From Clicking in Farms to Winning Awards, the India's Youngest Wildlife Photographer

Eyeing the most prestigious award for the field one is interested in is a dream that every professional has. For those hundreds who walk thousands of miles, sometimes even barefoot in search of a perfect shot in the uncertainty of the forests, the 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' is a far-sighted goal that they keep their eyes on. Talking about the brave and enthusiastic wildlife photographers, their work remains challenging on all fronts. So, could India ever expect a 10-year-old boy to win this prestigious award in London? Whether or not it could, the title was brought home last year with Vihaan Talya Vikas winning it. 

According to the reports, it was in the year 1964 that this competition started. In no time, it was declared the "Oscars" for wildlife photographers. The reports also suggest that in 1984, London's Natural History Museum had to be flooded with hundreds of jiffy bags - each of which contained a picture to be submitted for the competition. Vihaan Talya Vikas won the 2023 competition - all credit to his photo of a spider along with Krishna’s carving that made him bag the award. The picture showcases an ornamental tree trunk spider aiming to prevent its prey from escaping, while a carving of Lord Krishna is also visible in the frame.

Belonging to Bengaluru, he was inspired by his father's passion for wildlife photography. He took the image in the outskirts of Bengaluru city and put it for a competition that had seen more than 50,000 images from 95 countries in various categories. Out of all, 100 were considered for the competitions and 11 were finalised for the different categories in which Vihaan won the under-10 category award.

Reportedly, Vihaan's family was going through the tamarind grove at Nalluru when they stopped by the Gopalaswamy Temple to admire the carvings of Lord Krishna. Vihaan had mentioned that it was then he saw the spider and went to click. He took more than 200 pictures there. it was a cloudy day and Vihaan wanted to click the moment when the sunlight fell on Lord Krishna and one of such photos helped him decide the final click to send to the competition.

The competition this year saw submissions from 95 countries in different categories. A total of 50,000 images were submitted, out of which the top 100 were considered for the competition and 11 were chosen in different categories, with Vihaan winning the under-10 category award.

Vihaan, who studies at Kumarans School, started with photography at the age of 7, under the guidance of his father. He found his father's farm in Basavani village, which lay against the backdrop of the Western Ghats, a sanctuary to discover. Vihaan started photography when his father handed over his old DSLR camera to him.

Vihaan travelled to various places with his father where he could discover his passion for wildlife photography and has various beautiful clicks to his credit. As we browse through his pictures, some of them fascinate us with their detailing. Be it the cicada exoskeleton with a raindrop on it, a flying egret Bhadra backwaters, or the exquisite sunrise clicked at the Malyavantha sunrise point at Hampi in Karnataka, the pictures offer stunning perspective through the subjects captured.