Through the Viewfinder

Introduction

2006-07-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hello there, and Welcome Aboard ! I am Harshad Karandikar, a mechanical engineer by qualification, an adventure tour organiser by profession and a Wildlife Photographer by passion. More about me at the bottom of the page

This is a collection of my best photographs - both with film and digital cameras.

While I primarily shoot wildlife and landscapes, I am trying to add dimensions to my work. So far I havent really got anything remarkable, but hope to, soon !

Your comments, criticism, praise, all are welcome. Please enter them by clicking on the comments links.

Additions - New Pics !

2006-07-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Its been quite a while since I've updated my portfolio, and have got quite a few interesting images which make the cut. So here goes.....

I havent classified these under the existing themes for the moment, will do that after some time.

Do let the usual comments flowing in !

Stranded in the Rain - A freshly emerged Lime Butterfly is covered with rain-drops while it waits for its wings to become firm.

Oakleaf - One of the most spectacular examples of Camouflage. This stunning butterfly, found in moist evergreen forests, looks just like a dried up leaf, complete with the central vein, and round 'fungal' spots ! Almost impossible to spot when it is sitting with its wings closed, it suddenly bursts into a flash of blue and flies off. A huge butterfly, about 5 inches between wing tips. Its host plant is 'Karvee', a plant commonly found in good patches of forest in the Sahyadris, but the butterfly is rare.

Fields of Yellow - A Danaid Eggfly butterfly becomes the jewel in a crown of yellow flowers

Green Lines - A palm leaf makes an interesting pattern against the sunlight.

Snap ! - A vine snake strikes an aggressive pose, scared by a probably never-seen-before threat, a biped armed with a black box, making whirring and clicking noises.

Crested Serpent Eagle - The lush forests of Nagzira and Tadoba are a delight to a birdwatcher and photographer.

Swinging away to Glory

Plop ! - Ripples disturb the perfect reflection of a leafless tree in the heart of the dry deciduous forests of Melghat Tiger Reserve.

Golden Angle - A Golden angle butterfly basks in the sun, in the lush forests near the Dugarwadi waterfalls near Nashik in Maharashtra.

Hovercraft - A Pied Kingfisher ( Ceryle rudis ) performs his trademark hovering act before plummetting down to catch an unsuspecting fish, in the Nagzira Lake.

Glider - A Honey Buzzard ( Pernis ptilorhyncus ) glides over the Tadoba jungle...

Jungle Bush Quail - A Jungle Bush Quail ( Perdicula asiatica ) scampers to safety in the Tadoba Jungles.

Who Goes there ? - A canon shaped like a human face looks over boats ferrying passengers from the Janjira fort, off the Western Coast Of Maharashtra

Tight Rope Walk ! The Giant Indian Squirrel ( Ratifa Indica Bhimashankarensis ) is a very beautiful animal endemic to the forests of Bhimashankar. Threatened by habitat loss and human disturbance, this extremely shy arboreal animal continues its precarious existence. With all the individuals in one forested area, a single epidemic is all that will take to wipe out this creature from the face of the earth.

Pink !

Slurrp ! A Butterfly sips nectar from a Lantana flower. Although the flowers are pretty to look at, this species of plants is rapidly taking over large tracts of pristine forest, obilerating native species, already threatened due to over-grazing.

You Talking to me ? - A brilliantly coloured lizard from the forests of Tadoba

Where are the fish ? A Small Blue Kingfisher ( alcedo atthis ) perches on a row, in the marshlands of Navegaon National Park.

Tiger ! - A tiger cools off in an artificial water tank in Tadoba

If looks could kill..

Show Off !

Indian Roller - The Indian Roller or the Blue Jay is a common bird with beautiful colours found in Central India.

Aint I Cute ? A huge spider in the heart of the Melghat Tiger Reserve proves that he's quite cute, if you look at him properly.

More coming up very soon !

Landscapes - Trees

2005-08-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

Landscapes are subjects which almost everybody shoots, whatever camera one has. While normal landscapes are fine, I prefer to get something interesting in the foreground, like a tree. This can really make a shot, as in the case of the first picture shown here. I have been accused of having a bias towards tree-in-the-foreground-shots, which I plead guilty to. Over half of my shots from any trip will have this type of shots !

Calling the Clouds - This picture was taken on a crisp morning on Fort Ratangad in the Malshej region of the Sahyadris in peninsular India. This is my favourite picture, as it captures the stunning beauty of the Sahyadris.

Sunset 1 - The sun goes down, silhoutting a tree, on the ancient Sudhagad Fort, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

Sunset 2

Sunset 3

Sunset 4

Sunset 5

Sunset 6

Smudged - The wind plays with the upper branches of a Peepal ( Ficus Religiosa ) tree, long after the sun has gone down.

Life - Life hangs on, even when everything around it is rapidly dying, covered, smothered, chilled by the snow.

This shot was taken at around 12000 ft in the Himalayas.

