THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Until 2004, there existed no clear image of the Nilgiri Marten. The only existing visual of the mammal (which resembles a weasel, with a dark brown coat and bright yellow neck) were drawings in zoology manuals. All this changed when local photographer and animal conservation activist, NA Naseer, came face-to-face with the elusive animal—conferred a ‘vulnerable status’ in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) list—at the Pampadum Shola National Park, near Munnar. The encounter seemed an apt reward for someone who has walked the forests around the Western Ghats for over three decades, meticulously capturing its flora and fauna.
Greenest mile
In partnership with Wings of Nature, a Kollam-based nature club, Naseer will lead amateur shutterbugs from the city to the Nilackal forest (near Sabarimala) this weekend, where he will introduce them to the basics of wildlife photography and forest conservation. “Wildlife photography is 95 per cent about the animals and the strong need to protect them, than just capturing images,” begins Naseer, who wants photographers to start with identifying plants and tress in their own backyard first.
“Textbook knowledge can help a little. But you also need to venture into the woods yourself,” he adds, explaining how a wild elephant’s reaction to encountering a human will differ each time. Using a Canon 400mm, with a f2.8L camera lens, he has captured images of reptiles, mammals, insects and plants, numbering in the lakhs—including one lakh photographs of the great Indian hornbill.
Nearly gone
The 53-year-old has also donated 350 of his photographs, along with city-based lensman, Joseph Lazar, to Wikimedia Commons to help spread the message of wildlife conservation. Documenting his images and experiences in his best-selling Malayalam book, Kaadum Photographerum, the Sanctuary Asia and Hornbill magazine contributor shares that patience tops the list of traits needed to make a good wildlife photographer. After all, perching atop a tree for days on end, waiting for that perfect shot is not for everyone. “My priority now is the advocacy of wildlife conservation (over photography), which I will be trying to impress upon the participants of my workshop. These workshops will also be made a regular affair through the state in the coming months. The next will be at the Sacred Heart School of Communication in June,” concludes Naseer.
Today till Sunday. Rs 1,200. Details: facebook.com/nanaseer.
