Parag Kulkarni vividly remembers the day when his father gifted him a Zenith camera back in 1978. Though he tried clicking photographs, the technicalities involved were too many for a beginner. Cut to 2018, Kulkarni, currently Managing Director of global water technology company A.O. Smith, was on a trip to Africa where he carried rented cameras. While interacting with the fellow travellers who were professional wildlife photographers, Kulkarni’s long-lost love for photography was rekindled. Now an ardent traveller, Kulkarni’s travel destinations are those places where he can explore the wildlife and record the lives of animals in their natural abodes. Kulkarni’s story is proof that it’s never too late to begin a hobby and be persistent in it. He maintains a blog InFocus, where he features the photographs accompanied by long notes on the stories behind the clicks.
“I was always passionate about photography and love for words was something which grew along with me. I used to carry a camera wherever I used to travel. I remember around 1983, along with a group of friends I went for a cycling trip from Jabalpur to Kanha National Park, where I found an interesting frame of a leopard on a tree with a dead monkey. I tried to click it, but it was a failed attempt. At that point I was not aware of why I could not be successful in clicking the frame. Pursuing photography as a hobby and passion started in 2018 during a trip to Africa. I carried rented cameras and equipment to the trip and I got in touch with some professional wildlife photographers. The conversations with them helped me understand the technicalities behind camera and photography. I came back to Bangalore and started taking some advanced classes in photography. And, now I know why the leopard on the tree wasn’t a successful click,” recalls Kulkarni, in conversation with MediaNews4u.com.
Ever since the Africa trip, Kulkarni makes sure to take occasional trips to national parks places like Bandhavgarh, Ranthambore, Tadoba, Kabani, and more. He is accompanied by his wife Anita, also a shutterbug.
“My wife is interested in bird photography and visits the lakes in Bangalore for the same. We travel to places together and pursue our respective hobbies. We visit Kabani every 45 to 60 days. Photography and getting interesting frames to click is easy as we are frequent travellers to these places and understand the ecosystem of these places. We are able to get the best safari drivers to accompany us and that makes the trip more interesting; their knowledge about the places makes it easy to spot or track animals like tigers,” he explains.
So what is his favourite subject? Kulkarni reveals that he loves to picture elephants. “It’s a majestic animal to feature,” adds the photography enthusiast.
https://paraginfocus.substack.com/p/babies-day-out
Besides the subjects themselves that fuel his pictures, Kulkarni draws inspiration from wildlife photographers like Sachin Rai and Varun Aditya.
Besides photography, his virtual sharing space InFocus also offers running and leadership lessons. And why not, he is also an active corporate leader and marathon runner.
There is no stopping the love for the lens though. “Between January and February, there is a visit to Bharatpur. We are planning to go to Bhigwan – a town on the border of Ahmednagar, Pune and Solapur which is famous for birdwatching, especially migratory birds like flamingo and wildlife photography. We are set for more trips in the coming days,” surmises Kulkarni.
While there is no substitute for being there in person amid the wildlife, the pictures he clicks and posts give viewers a ringside view. And the stories behind them manage to immerse us in the thick of the action. Or in other words, keep us ‘in focus’ with the photographer’s vision.
