Life Lessons from Behind the Lens

LIFE LESSONS FROM BEHIND THE LENS

Abhijit Pattanayak, India

My affair with the art of photography began 14 years ago when I bought my first camera. Since then I have been fascinated by the scope of various forms of photography. The love for this art-form has taught me to be patient, enabled an eye for different perspectives and áppreciate and admire the beauty in everything. By the time I got my first DSLR camera, wildlife photography was something that I had really started to explore. I had been following several Nat-Geo photographers for inspiration which made me curious about the scenarios and conditions they had to be in for one perfect shot.

I started to click pictures of birds that visited my backyard posting them on Facebook and Instagram when one day a famous photographer from Odisha came across one of my posts and contacted me to collaborate for a joint project to visit a place named “Mangalajodi” where every year migratory birds visit. During this time, this place becomes one of the busiest tourist-spots. We had a 2-day schedule during which we had to be submerged in chest-deep back waters carrying our camera gears and scouting the areas for photos. Well, the trip was great, we got really nice pictures, some got published, some sold off to the Tourism Department, but this trip had something more in store for me.

The night-sky of Mangalajodi was very clear and since it was a winter-night we could see a whole lot of stars which was simply impossible to witness for a city dweller like me. On the second night of our stay, I pointed my camera to the night sky and took my first long exposure photo, it was like a magic and love at first sight. Since then I have been travelling in search of clear, dark night skies, traveling to remote villages trying to capture Star Trails and Milky Way. Mangalajodi Swamp Land

However, it was still more curiosity than skill involved in this photography. The actual learning started when I visited IIT Kharagpur during SpringFest. I accidentally attended a guest lecture, by Ajay Talwar – one of the most prominent Astrophotographers in the world, based in Gurgaon. His lecture opened my mind to possibilities of using my camera for capturing things beyond humans and wildlife. He conducts a workshop on the foothills of the Himalayas every December where he teaches how to use camera and other equipment for astrophotography.

The 3-day workshop was held at a place called Ranikhet, a small town in Uttarakhand. This small town overlooks the mountain Nanda Devi. At an elevation of about 1.8km we were above any city lights or any surrounding light pollution, which is very much ideal for astrophotography. At night the sky feels like someone has poured a large packet of glitter on a black canvas. It’s so beautiful that it is indescribable.

Milky Way, spotted outside of Sariska

Ever since I came across the technology that the current digital camera possesses, it has been a steep learning curve for me with a lot of trial and error. Clicking pictures of night sky, one is not always sure of what and how good or bad the final image would turn out. It takes a lot of location scouting and imagination to frame a perfect shot. With the help of a couple of my friends and after 1 year of studying the theory behind spotting the Milky Way, clicking numerous Star trails and learning from my mistakes, I was able to capture the Milky Way on one winter night when we camped 50km away from Sariska National Park.

All I would say about this hobby of mine is that it has made me a better person. Wildlife photography has taught me to inculcate. Night sky photography has taught me that there are variables beyond our control and the only way forward is to give my best without worrying about the outcomes. And, these are the learnings that I carry into my professional life from my hobby of 'Chasing the Stars'! TS TiMES, SPECIAL MONTHLY EDITION | L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES 15