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Wildlife Photography
Is A Tough Job Especially For Females
And I Am Doing It
Rathika Ramasamy
Rathika Ramasamy is a well known Wildlife photographer based in New Delhi, India. She is a computer engineer with an MBA. She is one of the India’s foremost wildlife photographers and has been to nature photography for last twelve years. She is passionate and has specialised in bird photography. Her work has been showcased in national and international publications. She has traveled to most of the National parks in India, and has been to Tanzania National Parks. In 2008 Birds of India, selected her as one of the top bird photographer in India, where she exhibited her work along with other top bird photographers. In 2009, ‘Uccelli in Natura’, an Italian magazine on birds, selected and featured her as the best bird photographer from Asia. In 2010 she has published her first photo book on “Bird Photography”, with the best of her Bird Photographs. Rathika has been conferred the “Inspiring Icon Award” from the prestigious Sathyabama University, Chennai. In an interview with Nisha Sethia, Media Executive of Eastern Panorama Rathika express…
How was your journey from engineering to photography? How much support did you get?
Photography has been my hobby since school days but those days we never thought photography could be a profession. I did my engineering and MBA. Around 2003, I got a break and I got involved into photography with the digital technology. So slightly, I started doing more photography and I fell into wildlife photography. My family, my husband always supports me. Since my childhood I never faced any restriction. Wildlife photography is a tough job especially for females and I am doing it. Whenever I go to national parks, sanctuaries or such places as soon as people see me they get surprised, they are like from where does she comes with those entire camera, lenses but they are very supportive including guide and other people. I get output support also.
Which is your favourite photograph?
It’s very tough to choose but one of my favourite photographs is owlets (ullu) spotted out. I saw two owls; it looked as if they were kissing. It was one of my iconic shot. It’s one of the lovely and wonderful moments to watch in a photograph.
Is there any other genre that you are working other than wildlife photography?
Actually I started as a travel photographer. I love to travel but for last four – five years I didn’t get time to focus or shoot on other genre. I am more into wildlife photography but if time permits I would love to shoot landscape and travel.
Before taking photographs do you have any planning or study on animals?
Definitely, any assignment we start a lot of planning goes. If I am planning to shoot up a tiger I can’t go during winter but summer is the best time to shoot them. So before going a lot of storming takes place like which place is good for tiger sighting? We usually follow two three months before itself and sometimes even one year. Next I will be going to Jim Corbett, there the tiger has given birth to two three cubs, so I will be shooting it. For three four months my people are there to follow up to see whats going on, so these are the planning which starts before a year or three four months before itself.
With coming up of high pixel camera in cell phones how is the photograph different from taken by DSLR?
The quality of photograph taken by DSLR is different from those taken by cell phones having high pixel camera. Pictures taken by DSLR always stand out in terms of quality, size and printing. The purpose of photography is not different only the equipment is different. It has been changed by the technology. Before we used film which took atleast two to three weeks to develop but now in an instant I can see my photograph that’s the difference. Today the equipment is different but the process and the purpose will always remain the same.
Have you been to Shillong before?
I have been to various places of Assam like Dibrugarh, Guwahati etc, for various workshops but Shillong its first time. I really love this place. In Northeast, I have been to Kaziranga which is one of my favourite. It is famous for the one- horned rhinosours. My father was posted here in Shillong when I was young. So, as soon as I got invitation from St.Anthony’s College for ‘Shillong International Photo Festival’ I got very excited to see this place, as I have heard a lot from my father that it’s a beautiful place.
