Welcome to Ray's Wildlife Pages
Wildlife and Nature Photography
Photography and wildlife are passions which have motivated me for more than 30 years. During this long period I have done practically all types of photography to earn a living, but my love for wildlife and nature always led me to the jungles and forests where I got immense joy and fulfillment from shooting wildlife and nature with a camera.
This is not the right place for a lengthy discussion about the technicalities of wildlife photography. If you are a first-timer with a camera in a wildlife sanctuary, be warned that it is a very difficult job to get a stunning photo of a wild creature. Most of the wild animals are naturally shy and will flee the moment they see you approaching them on foot. There may be occasions when a very close approach is possible, but these are exceptional situations. Moreover, you would hardly get an opportunity to move about on foot in a national park or wildlife sanctuary. Animals are more approachable when you are in a vehicle or on a riding elephant.
With the advent of digital cameras, film cameras are on their way out. It is also almost next to impossible to get a new SLR film camera in the market. The advantage of using a digital camera becomes obvious with a hands-on experience of using one. The first and foremost convenience is that the camera records photographs on a CCD or CMOS sensor instead of film and these cameras come with a fantastic range of options for its settings. At times it is mind boggling as well as a bit irritating to be faced with so much choice. But the learning curve is not steep at all.
You will also need long telephoto lens to get a frame-filling shot of a small bird. Telephoto zooms are most convenient as they pack a range of focal lengths in one lens. I use a Nikon D70S SLR camera and Sigma 170mm-500mm zoom lens. These are quite convenient for my purpose.
I can go on and on with the technicalities, but as I said earlier that this is not the right place for such discussions. One thing I would like to stress here - please remember that the welfare of the wild denizens is of paramount importance, your photography comes next. When you have finished and prepare to return to your world, your footfall should be the only evidence of your visit.
Nature is Imperilled
As I went about the forests in my quest for wildlife photography, a question nagged me all the while - "How long are these beautiful forests and their denizens going to last?"
Whenever I read reports about destruction of forests and wildlife in newspapers, magazines and internet I am invariably overcome with a feeling of despondency and despair. I ask myself the inevitable question - "what are we DOING about it?"
Elsewhere in this website I have prepared and presented a list of organisations working at national and international levels to help protect and preserve our precious environment. While their work is laudable, I cannot but feel that these efforts are too little too late. The number of people seriously interested in wildlife and nature is really insignificant compared to the vast teeming millions that inhabit this planet. It will always be so as long as we think that this planet belongs only to homo sapiens.
Nature has great resilience, but she cannot withstand the abuse meted out to her ceaselessly. The mindless exploitation, the wanton destruction all have a cumulative effect on nature. Global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, desertification, atmospheric pollution are some of the far-reaching effects of our past deeds. Do we care? No, we carry on regardless and try to devise laughable measures that has little or no effect.
The track record of our national and state governments, so far as providing protection to the environment is concerned, is not only despairing but downright despicable. This situation is not going to change in the near future.
So, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to sit tight and watch our dear planet crumble away? Please think hard about it. If you feel the way I feel about it, I would ask you to band together all the likeminded people around you and try to invoke in others the spirit to protect what little is left of nature.
Photo of the week
Common
Jay |
