GUNTUR: Internalising both science and art in his life, 50-year-old doctor-turned-wildlife photographer Dr Venkata Ramana Narendra has been appreciating the beauty of wild animals with his lenses and showcasing the world his passion for arts. Naraendra, a man who donned many hats, apart from being a managing director of Ammaji Pavani Memorial Super Speciality Hospital, he also pleases his soul by painting, sculpting and strumming. “While being a doctor and serving people is my profession, photography and art are food to my soul,” said Ramana.
Explaining how his journey as a wildlife photographer began, Ramana said, “I have been passionate about animals since my childhood, which I guess came from my mother as she was a zoology teacher and we used to have very long conversations over wildlife, and I got a bug for photography from my father.’’
Though he was pursuing his MBBS, his passion for wildlife photography always backed in his mind. In 2000, Ramana decided to venture into wild and pursue his dream. “I used to take-off into forests and wildlife sanctuaries once in every two months. I was always fascinated by the peace it gave me, wandering in the forests and observing the animals. Getting trained under eminent wildlife photographers TNA Perumal and Praveen Mohandas, the moments spent with them are the most wonderful and fortunate experiences of my life. I owe my knowledge and art of observing animals and their behaviour to them only,” said Ramana with the utmost respect to his ‘gurus’.
Ramana has recently bagged an award from the prestigious Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS) for his exemplary work in photo documentary submission titled ‘Tiger and Tigress’, featuring three generations of a Royal Bengal Tiger family over a period of time in a series of intimate photographs. He also received distinction from the British Royal Photographic Society. He traveled to various countries including South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and different States in India including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan for to capture the beauty of wildlife.
Speaking about his project, Ramana said that the project aims to show generations of a tiger family starting with a single tiger and a tigress in Tipeshwar Sanctuary in Maharashtra and their cubs as they grow up and reproduce.
“The project is a compilation of pictures recorded over seven years of meticulous and persistent tracking of the tigers. One doesn’t feel but awe when they observe the pictures as they portray different emotions such as the fierce stare, the care, feminine nature of the tigress and the playful attitude of the cubs. As I traveled for this project for a very long time and learned a lot, this project is close to my heart,” Ramana said.
When asked about his future projects, Ramana said that he is planning to do a project highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation and efforts to preserve a species from near endangered status and highlight their value in the ecosystem.