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Photo Insight
Lights of
Passion
By Aishwarya Sridhar
T
alking from her home in the
Mumbai suburb of Panvel,
Aishwarya Sridhar exudes
positivity. She has good reason
to. At only 23 years old, she was awarded
a Highly Commended in the Behaviour:
Invertebrates category of 2020’s Wildlife
Photographer of the Year competition – the
firstIndianwomantobefeaturedinthe
prestigiousannualevent.
Aishwaryahasalwaysbeenfascinatedby
wildlife.Shedescribesherhometownas
‘verygreen’,withlargenumbersof
butterfliesandvariedspeciesofbirds.Being
surroundedbysuchnaturalriches,she
couldn’thelpbutfollowinherfather’s
footstepswho,as a memberoftheBombay
NaturalHistorySociety,wouldoften
participateinorganisedwildlife-spotting
treks.‘I wouldtagalongsometimes,’she
says,‘andthat’showI begangettingclose
tonatureandobservingit.’
Onher12thbirthdayshewasgivenher
firstcamera– a basicpoint-and-shoot– and
herpassionforphotographywasinstantly
kindled.‘Myfirstphotographsweren’tvery
good,’shelaughs.‘Therearea lotof
wetlandsinmyneighbourhood,soI’dgo
outandphotographthemigratorybirds
there,particularlytheflamingos.’
Asshelearnedmoreaboutphotography,
she became more and more fascinated by
the subject. Despite studying Mass Media
and specialising in advertising at university,
she knew she wanted to follow her creative
side. As such, she is now pursuing
fi lmmaking and presenting, ‘and
photography is a hobby’.Loveofsmallthings
Understandably,Aishwaryachoosesto
specialiseinthewildlifeofIndia.Afterall,
whytravelelsewherewhenthere’ssuch
diversityofspeciesinyourowncountry?
Andit meanssheis abletospendtimenot
justwiththehigher-statuscreatures,but
alsothesmaller,lesser-knownbirdsand
insectsthatotherphotographersmight
passby.Suchis thecasewithherimage
here,whichshecalls‘LightsofPassion’,
andwhichwastakennearBhandardara,a
villageinthestateofMaharashtra,in
westernIndia.‘Itwasmyfirstvisitthere,
andI wenttherespecificallytophotograph
thefireflies,’sheexplains.
Twoweeksearlier,shehadreadinthe
newspaperthatthefireflieshadarrivedand
werecongregating,andsosheplannedthe
140-miledrivetothelocation,timingher
visitfora nightwhenthemoonhadset
early,as itspowerfullightcancelsoutthe
effectofthefireflies.‘TherearetwosidestoAilsa McWhinnie learns how a magical image
of re ies congregating was captured
Aishwarya’scameraof choiceis theCanonEOS-1DX MarkII, whichsheusesalongsideher
Canon EOS 5D Mark III. As far as lenses go, her kit includes an EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS
USM, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, and EF 600mm
F/4L IS III USM. She says, ‘Canon offers me the perfect blend of high-end technology, speed
and low-light capabilities. In particular, I enjoy using the macro lens and wideangle as they
offer a different perspective into the lives of these creatures. It’s pictures captured with
habitats that interest me most.’
theforestinBhandardara,’she continues.
‘Ononesidethereis a festivaland campsite
wherepeoplegotowatchthefi refl ies, but
thereis a lotofdisturbance.They fl ash
torches,andit’snotthesortof
environmentI wantedtowork in.’
Asa result,sheheadedtothe other side
oftheforest,whichis muchquieter, and
wherea coupleofvillagerspointed her
towardsa naturetrail.At6.30pm, with the
lightalreadyfalling,shemadeher way into
theforest.‘Itis frequentedbyleopards,’ she
reveals.‘ThelocalsI spoketohad seen a
motherandhertwocubsa few weeks
earlier.It wasthefirsttimeinmy life that
I didn’twanttospota bigcat!’
After two hours of walking in rough, hilly
terrain, trying not to think about the
nocturnal snakes that inhabit the forest,
and now surrounded by pitch dark, she
came upon the tree shown in the image
here. ‘It was beautifully lit by the fi refl ies,’AISHWARYA’S KIT
‘Lights of Passion’ won
Aishwarya Sridhar a Highly
Commended in the
Behaviour: Invertebrates
category of the Wildlife
Photographer of the Year
competition 2020
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, 16-35mm at
24mm, 24sec at f/2.8, ISO 1000