"[narrator] Every Powerful photograph... has a powerful photograph behind it." "Travel Photographer Richard I'Anson goes behind the scenes of Buddhist rituals in Bhutan... where he has heard of a sacred fire festival that appears to swallow people whole." "[Richard] The structure behind me will be set alight." "I've never seen it before, it should be absolutely spectacular." "[narrator] Richard then travels to a remote region in Northern India searching for the holy-grail of wildlife photography - the snow leopard." "[Richard] It definitely feels a bit like a needle in a haystack." "But we've got a great team, and we're looking forward to giving it our best shot." "[narrator] He then ventures south to capture one of the world's most colourful religious events - the festival of Holi." "It's really hard conditions to work in - being attacked with coloured powder!" "[uplifting music] [uplifting music] [uplifting music]" "[Richard] The first photo I ever took was a travel photo," "I was ten and I was on my first big overseas trip." "I remember that moment when I took that picture as though it were yesterday." "The click of the shutter, must have made a deep impression." "Even from that early age" "I saw this fantastic connection between travel and photography." "I usually have two reasons for shooting." "The most general reason is that I shoot what's called stock photography which means I can shoot any subject, anywhere, at the same time I'm usually working on one or two very specific projects." "My two current projects are the Himalaya and Festivals of the World." "I'm drawn back time and time again to the Himalaya because of this captivating combination of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the world and the living culture that lives in this landscape." "I'm now heading to Bhutan where I've heard about this sacred fire festival which I'm really looking forward to photographing." "It's very early in the morning and we do have a two day drive ahead of us but the monastery's in Bhutan are really active and first thing in the morning there's usually a morning prayer so I can't resist going in to see if I can gain access." "The rooms are wonderfully atmospheric, they're filled with incense smoke and once the monks start chanting from the Buddhist scriptures and then the instruments played, it's got this incredible almost medieval atmosphere." "[music] [music] [music] [narrator] After the morning prayers," "Richard is beckoned by voices and claps echoing from the courtyard below." "Debating is an ancient Buddhist ritual where one monk will make an argument to another." "It's then the task of the seated opponent to refute the position." "As well as practicing Buddhist philosophy, it helps the young monks quash their ego by not letting them get attached to their personal viewpoints." "We've been up here at Nalanda Monastery since sunrise and for the last hour or so we've been photographing the monks debating." "It's a fantastic atmosphere, it's really noisy as they make their points to each other and then argue back and forth." "[gentle music]" "[Richard] The festivals around the world are just sensational destinations as a travel photographer." "I love that that excitement," "I love the, the chase for the image." "I run around like a mad man capturing as many images, of as many subjects, in as many places as possible, 'cause I'm totally chasing that depth and breadth in order to give what I consider a realistic view of the place." "[narrator] The Jambay Lhakhang Drup is a religious festival celebrating the completion of the temple in Bumthang in the seventh century." "Richard is intent on capturing tomorrow night's Mewang - the exuberant fire blessing ceremony." "But first he discovers an opportunity to capture some rehearsals taking place in an old palace nearby." "[Richard] One of my aims on this trip was to get behind the scenes of these festivals." "To see the monks preparing for these dances, putting on the costumes, the masks that are really intricate and sometimes quite frightening." "These are the scenes that most people don't get to see." "[ritual music] [ritual music] [ritual music] [ritual music] [ritual music] [ritual music] [ritual music]" "We're here watching the final preparations for tomorrow night's fire blessing ceremony which is part of one of Bhutan's most spectacular festivals." "This structure behind me will be set alight and the local people run through in order to wash away their sins." "I've never seen it before, it should be absolutely spectacular." "I can't wait to photograph it." "[narrator] In the evening crowds pour into the Jambay Lhakhang to witness the fire ceremony." "Fires are lit to exorcise evil and then the festival begins with the dance of the black hats." "They then move into a field adjacent to the monastery where the structure that was build is ignited." "This ancient ritual is said to purify all those who enter the structure." "Bhutanese