PHOTOGRAPHY AND DEDICATION

Monday, December 19, 2005

A good lot of people who take up photography as a serious hobby often dream about turning pro some day. At the same time, their current occupation may not allow them to spend a lot of time on photography. As I have seen around me, people who dedicate enough time to take good images as well as to network with the right people always make it through. But the dedication and effort required tends to be so high that many people tend to turn back.

TNA Perumal is one of the most successful and acclaimed professional photographer in India. I recently heard about stories of his dedication to photography, which amazed me. Most of the days, he would walk into the wilderness or a lake nearby and spend the whole day looking for photo opportunities. And he would study his subject very well and never let go easily. I have seen one of his photographs - an owl in flight with a rat clinging to its beak and was amazed at the clarity and technical perfection of such a difficult-to-photograph situation and subject. And it did not happen easy for him - he studied the owl for 30 consecutive days with a lot of patience until he got his image!

When it comes to dedication, another person I can recall is Sudhir Shivaram(who is not a pro), a popular wildlife photographer who lives in my town, and spends a lot of time in the wilderness. I have often heard about him spending as much as 5 hours in the same place looking for that particular photograph he has in mind. He wrote once in an email -

...this is an image I had in mind to shoot and after 5 hrs of hard work, I got it.

And he writes further:

In Bird and Wildlife photography, I always believe in the 3 P's - Patience and Perseverance always Pays.

He can't be more right. And it probably applies to other areas of photography as well. Almost all acclaimed photographers echo this opinion. I remember reading so many articles by Galen Rowel where he talks about passion and commitment towards photography. At one point, in his article "Running with the camera", Rowel also expresses his unhappiness towards less committed photographers without mixing words.