Behind the Lens

a blog every Friday on a specific species of animal or bird and stories of photos

Search for a specific species, genre or even a location or use the directory for a complete list of species I have photographed and written about till date.

Listen to my TEDx talk.

Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Demoiselle Crane

The demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) is a species of crane found in central Eurasia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and North Eastern China. There is also a small breeding population in Turkey. These cranes are migratory and fly from western Eurasia to spend the winter in Africa whilst the birds from Asia, Mongolia and China will spend the winter in the Indian subcontinent. The bird is symbolically significant in the culture of Pakistan, where it is known as Koonj.

It is the smallest species of crane. The demoiselle crane is slightly smaller than the common crane but has similar plumage. It has a long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume.

#wildartworks, #canon, #wildlife, #wildlifephotography, #Dasada, #RannofKutch, #LittleRannofKutch, #Gujarat, #SaltFlat, #TravelPhotography, #FlatLand, #SaltMarsh, #natgeoindia, #ConservationPhotography, @awpc.hk, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #planet_untamed_magazine, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #demoisellecrane, #crane, #smallestcrane, #migratory, #migratorybird, #koonj,

Read More

Photographing Fireworks

Why are fireworks so mesmerising? The sudden, bright, moving sparks they emit are compelling to watch and seem mysterious because we’re so unused to light of that type travelling directly into our eyes. In general, the colours we see are created by light bouncing off the reflective surfaces of objects around us. As we encounter this reflected light all the time, we’ve become very good at unscrambling the colours in our brain and, as a result, anything different can seem other worldly. This could be why other sources of moving light, like shooting stars and fireflies, are also thought of as magical.

People are fascinated by pyrotechnics. In an age when highly-polished and sophisticated computer generated images are the norm, a live firework display feels like ‘border country’. It’s a rare mix of controlled, careful choreography with that exciting sense that anything might happen. For, while almost all large displays are fired electrically, once that electrical pulse is turned into fire, the device is unstoppable. It’s a hypnotic cocktail of science and spectacle, raw power and beauty, colour and noise.

#WildArt.Works, #Canon, #Photography, #Nightscapes, #Landscapes, #Fireworks, #LongExposurePhotography, #FireworkPhotography, #LightTrails, #Celebrations, #EventPhotography, #Cityscapes, #Skyline, #Singapore, #NDP, #CNYFireworks, #MarinaBay,

Read More
Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Khur - The Indian Wild Ass

The Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur), also known as the Indian Onager and called Khur in the local Gujarati language, is a subspecies of the onager native to Southern Asia. It is currently listed as Near Threatened by IUCN with only 6,082 individuals left.

#wildartworks, #canon, #wildlife, #wildlifephotography, #Dasada, #RannofKutch, #LittleRannofKutch, #Gujarat, #SaltFlat, #TravelPhotography, #WildAssSanctuary, #WildAss, #FlatLand, #SaltMarsh, #Ghudkhur, #IndianOnager, #Khur, #natgeoindia, #NearThreatened, #ConservationPhotography, @awpc.hk, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #planet_untamed_magazine, #bbcearth, #natgeowild,

Read More
Architecture, Light Painting, Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee Architecture, Light Painting, Astrophotography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Light painting the Bodhisattva

Also known as the 500 Lohan Temple, Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of Bintan’s best hidden treasures. Located in Kijang (South Bintan), the premise is just a short drive away from the main bustling scene of Tanjung Pinang. Step into the temple grounds and be transported into surreal settings of towering structures and the highlight—more than 500 life-sized (Lohan/arhat) stone statues with intricate physique and facial expressions, each one unique and different from the next.

#WildArt.Works, #Photography, #Nightscapes, #Landscapes, #LightPainting, #Astrophotography, #Bintan, #500Lohan

Read More