Opening the shutter for wildlife

Hyderabad photography enthusiasts have an opportunity to explore wildlife through their cameras. Planet Wildlife is organising a two-day camp on wildlife photography in Hyderabad

With affordable DSLR technology, many youngsters have forayed into photography. While we have some very young and creative wedding photographers in town, few choose to walk into the wild to capture the untamed and untamable as many are unaware of how exciting wildlife photography could be.

In order to give an insightful nudge to budding photographers, Planet Wildlife Organisation, a Hyderabad based wildlife tourist organisation, is all set to conduct a wildlife photography camp in the city on June 7 and June 8. The camp will impart basics of wildlife photography to beginners but insists that the candidates fetch their own DSLR cameras.

Planet Wildlife that actively conducts tours, workshops and seminars for candidates of all age groups has its branches not only in India but also in Australia and South Africa. It plans tours in places like Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Australia, Botswana, Bolivia and many keeping in mind the budget preferences of the tourists. For these purposes, the organisation takes the assistance of local wildlife organisations called Destination Management Companies to customise packages based on the tourists’ budgets.

Started in the year 2010 by T. Mallikarjun Reddy and his daughter Veda Reddy, the organization is keen on spreading the message of wildlife conservation. But it is Prabhu Podipireddy, the advisor of the organization and the Member of Federation of Indian Photography, who shows us what exactly it feels like being a wildlife photographer.

“I started going to forests along with my photographer father when I was around 13 years old. That was when I developed a passion for wildlife photography. It is not just about clicking pictures. One begins to connect with the animals and the cause”. Prabhu assures that picking up wildlife photography can be easy. But the photographers need to be very patient, he says. “One should also have command over the gadget and the keenness to explore it.

Apart from that, it is also important to under the nature of the subject”. Wildlife photography, if pursued with passion, can be a lucrative field. But one requires patience, tenacity and the right avenues to pursue it. There are several organizations and publications that hire wildlife photographers, if only one is willing to look for them.

By:Priya Rathnam