Photographer Pranay Patel emphasizes on wildlife conservation and calls photography as his best teacher

The career opportunities for photography have grown drastically in the last few years. Photography as a career option is booming with many genres being added. Wildlife photography, however, is a unique yet challenging job profile which very few individuals take up. Started his career at just 13, Pranay Patel is the promising name among the top wildlife photographers of India. It was in 2011 when his passion for being a photographer got ignited. Through self-learning, Pranay started capturing the pictures of dogs, cats, birds and other animals in his locality. The love for wildlife blossomed which saw him travel across borders for work.

Besides visiting sanctuaries and national parks in India including Gir, Tadoba, Ranthambhore, Kabini, Little Rann of Kutch, Blackbuck National Park Velavadar and Thol; he has made many international trips to countries like New Zealand, USA, Australia, Kenya, Africa and Russia. “Wildlife is a boon to humanity. I would say that the animals are nature’s best gifts, and we must preserve them rather than exploiting them for our benefits”, said Pranay. Speaking about the technicalities and clicking the perfect shots, Patel revealed that it was through his consistent efforts, failed attempts and endless practice that made him a pro photographer which he is today. He further said, “Photography is my best teacher. It has taught me to always be patient and not do anything in haste.”

As of now, he has made more than 100 visits in wildlife parks and sanctuaries across the globe. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year Pranay’s most of the trips were called off. Like everyone, the year has been a dry run for him with no wildlife trip for 6 months. “Along with me, even my gears got a much-needed break” (laughs). The esteemed photographer has got a lot of plans as he waits for the travel restrictions to get eased out with time. Meanwhile, during the lockdown, Pranay has upped his game with learning new photography skills through online tutorial videos.

Having a goal set in his mind, Pranay Patel wants to explore wildlife to its fullest. He aims to showcase India’s rich flora and fauna on an international level. With many events being called off due to the epidemic, Pranay’s photography exhibitions also got cancelled which were supposed to happen earlier this year. In a career span of almost a decade, he has achieved numerous accolades including an opportunity to be the official photographer for Gujarat Tourism. His beautiful collection of photographs including ‘The Wonderful Wildlife of Gujarat’ in 2015 and ‘The Bears of Kamchatka, Russia in 2019 have been documented by him. Taking his creative efforts offshore, this young and creative mind is unstoppable and he has surely a long way to go in his prosperous career.