After 20 years in the IT industry, Srikant Ranganathan gave up his successful career to follow his passion — photography. Through his pictures, Srikant believes in ‘freeze-framing’ the beauty of nature that one might miss out otherwise.
CHENNAI: He is fascinated by nature and the natural order of things. Currently, 15 of his photos are on the walls of Tangerine restaurant in Alwarpet until March 24. Titled ‘Naturally Wild’, they highlight the paradox of how creatures living in a natural habitat are labelled ‘wild’. Srikant Ranganathan talks about how these animals are categorised as the wild, because they live away from human beings and more.
“We live in an artificial world, and today, we are always looking for ways to get back to nature and be closer to it,” says Srikant says when we asked him about his motivation to take up to wildlife photography. “We even plan ahead, and decide to settle in a village when we retire, following a more natural diet,” he laughs. “But nature is all around us, and I feel that anything that is natural needs to be captured.”
While Srikant photographs everything from tigers and babies to products and food, it is the natural subjects — animals, plants and landscapes that attract him the most. “As a family, we go on many road trips and often visit national parks, where we enjoy nature and wildlife. Through my lens, I wanted to show people the beauty that is already around us — beauty that we might otherwise miss out on. I see the world around me as a video, and for me, taking a photograph is like freezing a frame,”
he smiles.
With colourful hues and the use of soft lighting, Srikant’s photos evoke a sense of calm and serenity in the viewer. Born and raised in Jharkhand, Srikant lived for 10 years in Vadodara before moving to Chennai at 25 to pursue a career in IT. Twenty years later, he left his successful career last year to pursue photography full time. “Meera (his wife) was a big part of that decision. We would go on these daily walks together, and she would encourage me to follow my passion,” Srikant shares.
“Driving my car all the way to Shollinganallur during peak hours, slogging for seven hours, and then coming back home…that was not what I wanted to do. But I will never regret IT because it actually funded my photography,” he adds. “When I bought a DSLR in 2008, I realised my photos were not good enough. I got scared that I took a hasty decision and wasted money. So I invested in a good photography course, and today I’m a full
time photographer.”
Srikant wants to be a role model for other people who wish for a career change. “It is important to me that I am an example for other people who might want to have a change in their career only to follow their passion. I just want them to know that it’s okay to go after their dream,” he says.
(The writer is a freelance journalist)