* Indian expatriate Shaji Panicker who has travelled to over 50 countries for his passion, has said living in Qatar has helped him immensely
Photography is a joyful thing. Nature carries a soothing power. Wildlife is considered the most beautiful part of nature. Wildlife photographers feast on both the art of photography and images of wildlife.
Qatar is a place where not only photography is flourishing but also both the amateur and professional photographers are successfully pursuing their passion and careers. There are some Qatar-based photographers who have been making their mark at the international scene.
Indian expatriate Shaji Panicker is a photographer who has been interested in wildlife photography for a long time and has visited over 50 countries in pursuit of his passion. Gulf Times recently spoke to Shaji about his interest and journey as a photographer. “Born in 1966 in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India, I completed civil engineering degree, before specialising in procurement and becoming a member of Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply, UK. At present, I am an entrepreneur in the field of industrial chemicals and water treatment in Qatar.”
The self-trained photographer has long been in love with the hobby. “My father gave me my first film camera when I was around 18 years old. It was a Yashica Electro 35. Shooting with film cameras was an expensive hobby those days. Later when I moved to Singapore for employment, I bought myself a Olympus camera. After a few years, I came to Qatar and switched over to digital cameras. Canon digital cameras such as D300, 20D, 7D, 5D mk3 and now Canon 1 Dx together with the excellent range of Canon L series lenses from 85mm to 600mm have enabled me to pursue my hobby passionately.
“I am a self-trained photographer. However, I was lucky to explore and click with some expert photographer friends who have guided and taught me nuances of fine photography.”
Responding to a question on how he viewed wildlife photography, Shaji said: “Wildlife photography requires a lot of patience, challenges and time spent in the wild capturing the untamed, their features, habits, behaviour and actions. Having said so, one must always respect the wild and leave the animals/birds undisturbed in their habitat while shooting. To capture the great moments in the wild, a pretty good quality camera and telephoto lenses that can adapt to the speed and unpredicted movements of animals and birds are a must.
“Travel combined with photography is what has kept me passionate and keen on my hobby. I am fortunate and can proudly share that I have travelled to over 51 countries around the world capturing landscapes, architecture, street photography, wildlife photography, portraits, model shoots, macro photography and almost every kind of photography possible with a camera.”
The photographer has captured diverse and beautiful birds in Costa Rica not a long time ago. He loves travelling to South American countries for wildlife photography. “South America is a paradise for birds. Bird watching in Costa Rica is an extraordinary experience. With less than 0.03% of the planet’s surface, this small country, renowned for relatively easy birding, comfortable accommodation, good infrastructure, and peaceful policies, hosts over 810 bird species. This natural paradise offers great bird watching opportunities within relatively short distances, involving diverse habitats, from sea level to high mountains. The national bird of Guatemala – the resplendent quetzal – is considered to be one of the most beautiful birds in the world. The king vulture, toucans, humming birds, jacamars, honey creepers tanagers, pit viper snakes, and poisonous dart frogs were a few of the exotic species that I was able to spot and capture through my lens in Costa Rica.”
The expatriate has been enjoying photography in Qatar saying the country has helped him a lot in pursuing the hobby. “There are more than 300 species of birds found in Qatar, of which most are migratory birds. There are a few mammals as well like foxes, oryx, hedgehogs etc. Conservation and awareness programmes would surely make wildlife photography a more enjoyable and popular experience in Qatar.
“Living in Qatar has helped me passionately follow my hobby especially capturing the expanding skyline, the amazing architecture, dune photography and model photography. The geographic location of Qatar and the excellent and prompt facilities offered by Qatar Airways has also helped me access different destinations all over the world with ease.”
Qatar is a place where not only photography is flourishing but also both the amateur and professional photographers are successfully pursuing their passion and careers. There are some Qatar-based photographers who have been making their mark at the international scene.
Indian expatriate Shaji Panicker is a photographer who has been interested in wildlife photography for a long time and has visited over 50 countries in pursuit of his passion. Gulf Times recently spoke to Shaji about his interest and journey as a photographer. “Born in 1966 in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India, I completed civil engineering degree, before specialising in procurement and becoming a member of Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply, UK. At present, I am an entrepreneur in the field of industrial chemicals and water treatment in Qatar.”
The self-trained photographer has long been in love with the hobby. “My father gave me my first film camera when I was around 18 years old. It was a Yashica Electro 35. Shooting with film cameras was an expensive hobby those days. Later when I moved to Singapore for employment, I bought myself a Olympus camera. After a few years, I came to Qatar and switched over to digital cameras. Canon digital cameras such as D300, 20D, 7D, 5D mk3 and now Canon 1 Dx together with the excellent range of Canon L series lenses from 85mm to 600mm have enabled me to pursue my hobby passionately.
“I am a self-trained photographer. However, I was lucky to explore and click with some expert photographer friends who have guided and taught me nuances of fine photography.”
Responding to a question on how he viewed wildlife photography, Shaji said: “Wildlife photography requires a lot of patience, challenges and time spent in the wild capturing the untamed, their features, habits, behaviour and actions. Having said so, one must always respect the wild and leave the animals/birds undisturbed in their habitat while shooting. To capture the great moments in the wild, a pretty good quality camera and telephoto lenses that can adapt to the speed and unpredicted movements of animals and birds are a must.
“Travel combined with photography is what has kept me passionate and keen on my hobby. I am fortunate and can proudly share that I have travelled to over 51 countries around the world capturing landscapes, architecture, street photography, wildlife photography, portraits, model shoots, macro photography and almost every kind of photography possible with a camera.”
The photographer has captured diverse and beautiful birds in Costa Rica not a long time ago. He loves travelling to South American countries for wildlife photography. “South America is a paradise for birds. Bird watching in Costa Rica is an extraordinary experience. With less than 0.03% of the planet’s surface, this small country, renowned for relatively easy birding, comfortable accommodation, good infrastructure, and peaceful policies, hosts over 810 bird species. This natural paradise offers great bird watching opportunities within relatively short distances, involving diverse habitats, from sea level to high mountains. The national bird of Guatemala – the resplendent quetzal – is considered to be one of the most beautiful birds in the world. The king vulture, toucans, humming birds, jacamars, honey creepers tanagers, pit viper snakes, and poisonous dart frogs were a few of the exotic species that I was able to spot and capture through my lens in Costa Rica.”
The expatriate has been enjoying photography in Qatar saying the country has helped him a lot in pursuing the hobby. “There are more than 300 species of birds found in Qatar, of which most are migratory birds. There are a few mammals as well like foxes, oryx, hedgehogs etc. Conservation and awareness programmes would surely make wildlife photography a more enjoyable and popular experience in Qatar.
“Living in Qatar has helped me passionately follow my hobby especially capturing the expanding skyline, the amazing architecture, dune photography and model photography. The geographic location of Qatar and the excellent and prompt facilities offered by Qatar Airways has also helped me access different destinations all over the world with ease.”