Behind The Lens – Shrinath Shah, Shlok Shah

With the arrival of social media, the term “wildlife photography” has started evolving away from being a serious profession persuaded only by the hardy men and women in camouflage sitting in open top vehicles brandishing logos of National Geography. Today it is one of the most popular recreational domains, more so because it offers a great amount of social reward on social media. So, once populated by only a few, now the space is crowded with armatures.

This shift is often looked down upon by those who look at wildlife photography as a competitive sports on social media, but it is hard not to notice that there is a much-needed increase in awareness about wildlife conservation amongst the general public now thanks to proliferation of wildlife photographers.

Thanks to social media, there is a huge increase in the number of photographers, and it is a great opportunity, as we need as many hands on the deck to sail the ship of humanity away from extinction due to environmental disaster.

So, the need of the hour is to start a discussion on the themes we need for wildlife photographers to explore, and this exhibition is one such attempt to offer an alternative.

The photographs displayed here are not isolated frames to capture the beauty of nature.

They are capturing phenomena and experiences.

Each photograph is a story, of a behaviour or an event that is unfolding beyond the captured frame.

The photographer duo, Shrinath and Shlok Shah do have a father-son relationship, but what binds them here is a shared understanding of looking at nature beyond the limits of the viewfinder.

Here a lioness is not pictured as a representative of the grand image of a lion that humanity beholds but as a mother disciplining its cub. The elephant herd is not photographed to show the beasts’ might or personality, but as a family protecting its progeny.

The photography style of Shrinath and Shlok do not fall in the classical frame work that focuses only on producing aesthetical compositional beauty. Instead, it is an attempt to mix a composition with a story.

Shrinath Shah has travelled across India mainly to enjoy the experience of being in close proximity of wildlife and nature, so his searching eyes, curious mind and loving heart are the main equipment that he carries to the field along with a camera that he uses the last and only to see if he can capture something that allows him to share what he has enjoyed.

Shlok, a young Engineering student  being a son from a family that loves to travel   jungles has picked up the hand-me-down camera from his father as a child and now has progressed to have his own experiences worth sharing through an exhibition.

Though each frame here is a work of art identified and curated by top wildlife photographers, Shrinath and Shlok Shah hope that it is viewed not

Exhibition of Photographs by Shrinath Shah & Shlok Shah

only as a photography exhibition but also as their attempt to tell the stories that Indian Jungles have told them that they are inspired to share.