from around the region flock to brave the flaming archway... hoping to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year." "[rhythmic music] [rhythmic music] [rhythmic music] [rhythmic music] [rhythmic music]" "That was awesome, it went from a very sacred, ah, religious festival to sort of absolute chaos as they set fire to the structure and all the people came running through." "Absolutely fantastic, never seen anything like it." "[gentle music] [narrator] Richard is now travelling to the remote and rarely frequented region of Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya." "He has been visiting here since the mid-'80s photographing the people, the festivals and the monasteries." "This time we've set ourselves a completely new challenge and that is to photograph the Himalayas' most iconic species of wildlife - the snow leopard." "Jimet, how long have you been tracking snow leopards?" "[Jimet] Ah, for the last 17 years..." "[Richard] And how many leopards are there in this part of the world?" "[Jimet] Covering 150 square kilometre, nine, ten cats in this area." "[Richard] The snow leopard has become the Holy Grail for wildlife photographers and I think we now know why." "But we've got the best snow leopard tracker with us, we've got a great team and we're looking forward to giving it our best shot." "[narrator] Richard walks up the valley to a small plateau where he and his team will make camp and begin the search." "A group of local trackers get to work with their spotting scopes looking for any signs of leopards on the surrounding ridgelines." "It definitely feels a little bit like a needle in a haystack, but it's only our first evening so we've got plenty of time and ah, looking forward to making this happen." "[Jimet] Yeah, this is good sign." "This is the main trail of the snow leopard." "So we know that, you know, the cat is walking in this area." "[narrator] Richard and his team now embark on several days searching the frozen and barren hills for this most elusive of creatures - which some call..." "the ghost cat." "[indistinct cross-talk]" "Yeah, I can see him." "[tense music] [tense music]" "It's very exciting... [exhales] but it's not a photo, he's a little bit too far away." "[Richard] We put in long, long hours and since that first sighting on the first day we haven't had any other sign of the snow leopard." "It's really, really disappointing." "Now what happens?" "[narrator] Disappointed but not deterred," "Richard has decided to leave Ladakh for the district of Madhya Pradesh in search of another elusive wild cat - the Tigers of Bandhavgarh." "[park guide] Bandagar Park is quite big, around 70 square kilometres." "And here the tiger population around 75 tiger we have, including cubs." "In India, very few tiger left." "Around fourteen hundred tiger left in India." "That's why we have very important Bandagar Park Breeding Park." "So Richard we had a few bitterly tough days trying to track down the snow leopard, so you haven't given up on, on a big cat?" "[Richard] Never, you never give up, no," "I suspect our chances of seeing tigers are a lot higher than the chances of seeing the snow leopard." "The guides have just spotted fresh footprints in the sandy road and we've just heard a warning call from a peacock so we're pretty sure there's a tiger quite close to us now." "The tiger is really close now, so it's very exciting." "A little bit frustrating because we were here less than five minutes ago and we've just discovered this very, very fresh sort of outline of the tiger whose laid down in the sand and you can see the flick of her tail," "so she's here somewhere." "[gentle, rhythmic music] [gentle, rhythmic music]" "We've been out in the park since six o'clock this morning and there's a couple hours of daylight left." "We know that there is a tiger somewhere, we're still waiting." "The anticipating is growing but ah, so much about great photography, great wildlife photography, is about waiting, being patient." "[upbeat music]" "This is very exciting, we've had our first tiger sighting." "Female about three years old, came out of bushes, walked onto the road, we we're able to follow then she just sat down in the middle of the road and had a look around." "We probably had about five minutes with her before she's now moved away." "[gentle, rhythmic music] [gentle, rhythmic music]" "We've got some great photographs already but that's the problem with this game, if there's an opportunity to take another photo it could be the best one so here we are again in pursuit of another tiger." "[park guide 2] Can you see there, tiger, tiger with the kill?" "Can you see it?" "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [shutter clicking] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "[park guide 2] First we heard the alarm call of the spotted deer and suddenly we saw the tiger carry the small baby in the mouth." "In the last 14 years, this is my second