The transcendental experience art brings is a singular gift of life we humans have had the privilege of receiving. And for Dr. Pramod Shanbhag, moments of creativity sum up to an experience like meditation. We share his thoughts on our Client Corner this week.
Dr. Shanbhag picked up nature photography in 1991. He was inspired by a photographer friend, with whom he began to travel and spend more time on his new interest to gain momentum. For the past five years, he has continuously pursued his passion for photography on his own and has also traveled to different parts of the world.
On his travel expeditions to a diverse range of destinations, Dr. Shanbhag has been exploring various genres of photography like nature and wildlife, and landscape. His enthusiasm is now extending to explore street photography, and he thinks a place like Varanasi can be the best beginning to it.
Dr. Shanbhag has travelled far and wide in India. He has visited almost all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. “Of all the places I’ve visited, I love Kaziranga the most. And I’ve visited most of these places in India at a time when the tourists were few, so these places always bring me a nostalgic enchantment,” says Dr. Shanbhag.
He continues, “I have been to Africa about seven times now, sometimes with Toehold. Masai Mara, Tanzania and Botswana are the African destinations that are close to my heart. I’ve also explored the Arctic with Toehold. Patagonia is yet another beautiful place I had the fortune of visiting on my own and of making memories of it photographically.”
For Masai Mara in Kenya, Dr. Shanbhag has an affection that has a lot to do with the great natural light. “There is never a dull moment,” he exclaims.
For Dr. Shanbhag, photography is like meditation. “It’s a process that allows me to be with myself. It’s a time when no other thought invades my mind. All I think about is capturing a present moment beautifully. Choosing from the whole range of permutations and combinations to make an image in a few moments, and to choose the settings accordingly to the composition is an exhilarating process.
“Photography means a deep connection with my soul. It’s about dwelling deeply in the now — a sort of rejuvenation where no stray thoughts are entertained,” he explains.
Dr. Shanbhag also professes his love for Toehold and fondly talks about his personal equation with the Skippers. He says that his passion for photography has been propelled forward a great deal on Toehold Photography Tours.
About pursuing photography as more than just a hobby, Dr. Shanbhag says how important it is to keep at it. “It might take one or two or three or four, or even more, trips to different destinations to nail that one shot you have always wanted to. And one must never give up.
“It is that uncertainty that makes photography that much more interesting,” asserts Dr. Shanbhag. He is already planning to travel to Iceland for landscape photography. We wish him the very best in all his future travel and photography endeavors.
Dr. Shanbhag, Excellent pictures and thank you for decorating our blog by sharing your snippets. Your enthusiasm and energy is something I am jealous of! At 70 – you are more energetic than I am perhaps 🙂
Best wishes!
The best part of this 17 year old Dr. Shanbhag is the way he educates his audiences like myself with engaging commentaries and his attention to details, literally taking us to the scene of each of his exquisite pictures. I have literally felt the chillness of the Arctic, the shivers from a charging elephant, he has virtually taken us everywhere he goes! (For Free!!)
🙂 17 at heart indeed.