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women biologists spend countless weeks and months in the
forests, we have a fairly good gender balance, if it can be
correctly judged by participation in wildlife and conservation
conferences. Why is it that in our wildlife photography
community, it is still so skewed? I do not have the answers,
but I surely do know for a fact that women bring a certain
sensitivity to this art, which men seem less able to accomplish.
But times are changing and I believe the next generation of
photographers will break from ‘tradition’ and we will see women
come into their own in this fascinating sphere of conservation.
I also sometimes wonder why people come dressed all in
camoufl age (including their shirts, pants, shoes and even their
lenses) and then enter the forest in a colourful and noisy
vehicle, which the animals will easily spot. At the end of the
day, it’s the body of work, the way it is done, and the depth of
understanding that defi nes you as a wildlife photographer and
not your appearance.
As I look back at that evening in Ranthambhore, I realised
I was not going to make an image that would be any diff erent
from the thousand others. Instead, I kept my camera aside and
enjoyed the view of the tiger through my binoculars. I watched
and appreciated the excitement of others at seeing a tiger, and,
thought... maybe I will get another day when I will be able to
make an image that I will be happy about and maybe that will be
‘successful’ in this crowded world. Apurpose of it is corrupted if we as photographers disturb the
animals to get the shots we want.
The good news is that many organisations are taking a
call on ethical photography. Several do not accept nesting bird
photographs, as we all know, getting too close to them might
reduce their nesting success. The same goes with photographing
amphibians and reptiles. They are highly sensitive creatures and
taking them out of their natural habitat and bombarding them
with heat intense fl ashes really could aff ect them in the long term.
Most of my friends who are highly experienced and respected
photographers in the industry, take extreme precautions to
not disturb the animals or their habitats. But young or amateur
photographers, who want overnight success, sometimes cross
this line. However, I do believe we must have a clear ethical policy
across the board – for example an image of an elephant charging
at the photographer according to me is not an ethical image since
it is obvious that the elephant was irritated and its comfort zone
intruded upon.
There are ethics and there are legal issues. There are certain
things that one cannot do legally such as getting out of a vehicle
in a park, driving off -road, or catching a wild species. But there are
no clear guidelines on where ethics stand. One could even argue
that us going into a forest itself is a disturbance for the animals.
So the key is to be constantly aware about these issues and
as technology advances, we must keep ourselves updated so we
can employ the best techniques and photograph in a way that is
least harmful to animals. For example, with the advent of low-
light cameras, we really do not need to use powerful fl ashes that
momentarily blind the animals. With long lenses available in the
market, one does not have to go close to the subjects either.
THE FUTURE
With the fl ood of portraits of animals online, photographers
have begun pushing new boundaries to document our natural
world. Camera traps, once used only by wildlife researchers, are
being used by photographers to get intimate views into the lives
of secretive animals. This I think is a very non-intrusive way of
getting a new perspective on wildlife.
Some have deviated in other directions to create fi ne-art out
of nature. Some of the images that these photographers come
out with are pure magic and poetry. With the advent of drones,
we can fi nally get perspective of our landscapes from above which
was not possible till now.
But the one thing that no one can deny is that with so
many people interested in nature photography, there is a
greater interest and awareness about the environmental issues
around us. Photographers have not only been documenting
species and wild places, but also the damage we do to these
landscapes and the conservation issues that we face as we
aspire to be a developed country.
People in rural India educate urban folk with their photographs
about the real issues that they face when sharing space with
nature and we in turn can educate our next generation into
appreciating wildlife, who, when they grow up will stand up to save
these species and wild places.
The one thing that has bothered me about the wildlife
photography scenario in India is the lack of gender diversity.
Unfortunately, it continues to be a very male-dominated
community and for many, wildlife photography has become
a social status. In wildlife conservation and research, where
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