A buttery sun, a pair of male Nilgiri Tahr — an adult and a juvenile — and the edge of a cliff. This scene at a viewpoint enroute to Valparai near Coimbatore caught Agasthya Karthikeyan’s attention. “I thought I would focus on the subject, the Tahrs, and clicked some images. Later, when I went back to the car, I realised a wider perspective would also be good. So, I went back and also took some wide-angle shots. To get a warm texture, I balanced out the light of the morning sun,” he recalls.
On the same trip, his sister Sitara photographed a Bonnet Macaque. “It was early morning and we were walking on the road. I saw this baby macaque napping. It looked cute and I just clicked it. But my framing was different,” she says.
Agasthya Karthikeyan
Both photographs were runners up at an international photography competition conducted by Nature Talks, Amsterdam. The competition gets over 30,000 entries from photographers from around the world in various categories. The siblings were the only Indians and the first-ever sibling pair to win this prestigious award. “We won the award under the Youth Category which had a cash prize of €250 each and other goodies like camera equipment,” says Agasthya.
The duo sent 10 images each on the subject of Nature and Wildlife, including Lion Tailed Macaques ( LTMs), langurs, and hornbills shot near Valparai, elephants at Corbett National Park, and the greater flamingoes at Pulicate Lake in Chennai.
“The organisers informed us that one of our photographs had made it to the top three and asked us to attend the awards function. For the second prize, my photograph came up and, as a surprise, Sitara’s too. They announced that the siblings were joint winners. It was a great moment for us,” says Agasthya.
They received the awards at Ede, the Netherlands. During the 10-day trip, they also explored the country, people, food and visited some of the war ruins. “It was fascinating the way they care for protecting wildlife,” they say.
Sitara Karthikeyan
Agasthya and Sitara, students of SSVM Residential School in Mettupalayam, have won several international photography awards. Agasthya, who will enter college this year, says wildlife photography is more than a passion. “As a profession, it is demanding, time-consuming and cannot be done part time. Its expensive too. I will keep it alive all through my life.”
He recalls photographing Amur Falcons in Kotagiri as a challenge. “We had to trek to a cliff and wait indefinitely for the falcons to show up on another cliff on the opposite side of the valley. The experience teaches you to be patient. And, you become creative.”
Nilgiri Tahr photographed by Agasthya Karthikeyan
Publishing a photograph or sending it out for a competition is a time-consuming process, he explains. “You have to go through thousands of images to select one best frame. I rely on Adobe Bridge software that is very helpful in opening multiple big-sized images. We do just minimal touch ups like the tone or light balance. In the final round, most organisers ask for the original raw image to check the authenticity. Most of the international competitions also charge a nominal fee of $15-20 to enrol and upload your images.”
For Sitara, photography is all about appreciating Nature’s beauty and being aware of conservation. “Anyone who wants to start off with Nature photography should first have the interest to trek into the forest and be one with Nature,” the two reiterate.
