Noor: Queen Of Ranthambhore

BY ANDY ROUSE AND ADITYA ‘DICKY’ SINGH, £40. ORDER VIA ANDYROUSE.CO.UK

This is an incandescent photographic portrait of the tigress Noor – her cubs, hunts, mates and home in India’s beautiful Ranthambhore National Park. If you want to understand what separates the thousands of tiger snapshots drilled out every year by indiscriminate, machine-gun cameras from real photography, then take some time to study these images. Meaningful composition, low angles, piercing eye lines, intimate action and intelligent post-production all indicate two professionals at the top of their game

The tigress is stunning, too. One picture shows her descending a vertical cliff with a casual agility that beggars belief. The book is testimony to the great skill of its authors and the success of Ranthambhore’s management – you can only achieve this sort of day-by-day photo coverage in a well-managed reserve. Together, Ranthambhore, Andy Rouse and Aditya ‘Dicky’ Singh are streaks ahead.