Wild, wild Catman

Highly intuitive, and concerned about his environs, award-winning wildlife photographer Harsha Narasimhamurthy tells Prathiksha Lakshmikanth all about his love for capturing the big cats for posterity

A peacock displaying its magnificent plumage at Kabini Backwaters

A baby crocodile at Ranthambore

Harsha Narasimhamurthy

Wildlife photography reveals the natural, incredible, and often complex animal characteristics and behaviour. Most photography enthusiasts are mesmerised by animal behaviour such as its playfulness, tender moments, humour and family bonds which keeps them going back to the forests. But to some, it is also a tool to convey a message about wildlife conservation.

One such person, who has made his mark in the field over the years is Bengaluru-based professional wildlife photographer Harsha Narasimhamurthy.

Harsha’s motivation to begin a career in photography started while he worked as a nature guide in 2012. “I realised I didn’t just want to take back memories with me. I wanted them to be replicated and preserved in the form of art,” he says.

He was one of the top eight finalists in the ‘Youth For Clicks’ competition and the winner of ‘Youth For Bengaluru’, both held in 2014. He then went on to become a skipper at Toehold, a travel and photography company.

Harsha’s photographs of two male tigers engaging in a fierce battle and a slow-motion video of a peacock flying, both shot at Ranthambore National Park, went viral on social media platforms. A spectacular snap, capturing two tiger cubs quenching their thirst at Tadoba Tiger Reserve, was recently featured by Discovery on their social platforms.

Harsha, popularly known as ‘The Catman’ among wildlife photographers, got the title as his mentees believe that travelling with him assures a big cat sighting. One of his mentees, Naveen Venkatesh says, “Catman has been nothing short of being extraordinary. From tracking black panthers to tigers, Harsha has a knack for making the most difficult task as clear as daylight.”

“There is always something to learn from Harsha. He is an amazing cat tracker and an excellent teacher,” says Ranjani Narayanan. She says that with Harsha mentoring her on her trips she comes back with “a bucket load of good images each time.”

Harsha’s extraordinary tracking skills backed with diligent background research regarding big cat locations explains his mentees’ confidence in him.

His extensive knowledge of wildlife along with sound fundamentals of photography engrosses all the participants during their trips.

Although big cats are Harsha’s favourite subject to shoot, he personally enjoys watching the gentle giants as well. He adds that he enjoys photographing anything that is in good light and has a beautiful background.

An image that he cherishes most is that of a tigress quenching her thirst while standing on a small rock in the middle of a water body that was shot at Ranthambore National Park.

“As soon as I saw the scenic landscape and the tigress, I knew it would be an excellent habitat shot and I switched my gears accordingly to achieve it,” he says.

Apart from felines, his social media accounts are full of pictures of a variety of avians, pachyderms, bovines, crocodiles, langurs and more.