Wildlife photography is Zhayynn’s hobby and passion. He is a professional landscape architect and has a full-time job. His job helps him pursue his expensive hobby. Zhayynn grew up in Chennai and loved nature from a young age. It was a big part of his childhood. He grew up on the outskirts of the city and witnessed a lot of wildlife.Zhayynn knew nothing about photography. His father handed him his old camera when Zhayynn was in college and taught him a few basic things. He studied in Sydney, Australia. When he settled down, he and his wife would often go to wildlife parks for holidays, and started his passion from there. His wife gifted him his first DSLR, and with it, he started his journey. He enrolled in workshops to learn more about photography.
Zhayynn posted some of his pictures on National Geographic’s website Your Shot, and his photographs were selected among the best photos of the day several times. Zhayynn started believing in himself and recognized his talent.Zhayynn can sometimes take time off work because it is a family business, and he followed his father’s footsteps and became a landscape architect. He can accommodate traveling to wildlife parks due to his flexible work schedule. Zhayynn does photography in India and abroad, mostly in Africa, and counts Tanzania among his favorite spots to click pictures.
On tours, they help clients take pictures. Zhayynn does not like teaching through webinars and prefers to lead tours. However, during the lockdown, Zhayynn conducted two webinars and answered many questions his followers had. He has also helped his followers with questions about gear and photography techniques. He tries to have many on-one-one conversations with his followers. He even reviews pictures on his Instagram stories, and people learn a lot through this process.Zhayynn’s advice to people who are starting is first to set a budget for their gear. It is quite easy to get carried away and want more expensive things; therefore, setting a budget is of utmost importance. Zhayynn believes that for beginners, the best thing to do is to rent the camera and lens. People who only go on two or three wildlife tours a year do not need to buy a whole set. The best cameras can be rented for a relatively small amount of money. This way, different cameras can also be tried out.Zhayynn also believes that it is important to have a supportive family to pursue this passion or profession. Time spent away from home requires understanding from the family. Zhayynn is thankful for his wife’s support and interest. He believes that wildlife is precious and that time spent away from cities amidst nature is incomparable. We should enjoy the forests while they exist because they might not be there in a few decades.
