Call of the wild!

To leave behind the comforts of a cushy job and take up another which has a pack of uncertainties to deal with is a big step. Years back, when wildlife photographer Balan Madhavan stepped out from a well-paying job of a bank clerk to become a wildlife photographer, what he had to confront were a series of questions regarding ‘survival’. “I was looking for the best opportunity to step out of my career as my heart was with nature. Definitely it was challenging. Once I proved myself, all those questions were answered,” says Madhavan.

According to him, a lensman who sets out for an expedition must love being in the wild and ought to have an open mind as one cannot anticipate what comes in his/her way. “A wildlife photographer must learn the behaviour of the forest, which demands a lot of passion and dedication. The snaps we take have to develop an emotional attachment between the viewer and the image. Seeing them, people should start loving nature,” he says.

One among the 60 fellows of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and the only one from India, he is part of a mission to conserve nature by exploring the potential of photography. In the words of Madhavan, conservation photography is the highest level of wildlife photography with a purpose. It uses the power of an image for conserving nature. “It is true that we do not have enough time to educate a million people. Hence, convincing the right audience is essential to find a solution towards conserving nature. This can be made possible by reaching the decision-makers,” he says.

Madhavan was part of ILCP’s project, Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE) twice, in 2008 and 2010, which saved the landscape in the US from oil exploration and the other was towards protecting the remains of Mayan Culture in Mexico from the grips of intense exploration of tourism. For the RAVE in the US, a team of eight ILCP photographers arrived on the spot between the Grand Tetons Mountains and Yellowstone National Park, where nature was suffering its worst due to the digging of more than 1,400 oil wells. Besides, it was posing threat to the natural migratory path of pronghorn antelope and bison. The team spent nearly eight days there and clicked a number of aerial, ground and underwater photographs. “We have not displayed them at any exhibition. Instead, the snaps were taken to Washington and shown before the Congress and the Senate. When President Obama ascended to power, he cancelled the oil well digging project.”

While indulging in wildlife photography, he opines that the dictum, ‘luck is when opportunity meets preparation’, can be aptly used. “The photographer must have mastery over the equipment in his hand; not the other way around. One must be ready to give commands to the camera to click the image one has formed in the mind. As nature will not give a second chance, one has to be well prepared.”

He also expresses his disappointment over those who take wildlife photography lightly. “Without any emotional attachment towards the welfare of  the species, people simply click pictures and claim to be wildlife photographers. They should understand that we are intruding their system and must give something in return.” He is the right person to say so as he is giving a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for a tribal watcher every year for guarding the forest. Yet, he admits that being a wildlife photographer is not a rewarding job in India. “The question of who is there to buy the picture goes unanswered. Still what motivates me to be a wildlife photographer is the fact that it is an extension of your love towards nature.”

—meera.manu@newindianexpress.com