David Alan Harvey said that "Don't shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like."
I've tried to do justice, the best that I could, to those remarkable words on my last visit to the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysore.
Although it can never beat the experience of witnessing these beauties in their natural habitat, a visit to the zoo goes a long way in adding to a keen sense of dreamy imagination of what it might feel like to see them in the wild. Let's say, more like trying to put that experience on a fast forward mode!
All you need to do is just keep moving and admiring like a child (although the legs refuse to move when you see one of it's kind for the first time!) and gawk once in awhile with big wide eyes while trying to shoot through the bars. In most cases, I'd say just pray that the bars become invisible for that 1/8th fraction of a second or figure out how to work your way through various modes while inadvertently praying you somehow get the settings right!!
Well apart from waging war with my camera, not wanting to look like a freak photographer to bystanders and casting back guilty looks at my folks who literally gave up (or rather their feet gave up..) on trying to figure out why I had to spend close to 10 minutes in front of every clearing, staring at the same spot or shooting in the same angle - I have tried to make it look as natural as I could, although in some cases the steel bars in the background are unavoidable...
So here's to my tryst with the captive world.....
Her highness...
And he just got up and walked over to her...
And that is how we do it..
On the move...
Sambar in all it's splendour..
I know i am a duck but I can fly if i want...
Close up..Gonna call it the yellow billed goose till i find out it's actual name...
Great hornbill...
Albino blackbuck
Indian grey wolf
Swimming around...
Black Swan
Red and Green Macaw...love is in the air eh?..
Yellow Billed Toucan
Tawny Eagle
Rose ringed parakeets in deep conversation....
Black Swan gazing into the depths...
damn good pics. loved the highness and pelican. you got a nice eye!
ReplyDeleteThanks a ton Himanshu!!!:-)...By the way there is no pic of a pelican - Wonder which pic u were referring to? ;-)
DeleteNice write. Like the pictures; they're lovely & captivating
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Arumugam Easwar! Glad you liked it..:-)
ReplyDeleteSome amazing pictures. Especially the big cats, they look fantastic! The blackbuck here is a misnomer :)
ReplyDeleteI spent close to 4 months at Mysore at the start of my corporate career. But never had a chance to visit the zoo there. And, now I am regretting it :(
Thanks a lot Ramakant!!!:-) And why is the Albino blackbuck a misnomer?- That's what the name board in the front of the clearing specified....
DeleteYou should go to the zoo on your next visit - Its a real treat for the eyes and the soul! I spent only 4 days there and went to thr zoo twice...:-)
Will be posting more pics soon....
It's a misnomer alright. Should be called whitebuck! ;)
DeleteI'll try to make a visit sometime around Dusshera. Will try to capture some shots of the festivities as well. Do post some more images, they are lovely.
Ha ha ha...Whitebuck it is then!!:-P
DeleteThanks a ton once more Ramakant- Will put up the rest of the pics soon..:-)
Will keep an eye out for your tryst with the zoo!!!
I loved the black swans...they r amazing n beautiful...:)
ReplyDeleteThank you Namrata!! They were a treat to click..:-))
Deletebeautiful captures...lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kalyan!!!:-)
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