In the wild, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. That adrenaline rush is incredible." - Sandeep Mall (@SandeepMall)

A nearly fatal car accident in early 2008 drove home a life-changing realisation for Sandeep Mall, founder of LNM Auto Industries, a precision manufacturing unit. "I was a workaholic but this incident taught me I needed to enjoy life, not just earn money.” Mall dabbled in singing, cooking and painting until a family holiday to the Madai forest reserve in Madhya Pradesh helped him spot his passion—wildlife photography. Since his first shot then—a python lying on the road—Mall’s lens has become a regular at national parks and sanctuaries in and around Delhi. At least once, and often, twice a month, Mall packs his gear to capture avians in the winters, and predators in the summers. A true widlife enthusiast, he recently became the promoter of Saevus (Latin for wild), a magazine to encourage wildlife photography in India. 

Wait and watch
Wildlife photography has taught me that success comes to those who are patient. Sometimes it just takes five minutes, and sometimes you have to wait for hours to get that perfect shot. During my latest trip to Tadoba, I hung around for five full days to shoot tiger cubs, yet I came back without a single shot. 

Killer shot
Velavadar National Park, Gujarat 2011: Capturing five wolves killing a black buck, and a female hyena suddenly coming to snatch that kill away for her baby

Favourite haunts  
Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary  
Bharatpur Bird sanctuary
Ranthambore National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park
Most eagerly awaited: Botswana (“hopefully this year”) 

His gear
The whole Canon kit with three different bodies and four to five lenses—the Canon 5D, Canon 7D and Canon 50D.