Aishwarya Sridhar First Indian Female Photographer to Win “Wildlife Photography of the Year” Award
Natural History Museum (LHM) conducts the Wildlife Photography of the Year contest every year and brings us gorgeous glimpses of wildlife. This year too, the contest has showcased numerous mesmerizing wonders of nature through photography, the winners of which were announced on October 13, 2020.
While the world is rejoicing the beauty of these photographs, Indians are delighted to have the nation’s first woman photographer win the award. 23-year-old Aishwarya Sridhar, a wildlife photographer from Panvel, Maharashtra, has won the ‘highly commended’ award at the 56th Wildlife Photography of the Year 2020.
A big moment for India and for me as a young wildlife photographer. Being the first and youngest girl to win this award from India in the Adult category, its a huge honour for me to receive this award !!
Thank you to the entire Jury and WPY team. https://t.co/i6mU8VKW4j
— Aishwarya Sridhar (@Aishwaryasridh9) October 14, 2020
Her photograph called “Lights of Passion” won the coveted title at the award show. The picture that bagged the title is of a tree illuminated with fireflies. The fireflies and the stars in the sky form a dreamlike galaxy around the tree.
Also Read: Check out the Winners of the “Wildlife Photography of the Year 2020”
She shared that during a trek last year that she had decided to click fireflies but wasn’t sure of a particular frame. And, then she stumbled upon this tree. When she clicked the picture, she wasn’t satisfied with it, so she widened the frame to include stars and the sky that made it a beautiful entity.
Her entry found a special place in the ‘invertebrate behaviour’ category of the competition organised by NHM, London, which features images revealing the most interesting or memorable behaviour of any of the smaller animals without a backbone, whether on land, in the air, or in water.
Aishwarya Sridhar | Image: Instagram @chikoo_wild
Sridhar has been capturing beautiful shots of wildlife for quite some time now. She has also won the Sanctuary Asia young naturalist award at the age of 14. Last year, she was awarded the Princess Diana Award, which is given to young talented individuals who bring positive change with their contribution to society.
Apart from being a skillful wildlife photographer, Sridhar is also a writer and documentary filmmaker. Reportedly, her first documentary, “PANJE the Last Wetland,” on preserving the wetlands of Panje in Navi Mumbai was telecasted on DD National, and the second “Queen of Taru,” a documentary on the royal Bengal tigress Maya was awarded at the 9th Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in New York.
You can check out her talent on her Instagram page, which is filled with stunning wildlife photographs.
Via: Logical Indian
