His frames are a smorgasboard of the forest. Through his images, one can follow the music of nature, the shape of its sound and the grass that carpets the jungle.
Wildlife photographer Harsha Narasimhamurthy believes that there are too many myths surrounding the art form and to dispel them, one has to first be passionate about photography.
He says, “First of all, a photo has to tell a story. It has to function like sentences in essays or books. For wildlife photography in particular, one should be a naturalist before going to shoot pictures in the wild. They should study certain specifics and functions about the animal before walking into the jungle so that they have an idea about what they are going to shoot and how to focus. And of course, one should be passionate about the art form.” His penchant for photography is seen through his pictures as the animals he shoots look like they are going to prance and prowl out of the frame.
Harsha recalls that he tested waters in photography while doing his Bachelors in Commerce at National College. A movie screening about tigers in college inspired him to pursue wildlife photography. He wished to unearth the magic within jungles, creatures of the wild and capture moments and experiences. Since then, armed with a rucksack and a DSLR, he started visiting national parks and sanctuaries such as Ranthambore, Bandipur and Kabini as a hobby.
He was one of the top eight finalists (and the only finalist from South India) in 2014 for ‘Youth For Clicks’ competition and the winner of ‘Youth For Bengaluru’ 2014 by the Karnataka government. So what started as a hobby became his profession. He now works as a photo tours consultant. He also goes to many photo tours as a co-skipper at ‘Toehold’, which is a travel and photography company and a leading provider of photography workshops, tours, kids’ events and custom tours. He adds, “It was a dream come true when I decided to take up photography professionally. I was initially skeptical about my shift in courses and thought a lot. However, in the end I decided to follow my passion and now, I feel that it was one of the best decisions I made.”
Articulate through his pictures, Harsha says that he is happy with wildlife photography and doesn’t want to try different genres for now.
“I was always interested in animals and the wild, so I sort of rediscovered my passion for them, when I started photography. Other genres don’t interest me as much as wildlife photography does. However, there are few opportunities for wildlife photographers. It’s very tough to take pictures in the wild as animal behaviour is uncertain and unpredictable. A photographer has to spend time and energy there. Most people, who go with an aim of taking pictures of animals, get discouraged if they don’t see an animal at the first instance but this shouldn’t be the case. I saw a tiger only after one year of starting wildlife photography.”
For all his endeavours, he is grateful to his family and his three mentors — Jayanth Sharma, Sachin Rai and Kiran Sadananda, for their faith in him, and is ready for many more adventures that await him.
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