the camera. So you really learn to be at peace with yourselves and also soak in the tranquility of the wild life reserves. When you look around in the forest sitting near a rivulet, you find so much happening, the insects, the fish, the chirping birds, the squeaky squirrels, the struggle for survival... nature in its various manifestations, mind boggling diversity all around you."