Dr Arpit Bansal, a Laparoscopic Surgeon and a wildlife photographer, shares a few useful tips.

There are tons of talented beings in the world, who in ways more than one, motivate and inspire others through their work and whatever they choose to lay their hands on. These individuals work with relentless drive and passion for turning their pristine visions into reality and inspiring greatness and innovativeness in their respective industries. Many such talented and creative beings have emerged across various fields; one among them is the wildlife photography world. Bird watching and capturing them into the camera is in itself a unique talent. Only a few individuals and photographers have been able to capture the right moments of these species and believe that wildlife photography has an important purpose. Capturing different birds also help people connect with the natural heritage of the country, and besides that, it also inspires them to conserve the planet and protect the incredible and diverse species of wildlife found on earth.

“Every moment is a fleeting moment. Hence, the ultimate challenge of wildlife photography is to press the shutter button at the precise moment and freeze the defining moment forever,” says one such high-performing and highly driven wildlife photography named Dr Arpit Bansal, who is also a Laparoscopic Surgeon.

He has come forward to share a few tips on bird photography for all those aspiring wildlife photographers and says that understanding the subject first is the primary tip, where he explains that it is essential to understand the subject’s temperament. For example, some birds may cooperate, while some others may take off even with the slightest sign of a movement. Secondly, he advises photographers not to shoot them in a continuous mode, which most photographers do, thinking they might just capture the right moments. However, Dr Arpit Bansal says that wildlife photography is much beyond the subject and includes the story that is being told, the lighting that adds emotions, the backgrounds that add aesthetics, and so much more. To capture a picture infused with all these elements, photographers must understand the scene first and then press the shutter.

Adding further, the ace photographer, who is also a doctor and Director of Multispecialty 200 bedded Hospital in Allahabad, apart from being a Kundalini Reiki Master and Advanced Yoga practitioner, highlights how important it is to approach the subject with patience. The speed with which photographers approach them and whether they enter their circle of comfort, all these things define whether they would get the right shots. Besides this, Dr Arpit Bansal also advises photographers to not follow what the industry has done thus far in capturing wildlife with a typical composition style, instead think beyond the usual and break stereotypes to pull more attention from people and make the pictures more appealing.

On asking why only birds, the doctor cum wildlife photographer says they are the most unpredictable subjects and are meant for photographers who love a challenge. He confesses how as a kid, he felt a deep attachment towards mother nature and natural wonders. His love and affection for birds were born during his post-graduation days (in surgery) at Nagpur in 2010. He has so far photographed around 900 species out of the 1,349 species of birds found in India and intends to click all of them and even around 10,000 bird species of the world.

Sr Arpit Bansal also highlights that apart from a robust gear to capture these birds and other wildlife, photographers most importantly must capture a picture for the passion of it and for the love they feel for wildlife as that is how they would be able to create their unique niche in the wildlife photography world.