06 September,2010 06:35 AM IST | | LALITHA SUHASINI
Award-winning natural history photographer DK Bhaskar spent almost a year exploring the rainforests of the Amazon, collaborating with scientists even as he attempted to look at the untamed terrain and life in the Brazilian Amazonia from the common man's viewfinder. In an interview with Sunday MiD DAY, Bhaskar recounts his experience of capturing some never-before-seen images
It all began in 2004, quite by accident in the forests of Mudumalai in the Nilgiri Hills. Natural history photographer DK Bhaskar was on an elephant-shooting assignment when he met a couple of scientists researching natural ecosystems. "There was talk of working together in the rainforest and then it all died down.
This shot of the Caboclo (a person of mixed ancestryu00a0-- native Brazilian
Indian and African or European) was taken at the mouth of the Amazon.
"I'd walked for over an hour," says Bhaskar, "From a distance the figure
looked like a horse. The waters were receding and at one point I could
only see a disturbance in the water conjuring up images of mythical
creatures and mermaids in my head. The girl was as taken aback as
I was, and ducked."
"It's like these turtles were posing there and waiting for me to shoot,"
says Bhaskar, of the yellow-spotted river turtle, one of the largest of
its kind in South America, which boasts 45 species of turtles
A camouflaged Green Iguana
On one of his trips, Bhaskar found a group roasting piranha on a branch.
"Here, we are shaken by the thought of deadly fish, incidentally a favourite
with Amazonians. And they sit on the river bank and feast on piranha
barbeques," says Bhaskar.
An Amazonian in his houseboat. "They looked so peaceful and so
comfortableu00a0-- at home and almost embedded into the landscape,"
says Bhaskar.
A barbeque party along the river. Scores of points along the river open
up to form natural beaches. "I didn't want to create a picture book with
fancy photos. I wanted to capture man's synergy with the river."
u00a0
Then suddenly I got a call to tell me that funding had been sourced to take me to the Amazon," recalls Bhaskar, who has made several trips to the rainforest since last October. At least 10, he offers casually.
While the scientists documented the climate change, Bhaskar set about discovering the synergy between man and nature through his lens. "For me, it was a completely different perspective of the Amazon. Whether it's deforestation, survival or conservation, the Amazon couldn't be what it is today without human presence," he adds. One of the most fascinating experiences, says Bhaskar, is setting out to shoot on the river, without spotting any human life for days together. "Being on the Amazon river is actually like being in the middle of an ocean -- it stretches on endlessly. Occasionally, we came across the real inhabitants, whose entire life is sustained through the river or the rainforest," he says.
One of the most important lessons that he learnt during his stay was the need to respect the people and their space. "It was an amazing experience beyond the wisdom of traditional photography," says the 40 year-old photographer.u00a0
DK Bhaskar's photographic account of the Amazon has just been released as a book. The Fragile Forest -- Inside Brazilian Amazonia is available at The Strand, Landmark and Crossword bookstores.
