Shoot the walk

DCP Expeditions takes nature and photography enthusiasts in Mumbai deep inside the concrete jungle to find many wildlife-friendly locations

In the early hours of Sunday, joggers at Hanging Gardens were treated to the unusual sight of grown-ups chasing butterflies. But instead of little nets, this group of 20 moved gingerly around the park with monstrous cameras. A Great Eggfly - shiny black with white and blue smears - had been fluttering about and teasing them. The more experienced members of the lot warned the others to kneel, stay still and maintain some distance. Soon the insect settled on a bush close to where their lenses were trained, setting off a series of clicks. While it may sound tame, experiences like this help the participants of the weekly "wildlife" walk to pick up skills of macro-photography.

When Ajay Dand joined DCP Expeditions, which teaches and hones techniques of capturing nature on camera, he was surprised to learn that the city still has open spaces. "You realise that this concrete jungle does give way to some green patches," says the IT businessman who had been gifted a DSLR and enrolled to sharpen his knowledge. During the launch of its walks last year (they are now in 'season two' of the activity), the group had identified 52 wildlife-friendly locations in the city. The sessions, which last around three hours, also happen in seven other cities in India and recently began in Dhaka too. The network is looking to expand into more cities and countries.

"Wildlife photographers are usually nature-lovers first and camera-enthusiasts next," says Caesar Sengupta who founded DCP Expeditions four years ago. The name is an acronym for Dr. Caesar Photography. The clinical diagnostics practitioner had always harboured a passion for wildlife, having grown up in the greenery of Assam but took up medicine to please his father. The hobby of photography, he realised, was often dubbed prohibitively expensive. While it does require costly gadgets, Sengupta started the group to teach beginners how to make the most of any piece of equipment. Apart from the local walks, they also have special expeditions to tiger reserves and the Sub-Himalayan region.

During the walk in Malabar Hill's Hanging Gardens, Ketan Vikamsey, a chartered accountant by profession and a senior member of the group, suggested taking shots of black kites against the green trees. Getting too close to the subject or disturbing nesting birds is strictly discouraged. Those who have trained with DCP act as skippers for the walks. They recce each location beforehand to get a sense of the local fauna and opportunities for photography. The Bhandup pumping station and the mudflats or Sewri or Uran are popular to spot birds such as flamingos, pond herons and short-eared owls. Apart from the vast Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the Maharashtra Nature Park in the heart of the city is also a hotspot for wildlife scouting, observes Sengupta.

The members are a mix of people from various fields who are "like-minded" because they uniformly dedicate weekends to being with nature. Vinod Udhwani, a teacher by profession, says the camera is his "third eye with which I strive to see the most mundane things differently." There are no prescribed cameras and anything from a point-and-shoot to a sophisticated DSLR is allowed. "The idea is to get the maximum result with what you have before investing in something high-end." Younger participants rubbed shoulders with the likes of Rohinton Mehta, technical editor of Smart Photography, who offered ideas and feedback.

The Nikon-Canon rivalry typical in photography circles manifests here in the form of jovial ribbing. While huddled under a tree, group members go through the images and Mehta playfully fantasises about a technology where one would just have to imagine a frame and the camera would click it. "Only a Nikon user's brain can think ahead of time like that," someone quips, causing a burst of giggles. They are all instructed to dress in earth colours, mostly military shades of brown, green and grey. Bright colours are avoided because they could startle the subject.

There were only two women participants at the last walk but the numbers vary depending on the city and from week to week, says Vikamsey. The walks were free of cost last year but the group now charges a sum of Rs 1,000 for the year to limit the number of participants to manageable levels. They have an active Facebook group with 1.2 lakh users, some of whom discuss best locations for photography and upload photos for review. Most take the criticism positively, says Sengupta, but a few are not able to. "We are not there just to say wow or great. If a photo is bad, it is bad."

During the course of the activities, the focus is as much on wildlife as it is on photography. "We have scientific experts joining us on expeditions. It adds tremendous value when you understand your subject, rather than just pointing and shooting it," says Dand. He notes the need to protect existing open spaces and free up more expanses. Conservation photography is a pet issue for many in the group. At a recent meet in Assam, for instance, walkers cleaned up the area they were covering.

On a personal front, Sengupta had first assisted SD Biju in the Lost Amphibians of India project, which resulted in the rediscovery of five species of frogs. Biju even named one of them, Hylarana Caesari, after Sengupta. His focus since has been to build engagement between the two communities. "We are not all scientists but photography can be a key to documenting and preserving biodiversity even in our neighbourhood."

For details, visit www.dcpexpeditions.com