Sanctuary | People
A fl amingo fl amboyance shot at Khadir Island in Gujarat by Ganesh gives us an insight into his artistic viewpoint.You have spent hours and hours
out in the field. What has been
your toughest moment?
I hate being stuck amidst 50 tiger
chasing safari gypsies in our national
parks. I consciously try to avoid spots
where tigers are found in popular
parks such as Corbett. I do enjoy
photographing the majestic tiger but just
not in the crazy melee that ensues when
a tiger is spotted. I wish all visitors to the
park learned to behave from the wildlife
they come to see.
Is there one wildlife image you
have taken that is particularly
dear to you?
Honestly none! I have taken tens of
thousands of images and each image
made sense to me when I shot it and may
or may not necessarily now. My images
refl ect my changing interests over time.
You have photographed several
wildernesses. Do you have a
favourite destination?
As I mentioned earlier, I stay away from
crowded places. I love photographing
where I have the freedom to explore. It
need not be an exotic destination. That’s
why I enjoy spending time in Bharatpur
National Park and some pristine areas
of the Western Ghats. I have not
photographed much outside of India. My
subjects range from a falling leaf to anant to an elephant. Any place is good if
I can be alone and think peacefully.
How do you plan for a
photography trip?
I visit a few parks every year. If I am
visiting an area for the fi rst time, I
research the work of other photographers
to better understand the opportunities
and the kind of visuals I may be able
to make.
What kind of equipment do
you use?
I started with a point-and-shoot fi lm
camera and later bought a Nikon N70
and a Nikon F5, which mainly used
slides (Fuji Velvia/Provia 100F). I then
switched to digital in 2005 when I
bought a Nikon D200, D300, D700,
D800E, D810, and a 4x5 large format
view camera. I use all kinds of lenses
from 11 mm. to 600 mm. f/4, and a
variety of special equipment.
What are your must-have essentials
as a photographer?
For me, it is solitude and peace of mind in
the fi eld.
What is your opinion regarding
the wildlife photography scene
in India?
It is great to see a phenomenal increase
in new and skilled photographers now,
especially very talented young minds.And your thoughts on the
increasing use of technology to
manipulate images?
Digital ethics is a slippery topic. What
was strictly no-no a decade ago when
digital technology took off is an accepted
fi rst step in post processing (for example
cropping, noise removal, local contrast/
brightness adjustments and so on).
Whatever is not acceptable today may
become acceptable a few years from
now. So, it is all relative. I strongly believe
that in nature photography we need not
faithfully represent what we see. It is not
possible to represent the way we see
due to technological limitations. What the
human eye sees is very diff erent from
what is seen through a 600 mm. f/4 lens.
Similarly, the use of diff erent fl ashes,
colour gels, shift lenses and other optical
manipulations have been accepted due
to photographic legacy. We criticise post
processing and debate digital manipulation,
then why not a debate on optical
manipulation? Both are manipulations
of reality.
However, that does not mean I think
cropping a tiger’s head from an image and
placing it on a lion’s is fi ne. That is a strict
no today and will always be so. I am talking
about options such as using limitations
of recording mediums to our advantages,
creative cropping, choosing perspectives,
which are readily not apparent to name
a few. To summarise, options which goGANESH H. SHANKAR