His initial compulsion of maintaining the clinical photography records to practice as an Orthodontist ultimately turned into a hobby and passion for nature and wildlife photography. Meet Nagpur based Dr. Matrishva Vyas who recently won the Photography Society of India Gold prize in Nature photography at the prestigious 15th PSI International Salon Competition held in Mumbai. His shot Lethal Grip was selected amongst nearly 2000 entries with participants from over 40 countries. A mentor for Nikon School of Photography, Matrishva firmly believes he will not want to do anything the hard way if the easy way is just as good, but will never do it the easy way if the hard way does it better.
The story behind the winning shot
I clicked this shot in Bor Tiger Reserve near Nagpur. I was alone that day in my gypsy. I was waiting at a water body for nearly 2 hours in a hope that some big predator would come to quench its thirst. After a long wait in simmering summer heat of central India, I heard a shriek of a langur some 100 meters behind. My driver drove in that direction and I could not believe my eyes. This was the first time I saw something like this. I was full of excitement, sweating profusely and my complete body was in tremors. An adult male langur was just hunted and the predator was carrying it to some safer place. The weight of langur was not easy to carry and the effort to do so was evident from the tail positioning of leopard used for balancing. To get a low angle shot which would enhance the height of the predator plus get a distraction free background, I sat on the floor of the gypsy and adjusted myself quickly to capture this epic wildlife moment.
Matrishva’s birth as a photographer was not because of his passion, but a compulsion of maintaining the clinical records. He studied, practiced and learnt the science and art of photography while he was indulged in his practice of orthodontics since 1997. It was paramount for him to finish the treatment perfectly and shoot perfect post treatment photos so that he can use them for scientific publications and clinical presentations. This initial “compulsion” of maintaining the clinical photography records ultimately turned into a hobby and passion for nature and wildlife photography. Being a resident of Tiger Capital of India, the Orange city – Nagpur, it was a natural outcome.
♦ Best scientific paper presentation award by Indian Orthodontic Society in 2009 and 2010
♦ Conducted more than 50 Clinical photography courses in Medical and Dental Colleges
♦ A mentor for Nikon School of Photography and conducts wildlife photography courses
I also realised that photography makes one more observant and receptive to what is going on in a particular case. A simple act of taking a photograph forces you to look more closely at the clinical condition and thus you begin to see those things which other clinicians might miss because they may be blinded by familiarity; and this leads to greater appreciation of clinical situation.
Dr Matrishva Vyas
Currently, Dr. Matrishva is enjoying best of both the worlds, his primary profession Orthodontics and his passion of Photography. He feels his journey so far in both the fields is satisfactory. When asked about his future plans, he says, There are no specific plans for future, as life is a complex journey; but certainly, would like to give my best in whatever life throws in front of me. He firmly believes Work willingly done becomes a play and Play unwillingly played becomes a work. We couldn’t agree more.
Comments