Flight of fancy

He calls his favourite photograph — Angel Wings. Prathap D.K.’s photograph of the Great Egret looks straight at the lens in flight — a feat any photographer would be awed by. The software engineer has created a microsystem of photographic brilliance virtually with his blog naturephotographysimplified.com that has over 6,000 members and over one lakh visitors a month from Canada, US, Australia, etc. He has also recently released his third e-book on bird photography.

Prathap, who also writes articles for digitalphotographyschool.com, is a self-taught photographer. He also has a website prathap-photography.com where he intimately shares his vast knowledge on the subject of photography to viewers, students, aspirants all over the world. Besides that he has also published a few interesting coffee table books and calendars for corporates and has a self-published coffee table book, The Moments to his credit. “I have been lucky to contribute to one of the biggest blogs in the world where every guest blog post is shared online between 6,000 to 20,000 times. I also contribute to other photography blogs such as 121clicks.com,” says the lensman.

The fact that he teaches aspiring lensmen and women is what inspires him to continue with his work and take pains to walk on the unbeaten track — waiting hours, through dawn and dusk, crawling around in the mud sneaking up on birds for the perfect shot with patience being the only virtue to gratify his photographic sensibilities.

The engineer from AIT, Chikmagalur, also holds workshops and most recently was the co-workshop leader with Radhika Ramaswamy at a workshop held at his most favourite spot — the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. His advice is simple, “Start thinking like a pro and the rest will follow.” The pictures that he took on the above journey have been some of his finest lenswork, which capture many kinds of birds in flight.