Capturing the moment

Wildlife Photographer Rathika Ramasamy is one of the best-known female photographers on the Internet. Find out what makes her click.

In photography, it is the eye behind the lens that makes a difference in the photograph. When the subject is wildlife, the result is a combination of several different factors. Indian wildlife photographer Rathika Ramasamy has captured the attention of the world through her breathtaking shots.

Born in Venkatachalapuram, a beautiful village close to the foothills of the Western Ghats in India, her claim to fame is through her lens. After her schooling there and higher studies in Chennai, she moved to Delhi.

"During my childhood, I used to visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary nearby, which introduced me to nature and wildlife. I started photography as a hobby when my father gifted me a point-and-shoot film camera. I used to take photographs of places I visited during my holidays. I never dreamt that I would end up as wildlife photographer later," says Rathika in an interview with Khaleej Times, who apart from photography, loves to read and spend time with family and friends.

She recalls how it all began. "I started wildlife photography in 2003. On a visit to Keolodeo National Park in Bharatpur, I was fascinated by the variety of colourful birds there, and wanted to photograph them so that I could enjoy viewing them later. I soon bought my first tele-lens, started to visit other National Parks around Delhi, and was drawn towards birds and animals. Watching their activities in the wild captivated me and made me want to explore their world. Wildlife photography is now not only my passion, but also a medium to connect to nature and help conserve it."

Radhika wants each photograph to convey a story. "I want to capture the unique characteristics and activities of wildlife in their natural habitat, aesthetically composed with good details. During my initial days of wildlife photography, I found it difficult to work in extreme temperatures, from 45 degree Celsius in Central India to severe cold in North Indian parks. One can shoot animals like tigers and elephants on a safari without getting down from the vehicle. But I was shooting small birds that are often shy and remain still for just a split moment.

"Though I realised that wildlife is one of the toughest genres of photography, my interest kept me going and I got accustomed to these inconveniences. These are part-and-parcel of the genre, and one cannot complain. Natural sunlight plays an important role, but one never knows when the weather may be a spoilsport. One has to take great precautions to protect equipment from unexpected rain or snowfall," stresses Rathika.

Rathika shares some of her memorable experiences. "I once managed to shoot a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets attacking a Monitor Lizard at Keoladeo National Park. Parakeets make cavities in tree trunks as they nest and lay eggs in them. The parents look after the eggs in the nest and protect them from predators like lizards. While I was kneeling on the ground to shoot ducks, all of a sudden I saw something hurrying towards me. I turned my lens to see what that was. I was astonished to find a Monitor Lizard running for its life when the parakeets were fiercely attacking and trying to bite its tail. Lizards are typically lazy and bask in the sun, while parakeets are usually peaceful and keep to themselves. This was the first time I had witnessed the birds being aggressive. It reminded me of how protective animals are of their young ones."

Jim Corbett National Park is Rathika's favourite park for shooting tigers. "On one of my trips, I did not get any sighting of a tiger for three days. On my fourth and last day of the trip, as I was on my way out from the park in the evening, I suddenly spotted a movement in the bushes on the roadside in the Bijrani zone and found a tiger coming out. While it slothfully walked down on one side of a stream, a herd of deer that was grazing on the other side of the stream caught sight of it. I was expecting them to immediately dash away. To my surprise, they stood still and watched the tiger. I waited and hoped that the tiger too would turn its glance towards the deer. It did so for a second, and I managed to capture a memorable moment of a predator and prey looking at each other, a dream come true. The picture also captures the beautiful habitat that is typical of Corbett."

Rathika's favourite camera is the Nikon D4S and Nikon D5. "The main lens that I use to shoot birds is Nikkor AF-S VR 800mm f/4G ED. For animals, I use Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR II. For nature landscapes, I use Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED," she says.

In digital photography, post processing is part of the workflow. "The images shot are raw; they cannot be used as such and have to be converted into tiff or jpeg files. As a nature photographer, I do minimal processing such as contrast boost, saturation and sharpening. The image should represent the essence of the scene. I use Nikon ViewNX2 and Photoshop for such work."

Rathika has tips/advice to encourage those who are interested in photography. "Take up photography only if you really love it. Photography is competitive like any other field. Only hard work, creativity and uniqueness pay. Photography is not just about learning technical aspects. It is also about having a good knowledge of the area you work in. Be open to ideas, observe and keep learning to maintain consistent high quality in your work. For budding nature photographers, passion, patience, planning and perseverance are important to grow and excel in this field."

HIGHLIGHTS OF RATHIKA'S PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY

2005: Received her first assignment to shoot at Varanasi for the "Clean Ganga Campaign". Her work was exhibited at the India International Centre in New Delhi, which inspired her to become more serious about photography.

2006: Received an invitation from Jawaharlal Nehru University to shoot birds on campus for their annual calendar.

2008: Selected as one of the top 20 bird photographers in India by Birds of India (Kolkata) and had her work exhibited.

2009: Honoured and featured by Doordarshan as the first wildlife woman photographer in India.

2010: Started sharing her experiences through workshops and talks at colleges and universities.

2015: Received the 'Inspiring Icon Award' from the prestigious Sathyabama University, Chennai. She has been cited as the best-known female photographer on the Internet.

Portfolio: www.rathikaramasamy.com

Page: https://www.facebook.com/RathikaRamasamyPhotography

• India