A three-day exhibition of wildlife photographs at a gallery in south Calcutta ended on Sunday.
It featured 75 photographs, many of them telling hair- raising stories from the wild.
Like capturing a king penguin in its habitat in the sub-Arctic region. On January 12 this year, a photographer, Biswarup Lahiri, documented the birth of a king penguin chick at Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands. The prized shot features in the exhibition.
Also featured is a stunning picture of a leopard, Bijli, at Jhalana reserve in Jaipur. Her eyes are focused ahead as she is drinking water.
“She was pregnant at the time of this shot, apparent from her cautious and
protective movements,” said Soumi Mitra, the photographer.
The exhibition was organised by Lensnwings, a forum that works for wildlife conservation. The photographers are from various walks of life — bankers, techies, government officers, social activists and teachers — with a common passion for wildlife.
The exhibition went beyond celebrity animals — like tigers, elephants and lions — that hog the limelight.
On a late December morning, another photographer, Samir Roy, started his Safari at Nagzira forest in Maharashtra, travelling through the dusty forest road looking for something big like a tiger or bear. He found nothing. After a long wait, he saw a pair of scops owls peeping from the whole of the tree. It made a beautiful shot, one that also features in the exhibition.
Giraffes drinking water, rhinos strolling in Kenya, and the elusive Bengal Tiger at Sundarbans are among some of the other shots that feature in the exhibition.
“Each frame has an intriguing story which reflects the passion with which it is captured. And Lensnwings gives them the platform to showcase these pictures,” said Samrat Chowdhury, co-founder of Lensnwings.