A black-and-white photograph of a tiger looks arresting. T.N.A. Perumal, pioneer in wildlife photography, shot the picture in 1972 at Ranthambore Sanctuary. “Do you see the colour of the tiger?” he asks and then points to a colour photograph displayed at Click Your Pic, a three-day exhibition of wildlife photographs. “Here, you identify the colour immediately. Colour is the ideal medium in wildlife and Nature photography. But, it has to be a truthful and faithful recording,” he stresses.
Another photograph is a black spotted grasshopper in flight. “Nature photography is the best way to study and record animal behaviour. You can see the position of the legs, and the size of the insect as it readies itself for a take off. You should never blow it out of proportion,” he explains. A hoopoe landing to feed its chick is another striking photograph. “The hoopoe is a diurnal bird and I have to record it in daytime. When I use a dark background, it makes it look like a nocturnal bird. It is misleading.”
Conserve wildlife
Perumal is happy that many youngsters have taken to wildlife photography. “The fear of forests and tigers is gone now. It is good for wildlife conservation. But, don’t overdo it,” he cautions. “Do not unnecessarily disturb the animal. When the animal behaves in a disturbed manner, withdraw. Do not provoke an animal to get an action picture.”
Some of his other photographs on display include the tiger caught in various moods, a tusker scrubbing itself, leopard on a tree, peacock on an anthill and a serene painted stork. The stalwart will discuss the finer aspects of the art of wildlife photography at a workshop, being held as part of the event. Award-winning photographer Balan Madhavan, a fellow at the International League of Conservation Photographers, will also conduct a session. Perumal and Balan Madhavan will select the winners of the competition.
On display are entries of wildlife photographs that have made it to the Click Your Pic wildlife photography competition. The theme is ‘Treasures of India’. “There are more than 300 images from 60 participants across India,” says R. Mohammed Saleem of Environment Conservation Group (ECG), one of the organisers. “We have classified them as mammals, birds, and macro photographs of plants and insects,” he adds.
One of the participants, P. Anand, a wildlife photographer, has showcased images of a python devouring a spotted deer, the rhesus macaque, garden lizard, peahen, spider and green vine snake. Other notable photographs include Karthikeyan’s flame back woodpecker, Mahalingaprabhu’s egret and a Eurasian hobby shot by Lakshminarayanan. Other photographs include those of a racket-tailed drongo, blue fly catcher, tiger butterfly, tigers, elephants and spotted deer. GLO Digital Press has printed the competition photographs on canvas, using eco-friendly ink.
Award-winning photos
Some of the photographs, including Sudhir Sivaraman’s award-winning photograph of a leopard sleeping on a tree, are available for sale. The event is organised by ECG, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Central Academy for State Forest Service, and the Visual Communication Department of Hindusthan College of Arts and Science. It is on till December 30 at the college. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For details, call: 97878-78910.
