Ambuj Gupta, based in Hyderabad, is an Investment Banking Associate by profession, an Engineer by education and an avid Bird/wildlife photographer at heart.

*DiarySouls*: So how did your bird photography journey start?

*Ambuj*: Photography for me is a means to capture, relive, share my experiences and passion for birds with the world. But passion always has its roots. My mother's love gardening and close vicinity to dense forest areas had always aloowed me to observe and admire avian diversity closely, with various species frequently visiting & nesting in our backyards. I guess that's where it all started. Later, during my schooling, we used to have nature walks and photography club. From there, my journey with photography began, and continues till date.

*DiarySouls*: Do you ever feel like taking up wildlife photography as a profession?

*Ambuj*: Bit too early to answer as I have yet a lot to learn I think. For me, personally, photography is more like therapy and hobby. I believe that there should always be something to earn and to enjoy separately. All of us are alredy so engrossed in the hustle-bustle of daily routines, one should have something to pehaps provide a change of pace or sense of calmness. As for me, I find the break admist nature & birds, offering tranquility and kind of sense of freedom watching these free spirits.

*DiarySouls*: How did you learn about the birds, their names, nature, and their habits?

*Ambuj*: It all comes a lot from observation & learning. Research and understanding behavious/traits/patters of these birds require reading. Like most birders, I personally refer to ebird and Merlin (by Cornell University) for bird identifications and hotspot identification. Knowledge about such aspects help better anticipate movements, flight patterns, feeding behavious to get better shots

*DiarySouls*: How do you feel when you are about to go deeper into bushes and rocks? Don’t you feel like stepping backward due to the risk?

*Ambuj*: Sometimes, to get that right click and capture the beauty of scene, subconsciously, when we love something, we instinctivly take steps. Isn't that what we do in life to achieve something we want? But yes, these are calculated risks, taken after gauging the path assessing the pros/cons, and I can assusre, mostly those risks pay-off in the form of a fantastic capture

*DiarySouls*: Do you feel frustrated when you miss the clicks of rare bird species?

*Ambuj*: Disappointment is a part of life. We need to live with it but learn from it as well. We may start with a lot of expectations to great shots, but are often met with blurry shots, unfavourable weather conditions, or not a good composition. But all these contribute towards developing necessary skills and most paramount, develop a key life skill: Patience. Its the key in bird photography, as you might need to stay put for long itervals just for that perfect perch/pose. It would be dissapointing at first, but one must need to learn and always move forward

*Links*:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birding.frames/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@birding.frames

Email: ambuj5399@gmail.com