I would like to call myself a wildlife photographer who focuses on conservation efforts and pushing the boundaries when it comes to wildlife and suburban photography. My photographic themes generally relate to wildlife affected adversely by mankind. My focus is to draw attention of the wider audience to the various issues faced with conservation and to inspire a change. My approach to photography has been unconventional and the unique perspective has helped me with various recognition and award. I have won more than 35 top draw National/International award and a lot of my images have been widely published in different print media/used by social media. A few of my most cherished moments/events are as follows,
I was a active participant in the campaign to save Tigers in India and this one is very close to my heart especially because of my love for the big cats. My image of a Tiger cub was selected to be the face of the campaign “Leave Me Alone”, a project initiated by Forest department, Sanctuary Asia, and Save the Tiger. This image was widely appreciated and I feel proud to have contributed in my small way for such an incredibly amazing project.
In my teenage years, I had started a project titled “Tree for Free” a campaign with a primary objective to raise awareness about the effects of deforestation amongst the people in Mumbai. I was successful with the project and was able to successfully plant more than 600 trees ensured their growth for the next few years and this in turn lead to me supporting the Save aarey movement in early days and collaborating with the members then.
One of my blog post titled "kaypo che?" went viral and has been widely shared on many social media and news platforms. In this blog I had shared a picture of a parakeet which had died after being stuck in a manja (kite string) wrapped around its neck like a noose.
An image of parakeets shot in Mumbai from my home got a lot of recognition. The image of two parakeets, where they appeared to ‘kiss’ in the rain – both leaning in with beaks entwined like a ‘necking’ couple was one of my most awarded and widely shared photograph on social media. I would say, this was a trending image .
I have always believed that home is where heart is and in the same vein, my immediate surroundings will offer me a lot of wildlife. I have observed and photographed more than 35 species of birds on one peepal tree right next to my house in Mumbai, thereby proving the presence of urban wildlife in the busy city of Mumbai. My work/images have been tagged on social media handles with names such as “Golden Tree” & “Tea-Time Birding”. In addition to wildlife photography, I am a Naturalist and I do not limit myself to one species or a cause.
My initial years of working as a naturalist and subsequent role as a conservationist has given me the much needed required experience to use the camera in any situation to provide a unique perspective in my images and I plan to continue to use my images make a difference and to actively assist with wildlife conservation.