From The Legos to Lens

Children are all too often underrated and short-changed, when in reality they are capable of such extraordinary things. Take for example the 8 year-old boy featured here, his camera always at the ready to capture the perfect wildlife photographs. At such a young age you might assume this child doesn’t really knowhow to take good photos, but think again!

ARYANS beautiful photos are sure to WOW your socks off.

As for any kid, holidays were always special for me. The only difference in my case was that I spend most of my holidays in the jungle. My love of the wild was inherited from my mother who herself is a wildlife enthusiast, a brilliant photographer and my role model. I love Mother Nature and enjoy seeing animals in their natural habitat. This is one of the main reasons that I have never been to a zoo even for excursions from schools.

I was born in the very place which was the setting for the famous tale, The Jungle book. I grew up hearing the stories of Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo the Bear and the Royal Bengal Tiger – Shere Khan. This is how my fascination towards the majestic Bengal Tiger, one of the largest species of tigers in the world, began. I have been privileged to photograph these royal animal in the wild many times. They have been classified as endangered and are at high risk. There are only about 2,500 of them in the wild, which is less than half of the population that existed 10 years ago.

Their elegance, exquisite color and proud gait which symbolises strength attracts me the most. I was always fascinated by the way he moves around the jungle projecting his might. His very presence strikes terror in the hearts of the prey and sends them running, crying out to alert other animals to the presence of the predator. Unfortunately humans, have overcome the fear with the assistance of superior weaponry and are driving the tiger to extinction, poaching them for skin and body parts for traditional medicine. The first thing I would recommend when photographing tigers is to learn as much as you can about them, by reading before you venture out into the wild and by observing before clicking your first photograph. Once you have researched them, it becomes easy to predict their behavior, to know where to find them and capture their unique images.

Ranthambore National Park is one of my most favorite places. It is one of the largest national parks in northern India and located in the state of Rajasthan. I travel almost every alternate month to visit this beautiful place. The Gir Forest National Park located in Gujarat, India is another place that I ensure to visit every year. It is know as the sole home of the Asiatic Lions in the wild and is one of the most important protected areas.

It is my vow to myself that I will follow and nurture my passion - wildlife photography.Be the wild serenity of the wildlife or the hustle and bustle of the city, I never miss an opportunity to use my camera. Photography is not an easy task as many think. Dedication, patience and hard work are required to capture the perfect image. It has always pushed me to go one step further. Today, I am not the photographer I was yesterday. Hopefully in future I will bring more dynamic changes to my photography.

Reading all this one might think that I spend all my time on photography. But I do have other interests like football, cricket, jungle trekking, art and movies. Recently I also tried snorkeling and loved the experience. My passion for wild life has helped me win prizes in school for projects on the lifecycle and behavior of animals in their habitat.

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