TIRUPATI: Black Percher, Charcoal Winged Percher and Southern Sickle Bush are not new to Seshachalam forests. Despite their occasional sightings, they were not officially documented as the inhabitants of the forests until now. O Inesh Siddarth, a 25-year-old from Tirupati, claims to be the first individual to document the presence of these three species in the ranges.
Siddarth, who finished their BSc in microbiology from Vidya Niketan in 2019, developed his interest in photography during his college days. “I started my photography journey by capturing sunrise and sunset because they bring out the best in a person.” Siddarth said he also participated in photo walks and bird walks organised by avid ornithologists and wildlife photographers, which exposed him to the world of macro photography.
“During a photo walk, I captured a butterfly for which I waited six hours to get a clear and close view. I photographed a red dragonfly for which I got the first prize in a wildlife photography contest,” Siddarth said.“At Seshachalam forest, I saw many insects and captured black dragonflies, which no one had captured before,” Siddarth said, adding that it took him four-and-half-hours to get the perfect shot.
Siddarth has also sold his photographs to Shutter Count, Adobe Stock, Getty Images and other such platforms.“I pooled `25,000 by selling the photos I clicked and through my savings, I bought a new DSLR camera,” he added. Siddarth said he wants to emulate his favourite photographer Varun Aditya who won NatGeo Nature Photographer of the Year in 2016.