The Wildlife India Forum 2018 saw several notable names from the wildlife photography community, who arrived in Bengaluru to discuss the genre and the dire need for conservation.
Better Photography’s second edition of the Wildlife India Forum saw some of the biggest names in wildlife photography come together on one platform. The forum intends to inspire discussion about conservation through photography. We were supported on this journey by our main partners Toehold, one of India’s most prolific wildlife photography and travel companies. We also had the support of Sigma, HP and The Deccan Herald. The speakers included conservationists, and award winning photographers with decades of experience and accolades to their names. Following the talks, the unveiling of the second edition of Moments from the Wild took place. It is an exclusive photobook featuring stunning images of nature and wildlife from around the globe. This book has been printed by HP, and all proceeds from its sale will be used to further wildlife conservation efforts. The day was concluded with a panel discussion and Q&A session on conservation in India, essential ethics to follow during wildlife photography, and steps that ordinary citizens can take to aid conservation. Here’s a look at what transpired on this eventful day at Bengaluru, on 19 May.
The Speakers
Vijay Mohan Raj, IFS chief conservator of Forests
Mr. Raj was the keynote speaker at the event. He discussed about how India has a lot of strict laws and legislation to protect wildlife.
Vijay Mohan Raj speaks about how wildlife photography can be a tool for conservation.
“If you really want to make strides in conservation photography, stay away from tiger reserves. Go to places where nobody else goes.”
Roy Mangersnes, Photography Mentor, Toehold
Mangersnes gave his insights on creative photography, and also explained various photographic techniques.
Roy Mangersnes at the event.
“We have to tell stories, and we have to communicate our passion for nature. Whenever we do that, we must make sure it’s fun.”
Kalyan Varma, Wildlife Photographer
He presented his experiences of filming wildlife, and his views on conservation.
Kalyan Varma talks about wildlife filmmaking.
“To become a good wildlife film director, knowing how to tell a story is paramount. The audience must remain engaged to care about your subjects.”
Joshua Barton, Underwater Photographer & Expedition Leader
Barton talked about his perspective on underwater photography.
Joshua Barton shares his experiences.
“I feel I owe it to my viewers to give them shots that aren’t just pictures, but images which have been made with blood, sweat,
tears, and a lot of hard work.”
Jayanth Sharma, Wildlife Photographer, Co-founder & CEO, Toehold
He shared his beginning and journey in wildlife photography.
Jayanth Sharma at the event.
“Underwater photography is still an area which has not been explored quite as much as other facets of wildlife photography, especially in India.”
Sudhir Shivram, Wildlife Photographer
Shivram was a part of the panel discussion where he mentioned how few steps towards conservation can make a difference.
Sudhir Shivram at the event.
“Lessons about the ethics of wildlife photography are of prime importance for budding photographers of today.”
H Satish, Wildlife Photographer
During the panel discussion, he talked about the art, as well as the ethics of wildlife photography.
H Satish at the panel discussion.
“Young photographers often forget that the artistic vision which takes years to fine-tune is more valuable than expensive gear.”
Devang Karia, Country Manager- Large Format Design Business, HP GSB, Hewlett-Packard
Mr. Karia shared an engaging speech on HP’s commitment to provide great printing solutions for photographers.
Mr. Devang Karia at the Wildlife India Forum 2018.
“We have completely transformed the way printing has been done compared to traditional processes.”
Gaurav Chadha, Regional Photo Segment Manager, HP Indigo for Asia Pacific and Japan
He spoke about how a wildlife photographer is different from the other photographers.
Gaurav Chadha at the event.
“Perseverance combined with proper knowledge of animal behaviour are the two building blocks in the creation of thought provoking and insightful pictures of wildlife.”
A Day Unlike Any Other…
A glimpse at what transpired at the symposium—a curious and engaging audience, thought-provoking discussions, and more.
Jayanth Sharma and Roy Mangersnes discuss the latter’s approach to wildlife photography.
An audience member gets involved in a discussion with one of the speakers.
From Left-Right: Jayanth Sharma, Kalyan Varma,H Satish, and Sudhir Shivram during the panel discussion.
Devang Karia (on the right) with the newly unveiled HP DesignJet Z printer series.
K Madhavan Pillai, Chief Editor, Better Photography, tries on 3D glasses to view photographs in the brand new Moments from the Wild book.
Members of the audience browse the stalls at Wildlife India Forum 2018.
Audience members at the Wildlife India Forum 2018.
From left to right: Roy Mangersnes, Joshua Barton, Kalyan Varma, Jayanth Sharma, K Madhavan Pillai, H Satish, Sudhir Shivram, and Vijay Mohan Raj, at Wildlife India Forum 2018.
Top Nominees for WIPA 2018
The winners of both the categories have been intimated, and will be declared in the July 2018 issue.
OPEN CATEGORY
Indranil Mallick, Pune
Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, Kolkata
Pushpal Goswami, Cooch Behar
Dipak Mandlik, Badlapur
Waseem Ali, Thiruvananthapuram
Samrudddha Patil, Mumbai
Pushkar Achyute, Pune
Meet Vala, Junagadh
Kallol Mukherjee, Singur
Rajendra Dumane, Aurangabad
Mandar Ghumare, Badlapur
Ripan Biswas, Cooch Behar
Viraj Ghaisas, Badlapur
Zhayynn James, Chennai
Pratik Humnabadkar, Pune
Sarath Lal, Thiruvananthapuram
Sudhanshu Tiwari, Indore
Prajwal Manjunath, Bengaluru
Nirav Mehta, Rajkot
Swaroop Singha Roy, Kolkata
Vivek Joshi, Noida
Nabarun Bhattacharjee, Guwahati
Rohit Nagar, Goa
Aniket Thopate, Badlapur
Prajwal Manjunath, Bengaluru
Praveen Siddannavar, Bengaluru
Mainak Ray, Bengaluru
Tinkul Chheda, Mumbai
Dinesh Khunt, Surat
Shardul Singh, Kolkata
Shabeer Thurakkal, Palakkad
Partha Chakraborty, Maynaguri
EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Sarang Naik, Mumbai
Pranav Vaghshiya, Junagadh
Suvadip Mondal, Durgapur
Agniswar Ghoshal, Bolpur
Agasthya Karthikeyan, Coimbatore
Pranav Calapatti, Mysore
Subhendu Debnath, Kolkata
Mandar Ghumare, Badlapur
Jeet Mori, Rajkot
Siva Prakash, Bengaluru
Sitaram Raul, Badlapur
Aishwarya Sridhar, Navi Mumbai
Sivasankar Kumaravel, Tiruchirappalli
Karthik V N, Bengaluru
Trikansh Sharma, Rishikesh
Bhavya Joshi, Rajkot
Rohan Joshi, Navsari
Satpal Singh, Lakhimpur Kheri
Sham Shankar Bhat, Shimoga
Pratik Pradhan, Badlapur
Aditya Gattani, Bengaluru
Sitaram Raul, Badlapur
