‘A picture is a poem without words’, Roman poet Horace quite rightly describes the power of images to make a mark in the minds of viewers. Deepakumar Narayanan, a conservation educationist and researcher, left an indelible mark in the minds of nature lovers in the city through ‘Wild-e-Ranges’, an exhibition of his eloquent photographs on wildlife and nature that was held at the Museum Auditorium.
“My tryst with wildlife photography was the natural culmination of my love for nature,” says Deepakumar, a forme Deputy Director (wildlife education) of the Forest and Wildlife Department who worked there for 30 years. “I have spent a lion’s share of my career in the wild, where I had a chance to observe nature at close quarters. The myriad experiences I have had egged me on to capture them in frames so that I could share their beauty with the world,” he says.
Deviating from the clinical perfection of most photographs depicting nature, this shutterbug tries to capture the pulse of Mother Nature through his raw clicks. Each frame brings out his passion, as is evident by the pains taken to capture each moment and the way they have been captured. The photograph titled ‘Emerald in the flame’ where a parrot sits forlorn on a bough, contrasting the bright flowers around it is a visual treat for any photography enthusiast. It has a visual quality that almost brings the parrot to life – a common attribute shared by many photos in the display.
The snaps have been taken at different locations across Kerala such as the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, the Periyar Tiger Reserve and the Eravikulam National Park among others. One of his personal favourites in the exhibition is ‘Walking into the Twilight’, a panned shot of a tiger walking in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Tiger, tiger “Back in March 2000, while I was at the reserve, I heard of tiger sighting at the area. Eager to photograph the tiger, I set up my camera and waited, but to no avail. As I was about to leave I chanced upon a lone tiger walking towards me, 50 feet away. I did not waste my chance and ended up clicking this picture, which, later, became one of the first photographic records of a tiger from the Periyar Tiger Reserve,” he says.
Many frames capture the magnanimity of elephants – a coincidence, he confesses. ‘Man, Woman and Child’ brings together a brood of elephants uniquely captured in a single frame while ‘Gathering storm’ depicts a natural frame where an elephant seems ready to march forward.
This self-taught lensman has also captured rare shots from Mother Nature’s lap. A close shot of another Bengal Tiger on the prowl raises questions about how that was taken. “I used camera traps – where pre-set hidden cameras were used to capture wild animals at close quarters,” mentions Deepakumar, justifying the title of the photograph, ‘Entrapped’. The nature enthusiast has a host of such snaps including that of a deer being coiled by a python, a running deer and spellbinding photographs of brooks and waterfalls.
He uses photography as a medium to spread awareness about the urgent need for forest conservation. “Through my photos, I urge people to venture out into nature to explore its hidden charm and to savour it. Only by imbibing the power and beauty of the ecosystem that protects us, will people feel the need to conserve it.”
