Hunting down wildlife with lens

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 18 

A hunter-turned-wildlife photographer, Jaskaran Sandhu (66), a member of the Wildlife Advisory Board, is all set to showcase his talent through a photography exhibition at the Patiala Heritage Festival from February 19 to March 3. 

Sandhu, one of the renowned wildlife photographers of the region, wants to create awareness about wildlife preservation through his exhibition. Sandhu believes wildlife photography, which he started as a hobby about 17 years ago, may help conserve the wildlife.  

Sharing his journey, Sandhu said, “I used to accompany my father on hunting expeditions during childhood days. As I grew older, I also started hunting. But when I realised that wildlife and forests were under threat, I gave up hunting and started wildlife photography to contribute my bit towards it preservation.” 

 Talking about initial days of wildlife photography, Sadhu said he attended many workshops to hone his skills. Sandhu added, “Initially, I used to click and dump the pictures. But, after some time, I took lessons and mastered the techniques.”

Sandhu has already explored Jim Corbett National Park, Kaziranga National Park and Ranthambore National Park with his high-end cameras. 

Why wildlife photography? 

Though wildlife photography is said to be a tough genre, the love for jungles made Jaskaran choose it. Sandhu said, “As my father was a hunter, I would accompany him to all parts of the country. Those experiences made me fall in love with jungles.” 

Wants to help youngsters 

Sandhu said, nowadays, youngsters hardly took up wildlife photography as it required a lot of patience and time. He said, “Spending over a decade in wildlife photography, I want to share my experience and skills with the youth. I will organise photography workshops free of cost.”