tiger sighting like that." "It's very, very rare to see like, like that." "[upbeat, rhythmic music]" "[Richard] This is a once in a lifetime sighting and this is what I live for as a photographer." "[narrator] India is known as the land of spirituality and is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions " "Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism." "The roots of Hinduism are thought to date back over 5,000 years which many scholars believe makes it one of the oldest organized religions in the world." "The myriad of Hindu festivals throughout India has been a major reason" "Richard finds himself returning year after year." "[Richard] I'm now on my way to Verandaban in Utapradesh to photograph one of India's most colourful and exuberant festivals:" "the Festival of Holi, famously known around the world as the Festival of Colours." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "We've arrived in Vrindavan in Northern India, as you can see I've got a little bit of colour already," "I've only just arrived." "And the camera's well protected 'cause I'm expecting a lot of powder and a lot of coloured water to be thrown my way over the next couple of days." "[narrator] Holi is a festival that celebrates the arrival of spring, the triumph of good over evil and the excitement of a plentiful harvest to come." "The kaleidoscope of flying colours represents joy, celebration and new growth." "Priests have just finished the ceremony and now they're dousing the crowd with coloured water and coloured powder." "I've taken a couple of direct hits already as you can see and there's plenty more to come." "[chuckles] That was another one." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "We're out on the streets now, heading from one temple to another." "More of the same I'd expect but ah, possibly bigger crowds." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [loud crowd noises] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "It's absolutely brilliant being able to get a bit of elevation in here." "It's really crowded down there and we'll be down there soon, but to get an overall view from this high point is something I'm always searching for." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "We're really in the thick of it now." "We're on the temple floor with thousands of people, the air is just full of powder it's really hard conditions to work in - being attacked with coloured powder in my eyes, my ears " "the camera's holding up ok." "[upbeat, rhythmic music]" "Happy Holi!" "[narrator] The Bankey Bihari temple is a highly revered shrine and becomes the heartbeat of the Holi celebrations here in Vrindavan." "Famous throughout India, this temple is a fitting location for Richard to capture the joy that Holi brings to millions of people around the world." "[Richard] To shoot these events properly you've just got to get in there." "There's no other way to get that intimacy, that close up, that sense of what it's really like." "You just have to be prepared." "Wear clothes you don't mind losing, cover the gear so it's protected and go for it." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "No one's safe around here, not even the holy cows." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "The atmosphere is amazing, it is really friendly, really jovial, everyone's pretty happy, it's um" " Happy Holi!" " Happy Holi!" "You certainly need to keep a sense of humour." "Thank you." "Happy Holi!" "Oh no, here comes the red!" "Happy Holi." "[narrator] The finale of the celebrations takes place several kilometers away in Mathura - the birthplace of Lord Krishna." "Bal Dev temple stages one of the most iconic rituals of the Holi festival - Huranga." "Men playfully tease the women and they retaliate by tearing the clothes off the men and beating them." "The electric atmosphere builds to a point where a procession enters the spectacle and the temple is flooded with water." "The only way to Richard to truly capture the chaos is to enter it himself." "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "[upbeat, rhythmic music] [upbeat, rhythmic music]" "This is an incredible finale to the whole Holi Festival." "I'm having my clothes taken off me by... raging women with saris." "[gentle music] [gentle music]" "[Richard] I've always had the ability to feel comfortable wherever I am." "I do my best to blend in, which isn't that easy given I'm a six foot tall white male." "At a really simple level, travel photography provides a visual record of places visited." "But at its best, it can provide an insight to the world at large and all its diversity." "I just love the process of discovering and photographing new places." "I expect to keep doing this forever," "I can't really imagine stopping." "It's what I love, it's who I am and there are far too many places in the world still to see." "[gentle music] [gentle music] [gentle music] [gentle music]" "[gentle music]"