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Santhosh Chandran
Young Indian expatriate photographer Praveen Pai has won the prestigious black and white photography award — ‘Monochrome Awards’ — based in the UK.
Pai, a former MES Indian School student, said although he was shortlisted for the award, the announcement of his name as the winner took him by surprise.
In Monochrome photography, the images contain all tones of black and white.
“It feels amazing to be listed among the winners, and being the only Indian whose work is merited to the professional wildlife sector adds to the confidence to undertake the very same journey that I have been looking forward to all these years,” he said.
Pai received the award for his entry ‘Now You See Me’, a black and white image of male Bengal tiger gently looking towards the camera from behind some bushes at Bandipur Tiger Reserve forest in the Indian state of Karnataka.
He has also received honourable mention for his click - ‘Ruler at wild’ by the jury of Monochrome Awards. Considering his talent in wildlife photography, the jury also honoured him with a mention of ‘Professional Wildlife Category Photographer’.
Pai, who tags himself as a wildlife photographer since his teenage years, with a high level enthusiasm for wildlife and nature, believes this international recognition is reward for his hard work and passion for photography.
Monochrome Photography Awards conducts an annual competition for professional and amateur photographers to discover the most amazing photographers from around the world.
The 2016 Monochrome Awards received nearly 7,000 submissions from 86 countries. The winning images were selected by a panel of international judges that included Ted Preuss, David Fokos, Roman Loranc, David Johndrow, Stefano Brunesci, Tomasz Lazar, Dominique Bollinger, Andre Brito, Giacomo Brunelli and Martin Stavars.
Pai hails from Guruvayoor, a temple town in Thrissur district of Kerala. So passionate is he about wildlife that he is ever ready to vanish into the forests. He has visited almost all the forests in India. Pai, who currently conducts workshops for youth interested in photography, said, “Photography is an art and it’s not something all can learn or master.
“None can master it, as everyone is a learner and we keep learning something new each day.
“To get the best output or to create a master photograph with great lighting and content, it’s all about your hard work, practice, patience, a good mind, plus observation skills.” He also plans to conduct a photography workshop in Doha. “This is under process with a leading Indian school in Doha. Hopefully, it will commence shortly,” Pai told Qatar Tribune.
“Since childhood, nature has engaged me. I was always surprised by the greenery it offered and the species that lived within. “There’s no one to be named as a role model or inspiration in this particular platform because I strongly believe every one has a different perspective. And so, it is a different story with every visual one frames. “National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery channel etc have played major roles in keeping me engaged and attached to the stories they publish,” Pai said. He has long and exciting stories to tell about all the wildlife images that he shot within deep forests after long and lonely journeys.
He considers the click ‘Sneaky Touch’, a photo of a huge spot-billed pelican skimming over the water surface, as a really challenging experience. The photo clicked at Ranganathittuh Bird Sanctuary in Mysore, not only reveals his passion for photography but his deep-rooted observation and knowledge about birds and their behaviour.
Other shots titled ‘Lazy Morning’ — about a yawning owl, and ‘Calm & Mesmerising’, a beautiful image of a flying Brahmini Kite taken at Lal Bagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru, showcase his passion equally well. “Those were also the challenging ones in terms of action photography,” Pai said.
He has also won All India Silver Award in by Prafulla Foundation, been listed among the top 10 finalists of the prestigious international One Eyeland Awards 2015, ICS Gold Medal Award winner, KPA Bronze Medal Award winner and Major Student’s Palcon Award.
Photos clicked by Pai have been exhibited at national photo exhibitions and published in various journals across India.
