Ardent wildlife enthusiasts, Arun Lakshminarayan and Vikram Sathyanathan, made the most of the opportunity when renowned photographers hosted a nature photography presentation for the benefit of Coimbatore’s amateur photographers.
Jill Sneesby from South Africa, C. R. Sathyanarayana from Bengaluru and S. Thippeswamy from Mysuru shared an impressive collection of photographs from their personal archives and also addressed the gathering on specific topics in the field of photography. The spectacular pictures they displayed left the audience awestruck.
Jill Sneesby is a regular participant in International Photography contests and has won many accolades including the Nature Photographer of the Year 2010 at the Africa Photographic Awards. The South African team, which Jill is part of, was placed first at the recently concluded Nature Photography World Cup in Bengaluru. For a photographer, every picture is a winner! But it is important to choose the right photograph to send in as an entry based on the rules and judging criteria”, says Jill.
She offered amateur photographers advice on how to pick the right photograph or create the apt portfolio for a contest. “Include pictures from genres such as action, portrait, landscape and abstract to build a portfolio that helps tell a story about one particular subject.” Jill’s portfolio on African Elephants was a case in point.
C. R. Sathyanarayana, a Bengaluru-based businessman, started his slideshow by sharing his first photograph. He took up photography as a hobby in the early 1990s. He spoke about pictorial photographs, while sharing curated images representing this genre. A village girl washing her laundry by a water body, a tourist wringing a towel by the lake in a hill station, a goat herder near Hampi, a rocky Himalayan mountain peak peeking through passing clouds were some memorable images from his slideshow. “The early morning and evening light — called the magic light — can make pictorial photographs look brilliant,” he pointed out, as he shared more photographs with a clever play of light and shadow. He has represented India in photography contests in the international arena.
Thippeswamy followed suit with an impressive collection of photographs on Indian fauna and flora. After completing his Masters in Cinematography, he dabbled in film cinematography before moving on to become a journalist and accomplished photographer for magazines. Based out of Mysuru, he frequently visits Ranganathittu bird sanctuary in Srirangapatna, Nagerhole National Park and Bandipur National park.
His presentation also included images of tigers from Ranthambore, lions from Gir Forest, rhinos from Kaziranga National Park, elephants from Jim Corbett National Park, flamingoes near Ahmedabad and black bucks from Rajasthan. It was evident that he has travelled extensively across India to capture its wildlife on camera.
Among the audience were young photographers and experienced amateurs who have wielded the camera for decades.
“Photography can play an important role in nature conservation and it has acted as an effective medium to increase public awareness and perhaps shape the government policy towards conservation”, says Vikram. Arun believes, “Events like these will broaden the imagination of budding photographers.”
Popular landscapes, fauna and flora have all been photographed but it is possible to capture them from a new perspective. When there is sharing of information and knowledge between experts and amateurs, the future of creative photography and wildlife conservation looks very promising in the Indian context.