Velvet - The fruit of an unidentified tree in the Sahyadris looks like it is covered with velvet.

Normal is Boring ! - Green dominates in this mid-monsoon shot of a majestic tree deep in the Sahyadri forests.

Framed ! - The branches of a tree in a dry river bed in the Malshej region of the Sahyadris 'frame' a distant mountain.

Yet Another Tree ! - A leafless tree stands out from the surrounding blanket of green, in the middle of the monsoon, with Fort Ratangad as the backdrop.

Landscapes - Mountains

2005-08-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Mountains always attract me, whether they are the snow-capped himalayan peaks or the grass covered sahyadri ones peaking out from the clouds. The mountains have a mystic charm about them and are a serious addiction.

Mirror - Reflection of the peak CB - 14 in the early morning calm waters of Chandratal lake.

Golden Sunset 1

Golden Sunset 2

Golden Sunset 3

Golden Sunset 4

Golden Sunset 5

Golden Sunset 6

Golden Sunset 7

Golden Sunset 8

Pristine White - The pure white snows os a high rising peak stand out against the blue sky

Picture Postcard

Desert at 15000 feet

Trail

Jharkot

Lush Meadows

Chandratal Lake

In the Clouds

Bridge at Batal

Blue

Butterflies

2005-08-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

I was initially extremely keen about birds, but i soon realised that I couldnt really shoot birds with a 35 - 70 mm lens. However, a friend told me that I could easily shoot butterflies with this lens, just by attaching 'diopters' ( basically, magnifiers ) onto my lens. I tried it out, and realised that I could get pretty decent shots this way. Slowly, i got more interested in butterflies. 9 of the photos shown here are likely to be used in 2 new books on Indian Butterflies, by Krushnamegh Kunte and Isaac Kehimkar.

Plain Orange Tip - A beautiful little butterfly which becomes fairly common in the monsoon.

Common Guava Blue - Underside

Common Guava Blue - Upperside

The Common Guava Blue, despite its name is a pretty rare butterfly. These 2 photographs of this butterfly will be used a new book on Indian Butterflies by Krushnamegh Kunte.

Red Spot

Plain Banded Awl - A butterfly belonging to skipper family. Slated to be used in Isaac Kehimkar's book.

Common Sailers - A common butterfly with a peculiar flight.

Golden !

The stunningly beautiful pupa of the Common Indian Crow. Also seen, if seen carefully, are the faces of 2 people reflected in it.

Lime Butterfly

Indian Tortoiseshell - A common himalayan butterfly

Striped Albatross - This is an extremely rare butterfly, and this is probably the only photograph of the female of this species. This photo is also slated to be used in the book by Krushnamegh Kunte.

Vindhyan Bob - A butterfly usually seen in Central India, this photograph is its only second record in the Sahyadris. Slated to be used in another book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Common Meadow Blue

Common Meadow Blue - A european butterfly, also seen in the himalayas at high altitudes. Slated to be used in the book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

An unidentified butterfly from the himalayas.

Chequered Blue - A european butterfly, also seen in the himalayas at high altitudes. Slated to be used in the book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Flutter - A Dark Clouded Yellow butterfly captured in flight.

Crimson Rose

Lofty Bath White

Lofty Bath White - A european butterfly, also seen in the himalayas at high altitudes. Slated to be used in the book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Blue Tiger - A freshly emerged specimen of the blue tiger.

End of the Spiral Staircase - A blue tiger butterfly, freshly emerged from its pupa, walks on the stick on which the pupa hangs.

Glassy Tiger

Flowers

2005-08-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

Flowers are much less difficult to shoot than butterflies and birds due to the obvious fact that they cannot move as per their will. While wind always creates problems for flower photography, there is usually a brief lull which allows you to take the shots as you want. Also, you can experiment as much as you want and spend as much time as you want on a flower.

Yellow Silk Cotton Tree - The Yellow Silk Cotton Tree is endemic to a small region of the Sahyadris. In a region where obviously no distinction is made for felling trees for firewood, this tree is endangered.

Attempts to cultivate it have been totally unsuccessful, and how this tree reproduces is a mystery which poses further problems in its protection and conservation.

This shot was taken on the Law College Hill in Pune.

The size of this photograph as displayed here is rather large, but the full glory of this photograph ( and this flower ) is not evident unless seen full size.

Pangari - As winter turns into spring in the beautiful folds of the Sahyadri mountains, mountainsides are decked in red - Palas, Pangara, Pangari, and a plethora of stunningly beautiful flowers.

Himalayan Flowers - These beauties were shot in the desert-like regions of the Spiti Valley near Manali in June 2005.

Himalayan Lily - This stunningly beautiful flower lines the roadsides of Manali, the hill station in Himachal Pradesh. Considered to be an exotic species, it is one of the most commonly seen flowers in and around Manali. It has now started growing in the wild also.

Another Himalayan Flower......

Birds

2005-08-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Birds are often envied because they can fly. Due to this reason itself, bird photography is extremely difficult, especially in the case of subjects like the vulture shown, due to their terrific speeds.

