Type of Art Form: Wildlife Photography, a prominent cat specialist
Featured Photograph: Female Tiger, named P151
The story behind this fantastic shot:
Before starting with Bhasmang views on capturing big cats, any wildlife photographer will gaze at tigers continuously and would love to capture their moods. Same goes for Bhasmang Mehta; he loves to capture the mesmerising and captivating activities of tigers.
This photograph is captured in Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Once while he was trodding in the forest, he witnessed a female tiger with her cubs but couldn’t capture the majestic moment because of obstruction caused by the river between. His constant desire to capture a tiger enabled him to hear alarm calls from a mother Blue Bull and calf following it, where he saw a faint glimpse of a Tigress walking inside the bushes. And after 15 minutes or so she came out and started walking behind his safari vehicle. And it continued like that for another hour and a half, giving him ample opportunity to photograph her in different areas of the jungle in numerous moods. Bhasmang believes in capturing every action and mood of these big cats as his objective is always to take such pictures that people haven’t seen ever.
The inspiration behind this photograph:
Bhasmang discovered his happiness in capturing mother nature. Till today he has toured several national parks and re-created the story behind the bushes. He loves to wake up early in the morning, tracking the big cats and tracing them to click their photographs.
Brief about the artist and why wildlife photography as a career:
Bhasmang was born and brought up in Ahmedabad and now is a citizen of Charlotte USA. After completing his bachelor’s in science, he joined his family business. He knew that God had planned something different from his family business, that he would love to do.
In 2002, he toured Gir National park for the first time and witnessed fantastic sightings of Asiatic Lions and Indian Leopards. There, he came into the world of giant animals and their habitats. And also, his never-ending love for wildlife inaugurated. To know more about Wildlife Photography, he began nurturing his photography skills and evolved as an inspiring wildlife photographer.
One striving point also came into his life, where he was juggling between his family business and passion. He paid attention to his heart and encouraged his passion. With all his hard work and battles, today he is a professional photographer and the co-founder of wildlife tour company ‘Wildlife Sojourns.’ In the workshops, he teaches all the wildlife enthusiasts the intricacies of wildlife photography
Credentials:
His flawless skills in photography enabled him to grab two Lalit Kala Academy awards.
Shedding some light on wildlife photography for wildlife enthusiasts:
He believes that one should never opt for wildlife just to be the part of the glitz and glamour of wildlife photography. “You’re most welcome in this arena, only if you respect wildlife and nature. Because we are going to photograph them, their comfort should be our priority. Always remember wildlife photography is all about patience and dedication. You will not become a pro in one shot; there will be many dissatisfied clicks and one decent capture. Just appreciate the whole process of being around the scrubs and tracing the big animals”.
Bhasmang’s catchphrase of wisdom: Mother nature reveals her secrets to those who love her, and she will also help you to discover the beautiful part of yourselves, which you could not find anywhere else.
Photograph Available on: Instagram (@Bhasmang_Mehta)
