HYDERABAD : Anjani Kumar, a wild life photographer from Hyderabad, got the national award at NiF (Nature in Focus) Photography Awards 2018. He is the first Telugu to receive this award so far. The fifth edition of the wild life photography NiF was held in Bengaluru last week.
The event included talks, presentations by globally renowned photographers, filmmakers and conservation/research scholars followed by award ceremony. The awards were given to select photographers under categories Animal Portraits and Behavior, Wildscape and Animals in Habitat, Conservation Issues, Creative Nature Photography, Humor & Wildlife and Young Photographer.
Nature in Focus is an Asian nature and wildlife festival and a platform for passionate nature and wildlife photographers to showcase their work. The annual NiF Photography Awards is given to photographers whose compositions present a sense of wonder and empathy with nature’s biodiversity.
Anjani Kumar, said, “My aim of photography is to project the beauty of the wildlife and nature. I want my images to inspire and bring people closer to nature. My images should help in education, spreading awareness about the endangered and very elusive species like the fishing cat and help in conservation of such species.”
The jury of the awards received 5,200 entries across India. About 20 awards were given away besides Runners and Special mentions. The winners are chosen by a five-member jury comprising of renowned wildlife photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee, conservation scientist Divya Mudappa, wildlife filmmaker Saravana kumar Salem, wildlife photographer Giri Cavale and award-winning wildlife photographer Jayaprakash Bojan. The jury curator is Nature in Focus co-founder, Kalyan Varma, a wildlife photographer, filmmaker and naturalist.