Wildlife through the lens of Rathika

Nearly a decade-and-a-half ago, hardly any Indian woman would consider taking up wildlife photography as her career, despite being a computer engineer and holding a degree in MBA. But Rathika Ramasamy dared in 2003, when she visited Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan.
This renowned, award-winning photographer born in Venkatachalapuram in Tamil Nadu, clicks her pictures with the motto “Every time I press the shutter, it’s one step closer to Mother Nature”, and focusses on the importance of biodiversity conservation during her photography workshops throughout the country.
One of India’s very few women wildlife photographers, an avid nature lover and bird watcher, Rathika is on her maiden visit to Port City to attend certain programmes on the occasion of World Photography Day (August 19).
Rathika had no formal training in photography but her interest in photography dates back to her school days when her father, an Army officer, gifted her the first camera when she was in class X.
Speaking to TOI, Rathika, who is settled in Delhi, said, “In those days, I used to flip through old foreign magazines on photography that I could get hold of in bookshops that sold old stuff. Such magazines were very costly. Then I often used to visit Okhla Bird Sanctuary near Delhi and watch the migratory birds for hours. Wildlife photography is much more than technical aspects. It’s more about observation, nature study and anticipation. I needed to press the shutter beforehand, anticipating that the perched bird is not going to take to its wings. So to capture that moment of its flight, I need to press the shutter at the right moment, even before its actual flight.”
Unlike portrait and landscape photography, where the subject, light, composition can be controlled to some extent, one has no control over wildlife and this aspect makes it even more challenging, avers Rathika. “Love of nature, a bond or connection with the wild flora and fauna, immense patience for several days or weeks to get the perfect or desired shot by waiting and watching the movement of the wildlife, shooting from moving vehicles during safari, without getting down or going close to the animal are some of the requisites for wildlife photography,” stated Rathika, who uses Nikon 800 mm long tele lens for most of her birdshots and Nikon 82 400 mm zoom lens for shooting other wildlife such as tigers.
While many of her photographs are amazing clicks of winged beauties, she is also equally adept at shooting wildlife such as tigers, elephants and deer. In fact, her personal favourite is the shot of a couple of elephants walking down the main road in Corbett National Park against a misty backdrop in winter. The click that captures both a tiger and a deer in one frame is another of her favourites. Rathika is now keen to click the colourful Himalayan Monal birds in Chopta Valley and leopards in a Sri Lankan National Park in the near future.
“Even though I have shot wildlife in African forests in Masaimara, I prefer shooting in Indian forests. In Africa, the concentration of animals is very high and all the time it’s easy to spot some animals unlike in India. Photographers from all over the world throng these African forests and in other foreign locales but India is also a treasure trove of wild flora and fauna that needs conservation,” stated Rathika. Her works have featured in several national and international publications as well as exhibitions.
She is a member of Nikon’s Professional Services and regularly conducts wildlife photography workshops across India, while her works have been showcased in photography exhibitions at India International Centre, New Delhi on the subject of ‘Clean Ganga Campaign.’ She had been a jury member for various national and international photography award competitions.
Appreciations, awards and accolades also poured in from all quarters for Rathika. She was selected as one of the top bird photographers in India by ‘Birds of India’ in 2008. In 2009, Doordarshan honoured her as the first wildlife woman photographer in India. She has been conferred The International Camera Fair Award for outstanding performance and achievements in wildlife photography. ‘Uccelli in Natura’, an Italian magazine on birds, featured her as the best bird photographer from Asia. This year, she has been cited as the best known woman photographer across the world on the internet.