Lawyer by Weekday, Photographer on Weekends – Aarzoo Khurana

The foundation had always been there. She was the kid who had been branded the family photographer and was always found with her reel camera. The fascination came from the fact that she could capture a moment forever by just clicking a button. The passion was again ignited when she reached college. Back then, Facebook was the new craze and people were doing a lot of creative things with their profile pictures. What attracted Aarzoo was bokeh. On inquiring further, she discovered that such a photo was possible with the help of a DSLR. Her dad, being an avid traveller, agreed to buy her a Canon 700D.

That’s when her journey started. Her favourite subject to capture? Birds. Hence, wildlife photography called out to her. However, it was going to take a fair bitof time to convince her parents. Being the only child, Aarzoo naturally is loved and protected, and her parents had reservations about her going into jungles. Still, she convinced her parents to take her to Bharatpur bird sanctuary. And as destiny would have it, she happened to see Rathika Ramaswamy, one of the country’s renowned wildlife photographers. She told Aarzoo to get in touch with another wildlife photographer, Sudhir Shivaram.

Sudhir Shivaram usually held his workshops in South India, and Aarzoo’s parents didn’t want her to travel alone back then. But the odds were in her favour yet again as Mr.Shivaram decided to conduct a workshop in Bharatpur itself. Although, by the time Aarzoo reached out, the seats to the workshop were full. But she wasn’t going to give up that easy. She coaxed and coaxed until Mr. Shivaram arranged for a seat for her eager spirit.

On the first day of her workshop, she was supposed to reach the sanctuary at 5 am on a cold January morning. With 8 kilos of equipment on her back, Aarzoo walked through the jungle. At this point, she was spent and ready to give up. Moreover, all the photographers sat and waited for hours to get the perfect shot, which seemed very daunting. But then came the moment that changed the course altogether, when she captured two Sarus Cranes during their calling out moment while the fog descended on them. At this moment, she knew this is what she wanted to be doing.

Her story sure is inspiring, and she shares some helpful insights to help out any newbie who might be feeling hesitant to venture into the field. First off, don’t just drop everything to explore this field. Do it simultaneously with whatever you are pursuing. Secondly you need to be tough and physically fit to venture into the jungle. Because the temperature can be harsh and you have to adjust anyhow to the circumstances. Along with this, since you carry a lot of equipments with you, like lenses and camera you should gain good endurance to not be laid off by weights.. Next, be prepared with everything, your gear, bookings, and more. This will not only keep you sorted but also give your parents a whole lot of reassurance.

Those were Aarzoo’s two cents to help anyone who is planning to explore wildlife photography. What’s more? Aarzoo has a whole bunch of workshops lined up for the upcoming year, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled.