Wildlife Photography: A Drive for Nature Conservation

It had been several days since Gauri had shown her face in the wild brush near Ranthambore’s fast dwindling water holes. But Vishal Sabharwal knew the tigress would have to emerge, sooner or later. She would have delivered her litter by now and would not only be thirsty, but hungry too. And she’d have to hunt. Sabharwal would be waiting.

As glamorous as this ‘hunt’ may sound, what keeps people like Sabharwal going is faith in their own patience and perseverance. And that elusive shot that would capture the essence of the wild and inspire awe among city slickers, far removed from nature and its brutal innocence. The concern for the birds, animals, insects and their habitat is no less important to this breed of shutterbugs.

It is after all their efforts that have brought the cause of nature conservation closer to well-heeled benefactors by giving it a face. Be it a shot of the tawny eagle about to soar or tiger cubs playing their juvenile hunting games, these pictures draw emotions that no amount of lecturing can match. In turn, this encourages people to dig into their pockets to save animals they will never see themselves.

“Wildlife photography requires a great passion for wildlife and photography. For me, it’s not just about taking photographs, but enjoying the jungles, being surrounded by wild animals,” says Sabharwal, who started as a wildlife photographer quite by accident at the age of eight when he photographed a herd of wild elephants while on a school camping trip. Over the years, the bond has grown stronger and become a serious passion for him, he says.