KOCHI: ‘Nature sets the frame’
It was an affinity for the great outdoors and a penchant for the creative that lured Aravind G, a chemistry professor in Kochi, to take up wildlife photography. But what has seen him invest time, money and effort in this hobby for over a decade now is, in fact, the thrill of capturing that which evades many.
“In the wild, nature sets the frame. Successfully capturing what it bestows upon you is the greatest reward,” says Aravind, who bought his first camera in 2010.
His first trips were to wildlife reserves in Kerala — Muthanga and Thekkady to name a few. “During this time, I was perfecting my photography skills and developing an eye to find good frames. Each visit to the forest offers a different view, another shade of light and wildlife to capture,” Aravind adds.
The ‘graduation’ finally came in 2017 when he went on his first safari trip. “It was to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. “There, I spotted a jackal tussling with a porcupine. I have a snap of the jackal looking away at the now-fleeing porcupine with a quill lodged in its hide. It’s one of my favourite photos,” Aravind says.
Beyond a retreat from the clamour of our everyday lives in the city, what wildlife photography also teaches us, he says, is patience.
‘Observe nature’s wonders’
When Satheesan K V took up photography in the early 2000s, the limitations of the film camera proved big hurdles. It was the advent of digital cameras that breathed a new lease of life into his hobby.
“I was taken to photography as a child. Nature fascinated me and I wanted to capture its raw beauty. So naturally, I gravitated to wildlife photography,” says the retired SBI staff.
His primary interest is bird photography. “It’s very challenging and thereby more thrilling. To get a good shot, one has to invest a lot of time and effort. But it’s an adventure and I enjoy it,” says Satheesan, who’s been photographing since 2010.
When he began, Satheesan was taking snaps of birds in and around Mannarkkad in Palakkad, his hometown.
“Then, I took snaps of whatever birds I saw. Now, after years of practice, I’ve become selective. Now, I usually only photograph rare birds,” he says.
Indeed, Satheesh was the first to spot Amur falcons in Palakkad. “It was in 2013. My friend and I were out on our regular Sunday bird-watching round when we spotted the rare bird near the Malampuzha dam,” he recalls.
According to him, what’s crucial for bird photography is to not be dejected at the slightest setback.
“It might take multiple trips to spot a bird. Also, learn to observe the wonders of nature and connect with it. What it does to your physical and mental health is indescribable,” Satheesan says.
Now, armed with a Canon R6 camera, he is already at Jhalana Leopard Conservation Reserve in Rajasthan for his next adventure.
‘Not tigers, rhinos!’
Sunil C G developed a passion for wildlife photography during his tenure at the Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation in Thekkady.
“This was in 1999, 25 years ago. There were lots to see here and I wanted to capture it all. However, it was not until 2010 that I, spurred on by my friends, fully committed to the hobby,” he says.
Regular trips to tiger reserves soon followed. Then, in 2012, came a pivotal moment when Sunil, who hails from Kuttanad, was on a safari to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
“It was the last ten minutes of my last day there; just as we were returning to the exit gate after a very tiring and fruitless endeavour to have glimpse of a tiger, a herd of spotted deers nearby started to make alarm calls. Not long later, we saw a tiger approach. I had set up my cameras to capture a tiger kill. Nothing of that sort transpired. Instead, the tiger just walked past,” Sunil recalls.
This incident, says the nature education officer, challenged his ideology of the wild and became an invaluable lesson to present at schools. For Sunil, the hobby is also an avenue “to learn more about nature and most importantly, connect with it”.
While it is a tiger that every wildlife photographer hopes to capture, for him, it was a rhino. “I finally captured it on the lens in 2023 while on a safari to Kaziranga National Park in Assam.” Next on his list is Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan.
‘First snap of Periyar’s tiger’
In 1984, when Deepakumar Narayanan picked up the lens, little did he know that he was one of the earliest wildlife photographers in the state. Now, at 69, the former director of the Wildlife Education Department still pursues the hobby with the same zeal.
“Digital cameras have made photography more accessible, but patience and readiness remain key,” he says, adding, “Wild animals don’t pose for you.”
Deepakumar’s best shot came in 2000, when, on learning that there was tiger kill in Periyar reserve, he and his two friends made a trip to the site.
“All we saw were bones and a carcass, which was now being eaten by what we thought were pigs. The tiger was nowhere to be found. But we stayed, hoping to catch a glimpse later. Soon, at twilight, we saw the striped one appearing from a distance. First, it stopped at an arm of the Periyar River to drink water. Then, it charged to where the pigs were, where we were. It pounced on the animal some 100 metres away. It was then that I realised that these were not pigs. I turned to tell my friends this but could not find them anywhere. They had run a while ago,” he recalls.
Deepakumar later found them atop a tree. By hauling himself there, he took a few snaps of the tiger and its prey.
“It was likely the first field photograph of a tiger in Periyar. The dense evergreen forests here prevented capturing the beast on the lens until then. So, it’s my special photograph,” he adds.
For him, the experience often outweighs the photograph. “Sometimes, I don’t even take out the camera. Being in the wild is reward enough,” he says. Armed with a Canon R6 camera, he plans to visit Ranthambore National Park next year.