Trying to shoot these birds with a tripod is useless, especially when they are close by, as you simply cannot swivel the tripod around fast enough. All of these shots are handheld, and tamron telephoto lens comes through pretty well.

Indian Longbilled Vulture - Vultures are often thought of as dirty creatures due to their feeding habits. However, observing these majestic birds will convince you of their breathtaking beauty. The sheer raw power they possess can be felt when you get this close.

Unfortunately, these creatures are on the verge of extinction due to rampant, uncontrolled use of lethal pesticides, which make their way into their systems through the animals they eat.

Romping about in the Snow - This cute little bird was the only creature happily romping about in the snow, while all other living beings seemed lost and perplexed at the crazy snowfall which hit the Spiti valley in July 2005, leaving hundreds of trekkers, including us, stranded.

Huh ?

So what if its snowing ?

Red Cheeked Bulbul - These sprightly, noisy birds are commonly found in cities in India. Seen here, it is hopping from one branch of a Rain Tree to another, feeding on its ripening pods, which contain a pungent paste, which attracts a host of birds, from Golden Orioles to Minivets.

Miscellaneous

2005-08-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

I shoot pretty much anything that I find interesting, and a lot of shots cant really be categorized.

Patterns in Sand 1

Patterns in Sand 2

Waves

Light - Sunlight streams in through an empty beehive in the Melghat Tiger Reserve

Going with the Wind - Silk Cotton escapes from the pods of the wattakaka volubilis

Temple

Bringing in the Moolah !

2005-08-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Every photographer's dream is to see his work being used in some form or the other. While money is always welcome, its the honour of seeing one's work published and acknowledged which drives most of us amateur photographers on. Here is a collection of my photographs which are likely to be used in books - 2 books on Indian Butterflies, being written by 2 of India's most respected naturalists, Krushnamegh Kunte and Isaac Kehimkar.

Striped Albatross - This is an extremely rare butterfly, and this is probably the only photograph of the female of this species. This photo is slated to be used in the book by Krushnamegh Kunte. This was my first photograph which was supposed to be used in any form, and my joy knew no bounds when i got to know about it.

Common Guava Blue - Underside

Common Guava Blue - Upperside

The Common Guava Blue, despite its name is a pretty rare butterfly. These 2 photographs of this butterfly will also be used by Krushnamegh Kunte in his new book. I was extremely fortunate to have this beauty visit my home, where it sat patiently for hours while i desparately tweaked with my bought-the-previous-day D70 camera.

Vindhyan Bob - A butterfly usually seen in Central India, this photograph is its only second record in the Sahyadris. Slated to be used in another book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Common Meadow Blue

Common Meadow Blue - A european butterfly, also seen in the himalayas at high altitudes. Slated to be used in the book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Chequered Blue - A european butterfly, also seen in the himalayas at high altitudes. Slated to be used in the book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Lofty Bath White

Lofty Bath White - A european butterfly, also seen in the himalayas at high altitudes. Slated to be used in the book on Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar.

Plain Banded Awl - A butterfly belonging to skipper family. Slated to be used in Isaac Kehimkar's book.

About me

2005-08-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am a mechanical engineer student from India. After working for seevn months in Mahindra Automotive, I realised that this was not quite where I wanted to be, so I quit to start an Adventure Tourism firm with a few friends. I also dabble in freelance journalism, and you can check out my published writings here.

Photography has been my passion since i first picked up my dad's manual Minolta SLR and took it along for a trek. Till then i didnt believe that the extra weight and volume of an SLR was worth it. Once i picked it up, though, the Pentax Film Point and Shoot has been relegated to some stuffy cupboard.

Its been 4 years since, and i have had the opportunity to visit the himalayas twice with my SLR ( though i didnt quite make the most of it ). You can see some of those shots in the mountains and flowers galleries. My 'specialisation', though, has been with butterfly photography, though i have to go a long way still. 9 of my butterfly photographs are slated to be used in a new book on Indian Butterflies. Otherwise, i mostly shoot Landscapes ( with a particular bias towards tree-in-the-foreground shots ), as you'll realise when you ( if you ?! ) go through the galleries.

I've done a bit of event photography, though i soon realised i have a distinct dislike for it. Well, i currently dont earn my living through photography, so i can i afford not to like it !

Equipment Used

2005-08-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Equipment :

Primary Kit :

Nikon D70 Digital SLR, 6.1 Megapixels

Lenses : Nikkor 18 - 70 mm, Tamron 70 - 300 mm with 1:2 Macro capability

Secondary Kit :

Minolta X300 Film SLR, 35 mm format

Lenses : Cosina 35 - 70 mm, Sigma 70-210 mm

Tripod :

Velbon CX 300

Equipment Wish-List :

Prime Macro Lens

Flashgun

Manfrotto Tripod

Sigma 200 - 500 mm

Polarising and Neutral Density Filters