Darker, But Positive Side of Photography

So many times, seeing my images, very humbly, people ask a question, “From where did you get all these images?” I have to explain how we get all such photographs in detail, & most of the times listeners think that these places must very beautiful & its fun being there. Believe me, it’s not the case every time. When we see images from different part of the world, most of the times we only admire the photographs, but we forget to admire the efforts behind it.

Egyption Vulture

Here I would like to share an incident, which left a huge impact on my mind. Look at some of these images we made around outskirts of Ahmedabad city in Gujarat. My photographer friends loved these images & wanted me to take them; even I was satisfied with what I clicked.

White-Backed Vulture

Towny Eagle

Greater Spotted Eagle

To make all these images we visited a place called Dabhala Village, where Panjarapol is maintaining solid waste dumping site. And the overall scenario of the place was like this… It was stinking like anything…

After seeing this image none of my friend wanted to visit the place… again…

Even Eagles have started feeding on carcasses
They are suppose to hunt the prey
This was another changing pattern of food chain we observed

This is the place you have to crawl to make eye-level images
Many times you have to hide yourself behind carcasses while making pictures

But story does not end here… It was the time we were leaving that place after making some decent images of Greater Spotted Eagle, Towny Eagle, White-Backed Vulture, Egyption Vulture… 

I wanted to make landscape of the place depicting the actual sense, so I climbed a tree near the place to get wider view…

I climbed a tree to make this scape
& this where we parked our car

While scanning the area from the view-finder, I could not believe what I saw…

Few women & girls entered the area with big knifes & vessels… 

Can you imagine for what…???

They collect fresh meat from the carcasses… 

A family members to on their routine, to collect their food from dead animals at solid waste dumping site...

I shot only one picture… because they did not want meto click any of their pictures… infect they were not happy with my presence out there… 

I could not even spoke to them… &  came back with heavy heart…

 In our country still many people who live like this… & they have to collect their food from dead animal from solid waste dumping sites…

Our country has top billionaires in the world… But at the same time…

India is a country witha extreme polarities in almost every terms… 

I am very very thankful to Falguna Shah & Dhaivat Hathi for all these images...

-Saurabh Desai

An Afternoon at Little Rann of Kutch

Little Rann of Kutch, known as LRK to us, where ‘Nothing’ is ‘Everything’. This empty space has so many things to share amongst the people who want to explore some most amazing places in the world. I had seen thousands of images from the place stating uncomplicated beauty of Nature. Without any appointments this place is entertaining ‘N-number’ of nature lovers & photographers from all around the world. I am not an exceptional case too, and visited LRK for many times whenever I get loops from common man’s life, thinking what unusual & special this place can offer! & every time I have returned with no complains; totally satisfied.

I am thoroughly stunned seeing the disproportion that connects the wildlife prevailing there, people established there & the nature in its most complex form. Out of many vivid elements of flora and fauna in there, Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur) is my favorite, you know why? Because it can tolerably fit well into my 400mm telephoto lens. I have tried many compositions keeping Wild Ass as a prime subject, but finally after four visits I am able to discover what attaches the animals & the place as single constituent, and that is “Mirage in Sun-drenched Afternoon”

It was afternoon, & the Sun was intense enough to have you a second thought about burning your sensors. Ignoring the situation, I wanted to try some images of Wild Ass. I moved out of the car, located the animals and they were emerging like floated elements on the water surface because of heat waves. Horizon was missing, & fluttering ‘Mirage’ effect was just unbelievable. I decided to make an image of a bunch, standing calm & steady on the floating edge of hesitated horizon. They looked taller than they are. Shutter was disturbed for two times and I made my way back.

Sometimes we don’t have to give so much before we hit the subject off and this was the state of affairs where there is nothing between us & the nature, not even the camera. I consider this afternoon as one of my most amazing wildlife moments.