A woman wildlife photographer is a rarity, an unconventional choice of profession some may say. But Nisha Purushothaman, one of India’s few women wildlife photographers disagrees, “There are women in this field. There are challenges like climbing a tree to get a shot, which may be easier for a man. Walking through forests for long, carrying equipment that weighs around 10 kilos is also not easy. Being physically strong helps. But, so far, I haven’t faced any difficulties because I am a woman.” This graduate of College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, made her introduction to photography as a student of Applied Arts. The passion led the Dubai-based photographer to form a photo tour company ‘YNot Escapades’, with three friends. She is also involved in a conservation project, ‘Shades of Life’. One of her images was shortlisted for this year’s BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, it was selected from over 80,000 plus entries from 89 countries; her images have been published six times in National Geographic in the wild bird photography section, and once in the daily dozen section. Her works have also been featured in several other magazines and websites.

What got you started as a wildlife photographer?

I was born and brought up in Paravur (Kollam), which helped me connect with nature. When I started travelling alone most of these trips were to explore the wilderness of nature. One of our seniors in college, and a good friend, Sabu Sivan, was my first guru who gave me the basic tips of photography. I love travelling, and after college I started carrying a camera with me wherever I went. When I moved to Dubai to work for an advertising agency as a project manager taking care of their digital wing, I was introduced to a group called Shutter Bugs Creative Forum led by Arfan who works in the Dubai Health Authority, a hardcore photographer with 30 years of experience in the field. It was during this time that I got addicted to photography. A slow and steady move… Dubai has many restrictions on street or people photography. This was one reason which drew me closer to birds and nature.