Wild Frames, an exhibition of wildlife photographs, opens at David Hall in Fort Kochi

Stunning wildlife photographs from around the world on display at David Hall gallery until August 7.

A herd of elephants silhouetted against an orange horizon at Madikwe in South Africa makes for a stunning image. The elephants were on their way to a waterhole nearby, says the photographer Dr Joseph Vargehese. Of all the pictures of the wild he has taken from across the world, this one remains etched in memory, he adds. 

Wild Frames, an exhibition of wildlife photographs that opened on August 3 at David Hall, has a curated selection of such images from three photographers — Joseph Varghese, Michael Dominic and Markos Vellapally. 

While Joseph is an orthodontist who has been practicing in Kochi for over 35 years, Michael is the managing director and CEO of CGH Earth and Markos is a Kottayam-based lawyer, who has now devoted his time to photography. 

Joseph and Michael have travelled together extensively for the past eight years and have covered various parts of India and countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Costa Rica and Brazil to mention a few. “Taking pictures of animals and birds fills me with peace; it has increased my patience too, my patients claim,” says Joseph with a laugh.  

All the images on show capture the soul of the wild. For instance, Michael’s photograph of two leopards caught in a playful moment is a true representation of the dynamics of the jungle. Another of his striking photos is of a sunbittern, a brightly coloured bird native to Central and South America.

Markos, who trains his lens on the birds, is especially fascinated by the commonly found species. He gave up a successful corporate law practice to pursue his passion for photography. In the past couple of years, he has documented bird life in and around where he lives in Kottayam.

Wildlife photography is an expensive hobby, but it should not become a deterrent for those who want to pursue their passion. “One can get photography equipment on rent. There are a number of genres within wildlife photography and one may need lenses specific to the kind of photographs one wants to take. So it is best to experiment with the interest; take the camera and start shooting images and see how it works before investing in expensive equipment,” says Joseph.