Reminiscences of a Wildlife Photographer PHOTOGRAPHY

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Preface “Some unknown, unseen forces direct one’s life, Perumal,” were the words of my esteemed friend and mentor, the late Shri M. Y. Ghorpade of Sandur. How true! It is my firm belief that the good deeds of my parents and the benevolent directions of our family deity— Angalaparameshwari of Thiruppazhanam, Thanjavur—have been watching over me and have directed many friends and well-wishers to touch my life. From a traumatic start to an enriching new life I have no recollection of seeing my mother. She delivered me into this world and left me when I was ten months old. I lost my father to meningitis when I was in school. Turmoil and helplessness followed, days filled with fear of penury and relentless family tensions and squabbles. My hobbies—radio, electronics, reading, wildlife and shikar literature, to name a few—were passports to a new world; one that exposed me to mentors, friends and new situations ... As I have said in my essay, later in this book, “a new chapter opened for me, which has been an eventful one filled with travel and enriching wildlife and photographic experiences”. Evolution: from gun to camera I was introduced to the discipline and intricacies of target shooting. As a rifleman, I made forays into forest and jungle with shooting of one kind in mind. Thankfully, my shikar days and experiences were limited. I soon exchanged gun for camera and embarked on more enlightened adventures. I must say, however, that my short stint as a hunter, when I studied wildlife at close quarters, gave me a valuable understanding of animal and bird behaviour, body language, habits and vocalisations. This knowledge has served me well in my career as a photographer. Sharing the journey I have visited fascinating forests and jungles, swamps and sanctuaries, across India. I have even been fortunate enough to go on a photo safari in East Africa. Wildlife photography rewards the patient photographer with exhilarating moments and memories, often set in magical environments. I have had many. For years, my family and friends have been trying to persuade me to record my experiences and their natural outcome—photographs—in a book. Their consistent encouragement has given gave me the confidence to overcome my trepidation and bring out this book of my life’s work. The rationale of ‘Reminiscences’ The task of selecting photographs seemed intimidating. Having a rationale to guide the selection helped (it also gave a logical flow to the book). For a brief while, early in my career, I was interested in pictorial photography. Some of my work in this genre makes its appearance in the first section of this book. The two following sections feature the results of my lifelong passion: wildlife and nature photography. I have experience in all three mediums of photography—conventional black-and-white, colour transparency and digital. So I have selected photographs that seem to best represent my work in each, under the broader categories of black-and-white and colour. I share the rich experiences my career choices have gifted me in an initial essay. My thoughts on the changing nature of nature photography in India, a practical guide to wildlife photography and notes on some selected photographs appear at the end of the book. There are many people who have contributed to, and vastly enriched, my journey as a photographer. They are gratefully remembered on the following page. I hope going through this book gives you some of the joy that creating it has given me. 2 3
Reminiscences of a Wildlife Photographer My very first bird photograph (1960) Oriental White-Eye at nest PHOTOGRAPHY has always enthralled me. Clicking pictures of scenery, friends, relatives and animals with borrowed Kodak Baby Brownie, 120 Box Brownie or folding pocket bellows cameras gave me immense joy and a proud sense of capturing memorable images. This hobby is a natural extension of my early penchant for drawing during my school days. All things mechanical, electrical and electronic fascinated me. ‘Popular Mechanics’ was a big influence on my choice of hobbies. In school, I won prizes in the hobby section for a model house with streetlights powered by a battery and a flying model of a fighter plane made of thin cardboard, rubber band and propeller carved out of light wood. Coincidentally the prize was the classic: Around the World in Eighty Days. Evening bazaar in K. R. Market, which used to be flooded with post-World War II U. S. Army disposal electronic gadgets, was my favourite haunt. All my pocket money (the princely sum of four annas a week) was spent on collecting gadgets for my experiments in radio and electronics. Assembling a crystal radio and other electronic gadgets occupied my mind. Words cannot describe my excitement when I successfully assembled a valve radio receiving signals from Radio Australia—and I could hear the laugh of the kookaburra, Voice of America and Big Ben of BBC crackling in my set. Natural history books, shikar classics and true-life adventure stories were another source of endless fascination. They were my favourite reading, transporting me into a world of jungles and wild animals. Later, this world would become a reality. I have wandered through such environments, in Bannerghatta and elsewhere, in the company of people like my good friend Nanjegowda, the Shikari of Sampigehalli, or my staunch friend, philosopher, guide and fellowphotographer, Y. Upendra. One has to celebrate the magic and mystery of the forest atmosphere. I have marvelled at red wattled lapwings on an aerial sortie, giving their agitated did-he-do-it calls, warning of an intruder. Words cannot do justice to the elation one feels walking through the familiar incessant drizzle that defines a forest in the monsoon season, listening to the soothing sounds of water dripping from wet branches to the leafy forest floor beneath. Nor can I describe the happiness I feel at hearing forest symphonies like those of the bulbuls—red vented, white browed and red whiskered—as they flit from one patch of forest cover to another. The lively cackling calls of grey partridges emerging from the fields around the forest will always symbolise the spirit of countryside and forest to me. The forest represents so much, and is represented by so many … and I’ve not even come to the impact that its animal inhabitants have had on me. My love of photography, reading and the outdoors—in combination with my love for things mechanical—has shaped my thoughts, my choices and my career. It has given me a lifetime of experiences and memories, some of which I share with you in the following pages … 8 Reminiscences of a Wildlife Photographer 9
Page 2 and 3: A beacon of light in the field of w
Page 6 and 7: Pictorial Photography In the early
Page 8 and 9: Black white &Photographs
Page 10 and 11: Colour Photographs Analog and Digit
Page 12 and 13: Indian antelopes or blackbucks spar

Reminiscences of a Wildlife Photographer PHOTOGRAPHY

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