It wasn’t until 2012 that Madhur Behl took up photography seriously, because when he learned the fundamentals of the art of making images, his hobby evolved into a passion and grew only stronger with each passing day.
Mr. Behl’s tryst with photography had begun at an early age, but it was no more than a pastime. He captured what seemed like special moments in auto mode and always preferred being behind the camera to being before one.
In his own words: “It took a while for me to realise that a formal training could help me take a leap in making photography more than just a hobby. Incidentally, I discovered Toehold and was impressed by their way of workshops and Photo Tours. In 2012, I signed up for my first Toehold Photo Tour to Bandipur. And that’s when an epiphany struck me: there is so much joy in just being in the jungle. So I made up my mind that my art shouldn’t overbear my attention but should only complement it because being present in the moment should happen thoroughly, before capturing it into an image.”
Wildlife photography is his prime interest, and landscape photography is a close second. While he chooses Toehold Photo Tours for wildlife photography, he keeps the latter for his personal travel. Kabini, Corbett National Park and Kaziranga have been some of his favourite destinations for wildlife photography, and Corbett a wee bit more special because of the sheer diversity of both wildlife and landscape it contains, including the forest, mountains, rivers, riverbeds and plains.
Mr. Behl says that he would like to explore more possibilities in landscape photography by travelling to different places, but for now, balancing profession as well as passion and prioritizing them at different points in time makes him want to rekindle his own imagination and creativity in the genre, along with wildlife photography.
When asked about what he likes most about travelling, he explains: “I love all the unmodified experiences that being in the forests brings: the natural sounds, the anticipation for wildlife sighting, the feverish moments that tag along after finding pugmarks… and numerous other experiences one can feel only in the forest. Away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, there is no better cathartic experience than this. And I could enjoy being in the wild even without a camera, letting myself absorb the moment as it comes.”
Photography is an intimate passion for Mr. Behl and he asserts that he shares his work on social to share the experience of the moment rather than the photo itself.
“Toehold effortlessly complements my ideas of travel and photography,” he elucidates, and continues: “the Skippers are such treasure chests of not only photography but also on natural history itself and that’s inspiring and infectious.”
“To me, photography means a unique medium which allows us to capture a memory for eternity in visual form – just the way we see it,” explains Mr. Behl about his definition of photography. He also makes sure that he balances the art of both being and the process of making art whenever he is travelling. We wish him more of such precious experiences.
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