Freezing flights of fancy

Lensman Chetan Walia talks about his love for capturing birds, being eco-friendly, and heading to Antarctica with his camera.

Photographer Chetan Walia loves capturing one of nature’s most beautiful creations: birds. And he narrates a story through his photographs.

Talking about how he translates his passion for wilderness and its untamed beauty through his compositions, he shares, “Thinking about compositions is a time consuming process. I like to plan ahead and compose whatever shots I’d like to click inside my mind first and then I get on with action.”

Birds often signal they’re about to take flight by crouching and/or pooping — one can notice that cue and capture the bird as it takes wing. It is believed that in order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence. Chetan agrees, “Waiting for birds and capturing them makes me feel thrilled. I’m inspired by birds’ beautiful colours, liveliness and song, their awesome powers of flight and the wonder of migration.”

About spots he likes to visit in order to capture these beautiful creatures, the photographer shares, “Mostly I like to travel to the hills and deep forests to see and capture my muses.” He uses Nikon’s high-end cameras with telephoto lens. “I also use prime lens but they restrict me when it comes to zooming. So, I avoid using them in most scenarios,” he says.

Thanks to the development in photographic technology in recent years, the creation of technically perfect photographs is becoming a simple matter, even for those with no specialist knowledge. Walia started pursuing his interest in fine art photography more than two decades back. And he happily shares that he has, in fact, been an active observant and participant of traditional photography techniques that involved working in a darkroom with films, traditional equipments, etc. But gradually, over time, he moved on from the traditional way to the modern or digital way.

The lensman is also quite careful about his carbon footprint. He reveals that he only prefers to use acid free papers for printing his captures. “I am a nature lover and believe in preserving and taking care of Mother Earth. Saving Mother Earth requires the collective participation of citizens worldwide who are committed to making a long-term difference. I use acid free paper and inks for printing, firstly because they are extremely eco-friendly and secondly because they last longer and don’t fade away easily. I believe photographs are treasures and long-term investments for people who are buying them. So by using these measures, I do my part.”

The world is bombarded with Photoshopped images but Chetan explains that he prefers unedited and untouched shots. “Photoshop,” quips Chetan, “kills a picture.” He adds, “I don’t edit my pictures using Photoshop as I feel that an image loses its authenticity through this tool. I feel those who use editing software are more like graphic artists and not photographers.”

For his next adventure, Chetan shares that he would like to explore the unexplored. “I want to go to Antarctica where there is no or minimum trace of civilisation, and the whole place is covered with a thick blanket of snow. I would like to capture polar bears, penguins etc. when I go there,” he signs off.