Chennai: "Every time I press the shutter, it takes me one step closer to mother Nature, says Rathika Ramasamy, who shattered gender stereotypes and went on to become the first female wildlife photographer.
An inspiration to women across the globe, Ramasamy shared her journey with ETV Bharat. While scrolling through her best shots saved in a laptop, Ramasamy seemed lost in her work. She showed a picture of her parents she clicked when she was small. Couple in the picture smiles back proudly. Two pictures of her favourite shots of birds hang on the wall behind her. While describing the pictures, she goes on to narrate her journey.
"I first laid hands on a camera in school when my father gifted me an analog camera. I was so excited to have the camera that I used to click pictures of anything I found interesting," she shared her childhood memory with nostalgia.
In 2004, she was residing in Delhi when she bought her first digital camera. Her excitement to capture visuals took her to explore the national capital. Famous for many historic monuments, Delhi reflects the imperial architecture of the British times. Ramasamy went on to traverse the city in search of good shots.
Her interest in photography developed with time while she visited many sanctuaries across India. The scenic beauty of nature and exquisity of the sanctuaries motivated her to consider wildlife photography as a career.
"I visited many wildlife sanctuaries and it was in Bharatpur that I fell in love with wildlife photography," she said while recollecting her memories.
A world heritage site, Bharatpur is the world's most fascinating bird reserve. Every year, thousands of migratory waterfowl visit the park for wintering and breeding. The sanctuary is one of the richest bird areas in the world and is known for nesting of resident birds and visiting migratory birds including water birds.
Ramasamy went on to pursue her passion and hunt for the pictures in the wild. While explaining the role of her family in her career, she said, "My father was in the Army and my mother was a government school teacher. They both supported me in all of my decisions. My father was a broad-minded person who encouraged me to pursue my passion as a career. Later, after my marriage, my husband also stood for me. He supports my career and always tells me to do what I love."
Wildlife photography is adventurous and risky, and involves a great amount of danger. But nothing seems to bother the courageous photographer.
"My family is worried when I am travelling for work. With great persuasion, I convince them about my safety. I get a lot of support from colleagues and officials of the sanctuaries," she added.
Tamil Nadu government recently included her name in a Class 10 science book and mentioned her as an accomplished and successful wildlife photographer.
To this, she replied, "I recently found this and was overwhelmed to see my name in the textbook. I would like to thank the education department. Many international newspapers published articles about me. But this one makes me very happy and it gave me unique recognition for my work."
Ramasamy regularly conducts wildlife photography workshops and gives talks all over India. She was mentioned in many big magazines and has been conferred with several honours.
Birds rarest position, prey capturing, nest building were some of the best moments she captured in her camera. Because of this, she got the name 'Action photographer' from her fans.
Shooting in the wild has found a place in youngster's interest these days. Ramasamy shared her advice to youngsters and said, "It doesn't depend merely on the type of camera lens. There are certain techniques which are important while taking a photo. A person must be well versed with the field knowledge. They must know about animals habitat to get a good shot. This field requires a huge amount of patience and hard work. One must respect and follow the ethics of wildlife photography. Do not disturb the animals while clicking them."
"Every picture tells a thousand stories. See how you can tell a story from your clicks, not only to the people but also to yourself," she explains.
Ramasamy also talked about conserving the environment. She urged people to explore the beauty of nature and spread awareness about the need for conservation.
