KATHMANDU, April 9: Susheel Kumar Shrestha, who has been trying his hands on wildlife and bird photography for the last fifteen years, is coming up with his third solo photo exhibition at NAFA Art Gallery, Naxal from Tuesday, April 14. [break]
Nintety-six photos that Shrestha is currently monitoring to control the print quality boasts extensive captures of 31 species of butterflies, 36 species of birds and 29 species of wildlife, which were shot during last three years. Most of the photos are from Bajhang, Khaptad, Bajura and Chitwan, where he was posted as a field junior engineer at CARE Nepal.
A photograph by Susheel Shrestha that will go on display from April 14.
All photos by Susheel Shrestha
After running through the records of Natural History Museum and Chitwan National Park for a week, Shrestha has also meticulously collected all the names of nature’s variety that he has captured through his lens. “Quite some job!” he says.
The wildlife lesson
Photography as a career in Nepal is bleak, if not matured. Risk factor is high but in the past few years, the field has attracted a lot of youngsters and hobbyist who are pushing new boundaries. Some of them have already created a niche for themselves. But despite Nepal’s diverse range of flora and fauna, wildlife photography is something that is still to stem its bud.
Except for a handful who are doing it because they can afford to and some because they make each penny count for their passion, Nepali photography is dominated by mainstream news photography and if lucky, studio and glamour photography. So, why would a struggling photographer like Shrestha risk an uncharted territory?
“Actually that is why,” he says. “I saw many people took political, social and landscape photos. But very few bothered about wildlife and birds. So, ten years down the line I want to be the resourceful wildlife and bird photographer.”
Self taught photographer, he hasn’t taken any formal course on photography. “Actually, I tried attending a two months long workshop by veteran photographer Chandra Shekhar Karki a few months back. When I realized there wasn’t much I could learn there, I left the workshop after twenty days. Karki sir suggested me to do the same,” he says.
Overseer by profession, Shrestha picked up photography as a hobby some fifteen years ago. Back then, he did not have any specific theme, but there was something about birds and wildlife, that slowly triggered his passion.
Last year’s grand prize winner of Nature through Lens, an annual exhibition organized by Wildlife Conservation Nepal, Shrestha says, “I guess, I’m born to be a wildlife photographer.”
Recently employed by UNICEF as a photographer, Shrestha is looking forward to publish a coffee-table book of different birds, butterflies and animals. He already has in his archives, photos of 70species of butterflies, 50species of birds and over 52 species of wild animals.
His weeklong exhibition, ‘Butterflies, Birds & Wildlife’ starting next week is funded by Nature Trust for Natural Conservation, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation.
Shrestha uses a Nikon D 300 and Telephoto lens of 16-85 mm and 70-300 mm.
