Photographers in the city are gearing up to tour the Telugu States and beyond to capture nature in its wildest form. From vultures and otters to marine life along coral reefs, they’re going all out to get a glimpse of the animal kingdom.
Prominent wildlife photographer Masood Hussain will set out to tour places across the country to capture migratory birds coming in from around the globe. “I will be visiting Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh, Bharatpura in Bihar and the Pulicat Lake in Chennai, to capture the various kinds of migratory birds coming in during these winter months from November to February,” Masood says.
He will also be attending the Flamingo Festival, which will take place in January in Andhra Pradesh, after a year’s gap due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After that, he and many other photographers will head to Chappar in Rajasthan to capture birds of prey, also known as raptors. Jodhpur and Odisha are other places the photographer looks forward to visiting to shoot migratory birds.
Srikanth Mannepuri, who seems to have conquered land, will soon venture underwater to capture marine life. “I have all the permissions I need to dive into the waters of coastal Andhra. I’m just waiting for the green signal, I can’t wait to explore life under the seas,” shares an excited Srikanth, who is currently working on his series ‘Urban Wildlife’. The photo series shows how animals have learnt to coexist with humans, thanks to rapid urbanisation. “I recently photographed a smooth-coated otter that was seen living among humans in Dhavaleswaram in East Godavari.
Then, I got a good click of an olive ridley sea turtle laying her eggs on the coast of RK Beach in Vizag, a blackbuck and vulture in Hyderabad, and more,” he tells CE. Srikanth recently received his scuba diving certification which will aid him in capturing life at the coral reefs of the Bay of Bengal. His most recent captures are the dolphins he shot using a drone.
Another popular photographer in the city, Dr Ravi Jillapalli, who shoots specifically around the Hyderabad Central University in Gachibowli has been photographing spotted deers, mongoose and rabbits. “I also clicked some wild boards, Russel’s vipers, Indian rock pythons, sand boas and an eagle owl, in action,” shares Ravi. He will be visiting Ameenpur lake, Vikarabad forest and Gandipet lake which house some hundreds of species of birds and rabbits. November to January is usually is a busy time for wildlife photographers from the city.
