Aditya Panda2016
Aditya Panda is an award-winning naturalist, wildlife conservationist and photographer from Orissa, India. Since his teen years, he has worked for the conservation of tiger and elephant landscapes and waterfowl near his home. While his conservation work is mostly limited to eastern Central India, as a naturalist and photographer he has traveled extensively across India’s tiger and elephant habitats, including famous safari circuits and lesser-known wilderness areas. Aditya’s current conservation work focuses on identifying and preserving the integrity of larger tiger and elephant landscapes, empowering human-elephant conflict mitigation squads, and working with frontline forest personnel in tiger habitat. When Aditya is not engaged in conservation battles, he enjoys working as a naturalist guide and introducing people to what he believes is the most fascinating wildlife landscape anywhere—India’s tigerland. He is a natural and attentive host who can engage guests in conversations on a wide range of topics. He is always eager to go the extra mile to make guests comfortable, and his infectious interpretation style, which avidly conveys his fascination with wilderness, helps his guests gain a deep understanding of and appreciation for Indian wildlife.
What's in My Camera Bag
I shape my gear choices based on India’s strict airport security and carry-on rules, so I pack as lightly as possible for my 1–2 week expeditions. My main setup is a Nikon Z9 with a Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens, ideal for large mammals like tigers and rhinos, with the option to extend reach using a 1.7X or 2X teleconverter, DX mode, or my Nikon D500 backup. I also carry a Nikkor 70–200mm f/2.8 for close encounters or landscapes, a 50mm f/1.4 for street and people shots, and a 200–500mm f/5.6 for long hikes. All accessories—batteries, cables, card reader, and hard drive—go in a Nat Hab bag, and I bring a jacket in case I need to shift gear onto my person at the gate.
Cameras
Nikon Z9
Nikon D800
Nikon D500
Lenses
Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VRII
Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII
Nikkor 200-500 f/5.6 VR
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4
Teleconverters
Nikon 1.7X TCII
Nikon 2X TCIII
Flash
Nikon SB910
Camera Trapping Equipment
Pardus P1 trigger for DSLRs
Multiple Digitek flashes & triggers
Post-Processing Software
Apple MacBook Pro 14
Adobe Lightroom
DaVinci Resolve
iMovie
Other
Tripod with fluid head for filming
Manfrotto monopod
Beanbags
Circular Polarisers, multiple
Neutral Density filters, multiple Extra batteries Fresnel flash extender Straps, silicone cases, etc
Cleaning kit
Multiple CF Express and SD cards
Card reader
2TB SSD hard drive
Carl Zeiss SFL 10X40 Binoculars
What Our Guests Say
Adi's leadership was superb! He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and provided helpful education about existing threats and conservation efforts unique to Bengal tigers. Adi was also very courteous and professional throughout the journey. He anticipated and fulfilled every need of each traveler. His guidance absolutely added to the experience. Well done!
Aditya was wonderful. He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and nature but also very interesting as far as educating us on Indian culture and history. His personality blended all the members of the group together. He is a very caring person and professional also. He was always ready to help—never flustered, angry or impatient. But the most important thing was that you could see he loves what he is doing—being with different kinds of people in nature and showing them his beautiful country of India!
This was our first trip with Nat Hab, and we couldn't have been more pleased! Adi did an excellent job from start to finish and exceeded all of our expectations. We had a fantastic time, saw a lot of tigers and are already looking forward to another Nat Hab adventure with Adi. I would also like to mention that I am most impressed with his devotion to conservation and helping others. He is most definitely an asset to your company and what it stands for!
