At Charminar, most lenses instinctively turn toward its arches, its history, or the bustle that surrounds it. But for Canadian photographer of Indian origin, Raghuvamsh Chavali, the story lies elsewhere — above it.
In his series Wings Over Concrete, he shifts the gaze upward, capturing birds in motion against the monument’s familiar silhouette. “I went to Charminar a couple of weeks back to do some street photography,” he begins, explaining that his relationship with the site dates back to childhood. He adds, “People generally capture the streets — protests, chaos, everyday life. But I observed the birds in and around Charminar, something people don’t really look at.”
What drew him in was not just their presence, but their patterns — the way they circle, forage, and use the monument as shelter. “When they move from one place to another, or when they move out for food, it’s a different perspective that I wanted to capture,” he explains.
For him, photography is rooted in offering a fresh way of seeing. He notes, “It’s my job to show a different perspective to people which they haven’t seen. People visit places like Charminar or Salarjung Museum often, but they overlook these common things. That strongly made me tell this story.”
Capturing these fleeting moments, however, demanded patience. Urban wildlife photography, he notes, is as much about waiting as it is about instinct. One such moment came after hours of observation, a striking S-shaped formation etched across the sky. He says, “You have to wait for at least three to four hours, capture multiple videos and time-lapses, just to make sure you get the right frame. Only certain movements create great shots.”
That particular image, featuring a bird cutting across the frame of Charminar, remains especially significant. He expresses, “That was what I was envisioning. I was very excited when I got it.”
Technically, his process involves what he describes as ‘interlacing of frames’. By shooting high-frame-rate videos and extracting individual layers, he merges them into a single photograph to reveal motion as pattern. Spending nearly five hours — from early afternoon to evening; just a handful of images, his approach is meticulous. Yet, returning to Hyderabad for this project was as much emotional as it was artistic. “Returning to Hyderabad is always very emotional to me. It’s a contrast from Canada, where I stay in the countryside. Here, it’s full of people, drama in every conversation and I enjoy that as a photographer,” he shares.
Beyond wildlife, he is drawn to the emotional textures of street life. He states, “I love to capture emotions, but not typically the ones showing poverty. Those exist everywhere. What fascinates me are the unique experiences and everyday drama.”
His work has also earned international recognition, including an award at the Urban Animal 2025 International Photographic Competition. “It was a fantastic experience,” he shares, adding, “I met 80 to 90 photographers from across the world, all very grounded, all sharing their techniques and experiences.”
Looking ahead, he is expanding his creative pursuits beyond photography. “I also compose music, I’ve done four independent songs and I’m working on three more,” he says. Alongside, he is developing an app aimed at authenticating photographs through biometrics. “The idea is that even if you use someone else’s device, the photograph remains yours,” he concludes, envisioning a system where human identity is embedded into the act of creation itself.