A click in time

His modest looks,thick set square glasses and skull cap instantly remind one of the photographers of the old world who believed in chasing the light and striking the right balance between texture and composition.

For city-based photographer,Shridhar Deshpande,the opportunity to display his pictures on the National Geographic Society website is an outcome of years of hard work and dedication

His modest looks,thick set square glasses and skull cap instantly remind one of the photographers of the old world who believed in chasing the light and striking the right balance between texture and composition. A conversation regarding the same with wildlife photographer Shridhar Deshpande establishes the verity of the fact that even in today’s era of fast moving technology,photographers like him still lay more emphasis on the artistic aspect of the profession. And perhaps this is the reason why he was recently invited by the National Geographic Society to host his pictures on their website.

Deshpande describes this opportunity as a culmination of his efforts. It is also a pleasant surprise as I haven’t been into photography full time,even though I have been doing it for the last 22 years. I took it up as a full-time profession only last year,when I gave up my job with an IT firm to start shooting nature and capturing its beauty, he says.

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Deshpande,who loves to shoot nature in its elemental form,sent his picture to the website only to find out where he stood as a photographer. I had sent the picture last year,and I got a reply only recently. In fact I had not even expected anything out of it. All I wanted to know was whether I was a decent photographer or not, he adds.

The mail that Deshpande received from the National Geographic Society states that his pictures will be displayed on their website as and when they are selected by them. He says,Getting pictures selected by the Nat Geo site is huge because we all know that the work they choose – stories or pictures is always a class apart. While the ultimate dream would be to work with the organisation on a full-time basis,this is a partial fulfillment of the same.

As far as his future works are concerned,he is working exclusively on raising the issue of tiger conservation. I am working on a calendar wherein I’ll try to highlight the plight of the royal beast. The proceeds from the sale of the calendars will go to NGOs that are working in the field of tiger conservation. he says.

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