Photography As Art

Across the world fine art is taking huge strides towards the goal of stimulating and influencing public opinion in favour of nature conservation. Shaaz Jung, a talented young Indian wildlife photographer, is a pioneer in this field, and he uses his wildlife photographs, enhanced by digital imagery, to augment their impact. In his view, this will bring in new pools of support from artists whose creativity could help turn the tide, by attracting hitherto untapped potential for the critical task of saving our vanishing wilds.

- Shaaz Jung

Traditionally, Sanctuary has always insisted that wildlife images be kept true to what the photographer sees through the lens. That is still our hard position where entries for our annual Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards are concerned. Nevertheless, we have always recognised the potential of fine art as a conservation tool, and here we invited Shaaz Jung, a talented, young wildlife photographer, to share with readers his work, which leverages photographic images by turning them into works of fine art. The rest we leave for the artist to communicate.

With these artistic edits, I aim to magnify the withering world we live in by adding the elements of fading mist and transient clouds. The jungle is full of mystery and as a wildlife photographer, I believe it is my duty to tread these corridors ethically and capture the magic of the wilderness/forest in a visually powerful and unique way. That will always be who I am.

Photography is undoubtedly a very powerful tool, but I also want to evoke emotion and thoughts by depicting images in a more freewheeling, artistic form. I began experimenting with original images and am now convinced that by portraying photography as art, I can add dimension and strength to conservation communications, by bringing a new set of people into the arena to help signify the beauty of the vanishing world we live in.