Sanctuary | People
The striking green fume-like formations are really the wing motions of a tailed jay butterfl y hovering
over a fl ower, which Ganesh froze using slow shutter speed.beyond just plain seeing to seeing through
our minds.
Could you give us an example?
Take for example my image of a tailed jay
butterfl y hovering over a fl ower to sip
nectar. I wanted to portray this artistically
and decided on very slow shutter speed.
I positioned the camera in such a way
as to get the shadow of a tree in the
background. Due to the constraints of
the recording medium, the background
appeared black. This is a perfect example
of the limitation of the medium even as I
used it for artistic merit. If I do not state
that the fume-like green parts are the
fl apping wings of a tailed jay butterfl yhovering over a fl ower, most people would
not know. Further, for the plain seeing
through 50 mm. eyes of a human being,
the composition as presented is not very
apparent. One of the lessons I have
learnt over the years is to always look
through the lens! You learn this only
through experience.
What about unethical behaviour
by some photographers who
pick up frogs or snakes and place
them against more interesting
backgrounds for a better image?
Can that be justified as creativity?
Absolutely not. Following an ethical
compass in every aspect of your life isvital. I have come across images where
nests are physically placed before the
photograph was taken or cut/pasted in
photoshop. The former is a crime and
the latter is unethical if not disclosed.
Photographers often fail to mention the
intent of their work – if your goal is to
capture and celebrate natural history,
then follow the ethical requirements
for that. If your intent is more artistic,
perhaps to capture the curves of an
elephant’s back and this is best served in
a monochrome rendition with some post
processing, then that is equally fair to do
so in my view.
The aim should not be to take an
image and then manipulate it to be the
best or adjust the scene to suit your
needs... but rather challenge yourself to
become a better photographer. Worship
the subject through your image... not the
image or the photographer.
How important is it to use
photography for conservation?
For me that is a given. Photographs
can make a huge diff erence – camera-
trap images are providing us glimpses
of life in inaccessible areas, stunning
visuals can convince policy makers of the
importance of preserving habitats and
images of roadkills or abused animals can
stir emotions that could translate into
action. Photographs must stir emotions- whether it is joy, sadness or anger – it
must have the power to move. I also
believe that photographs serve to meet
the photographer’s own emotional needs.
I do make images that I don’t share with
anyone – they are for me, almost like
breathing for myself.
What is your message to
young photographers?
Please think before pressing the shutter.
When in doubt, don’t press the shutter.
All about seeing can’t be expressed
in words and a lot of it is personal.
Sometimes when we see nature or
wildlife around us, the feeling we get
may be very diffi cult to express. But we
may be able to translate some of it into
images in our own way. I think the key
is to spend time in thinking, exploring
possibilities, and pre-visualising. In the
fi eld, if we run behind a bird to make a
close portrait, we will not achieve our
goal of making lasting images.
Check out selected images from Ganesh
H. Shankar’s work at http://www.sanctuaryasia.
com. His complete works are available at
http://www.naturelyrics.com
GANESH H. SHANKAR