At a time when every day feels like a marathon, a slow Sunday morning once in a while reminds us how it feels to reconnect with life and nature again. Watching birds, feeling the breezy air, absorbing nature wholly as an escape...for wildlife photographer Sanket Reddy, this disconnect from the mundanity of the city was not a mere luxury but something that happened organically through his profession.
He recently launched his debut coffee table book, The Viewfinder (White Falcon Publishing, `3,999). “My love for nature drives my photography. I’m more interested in capturing nature’s beauty rather than just creating an image,” Reddy shares. With a foreword from actor R Madhavan, who champions wildlife causes, the book advocates for environmental conservation through art. “The Viewfinder isn’t merely a collection of photographs; it’s a journey of discovery, a pilgrimage to the heart of existence. Through Sanket’s artistry, we are reminded of the profound interconnectedness of all living beings, and the sacred duty we hold to cherish and protect our planet’s biodiversity,” pens Madhavan in the foreword.
The genesis of the book was the need to tell the world his learnings from the wild and their connection with human lives. With a little push from well-wishing friends, he made his 291-page book a reality. “My biggest inspiration was when people would read what I wrote and told me that it helped them get through the day; when they were having a bad day, it gave them a different perspective. So I thought it deserves to be out there so that I can maximise helping as many people as possible,” says Reddy.
For Reddy, the biggest challenge was ‘filtering out the images to a limited few’ while also considering the book’s overall flow. “I had to curate something where the reader could open it on to any one and it would have a story of its own with a pictorial representation,” he says.
Art and conservation are uniquely blended by the author. “The art aspect is covered by my imagery and conservation is covered through the text that deals with the life lessons of wild animals’ behaviour, their status, information on whether they are critically endangered or not, and what are the needs to protect them,” Reddy explains.
With over 160 carefully-chosen pictures across nine categories with simple captions, the book is accessible even to children below 11. In a world grappling with environmental issues, Reddy believes his book can act as a bridge to connect with nature and raise awareness. “Photography helps people relate to their lives and importantly, accept the planet as a shared space. Each one of us is playing an integral role no matter how big or small,” he stresses. “I want to get people more connected with nature; when people are more connected with nature, they will be more thoughtful of their actions,” he adds.