A High school teacher and mother of one, 37-year-old Pallavi Sarkar is a ‘ocassional’ wildlife photographer. Yep, she plans her shoots in accordance with her school schedule and gives her passion equal priority in her life. Her mastery in art was noticed by the likes of National Geographic, New York Post, and BBC.
It was the unique picture of a monkey that she had clicked which piqued the interest of BBC two years ago.
“I was in Bandipur National Park with my family,” she recalled. “A young macaque had just landed on the hood of a vehicle in front of us. He was playing about, and at one point, he noticed the rear view mirror.” As he continued his antics, Pallavi managed to capture the unique moment.
“He started by just looking at the mirror. And then, the way his expressions changed… first he just peeked a little, then he looked into it deeply, and finally, he just kissed his reflection,” she said. “I was in the vehicle behind. For the longest time, I couldn’t even see the macaque: just his reflection on that mirror. But I eventually found a vantage point.”
After BBC came the New York Post, and then National Geographic which featured her photographs in its ‘best bird photography’ shortlist two years in a row.
“National Geographic focusses only on the birds, among all the photographs I take,” states Pallavi. “I find bird photography extremely challenging and engaging. You need a different frame of mind as everything is so unpredictable. You don’t know what the subject will do next or how it will react. It’s a game of trust and patience, as it involves moving close to the subject to get a perfect image.”
Although she had never taken any formal training in photography, mentors like Marzook Mohammed and Masood Hussain gave her the much-needed guidance. Also, she prefers to do her homework before she starts her shoot. “I make it a point to read about the local fauna before I visit any place,” she said.
While her camera boasts of thousands of pictures till date, she barely has pictures of herself. “I don’t need to be seen,” she said. “My photographs speak for me.”
H/T: The Hindu