An Interview With Shaaz Jung

What To Expect From This Interview:

I think Shaaz is one of the most creative & poetic photographers around at the moment & I am constantly in awe of the images he creates whether from the forests of Kabini or the Serengeti plains. It’s been wonderful to get to know & work him over the last few years, especially on “The Real Black Leopard” project for National Geographic.

In my interview with him I ask him what it was like when he first saw Saya, how his unique photography style has evolved & how Covid has had an impact both on animal behaviour but also the communities around Kabini that co-exist with wildlife & tourism. Shaaz is also someone who is constantly pushing his creativity & I ask him what he is focused on in the future.

Shaaz we first came into contact in 2018 through the making of “The Real Black Panther” for National Geographic & you have done more than any photographer to bring awareness to Saya. However, your journey with the Panther started years earlier. What was it like when you first saw Saya & do you still get the same thrill? 

Having spent years documenting wildlife in Nagarhole, I never imagined I’d be telling the story of a melanistic leopard. 

In 2015 we started to hear whispers in the forest of a melanistic leopard being seen. Fleeting glimpses that were shrugged off as rumors at first, until the day he climbed a tree and was finally photographed. I spent the next year looking for him but was unsuccessful in my many attempts. He was young, he hadn’t established his territory yet and was near impossible to track down, but all of that changed in the dry season of 2016; the Summer of Saya. That was one of the hottest summers we’ve had, and water was scarce. The only source of water that year was in the safari zone and once Saya quenched his first thirst at that waterhole, he never left. We call it ‘The Great Thirst’ and that was where it all began. He soon challenged the resident males and began to establish his territory by luring all their females. Over the next couple of years, Saya had become a dominant force. He had multiple litters and mastered the art of owning this forest. 

It’s been an incredible journey, to intimately document the life of a melanistic leopard who defied the odds of natural selection, by thriving in a deciduous forest where he doesn’t belong. Every time I see Saya, I’m reminded of how blessed I am, to have this phenomenal opportunity to understand this rare genetic mutation that makes this animal so rare and enigmatic.  

More than any other photographer around today I think you combine photography & writing to a real art form. You have a soul of a poet but also an incredible eye- how has your style evolved over the years? And how has it helped push your conservation message?

Photography is a personal journey of self-discovery that reflects how we see the world around us. This ever-changing world requires us to constantly adapt, as it slowly shapes who we are. As a photographer, I see myself as an explorer on a visual quest to help uncover the beauty of the natural world, in the hope that I discover who I truly am. The more I explore, the more I learn and with greater learning comes a deeper understanding of my work. This evolution has helped me understand the importance of telling a compelling story with my photographs. The art of storytelling has played a significant role in how I document my surroundings with my camera. It isn’t just about taking a picture, it’s about relishing life, immortalizing moments, and inspiring people, in the hope that it creates awareness and sparks the right change. 

You have over 1 Million followers on Instagram & you have also recently launched a YouTube channel. What was your reason for launching the channel & if you had any tips for how a photographer can use social media effectively what would you say?

Today, social media enables us to showcase our work to millions of people. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube, allows me to be a part of a like-minded community that enhances my learning. Having said that, it’s important to harness the powers of social media in the right way. We live in a digital world, controlled by likes and algorithms, where quantity is often prioritized over quality. In a sea of photographs online, it’s easy to get lost and my advice to young and budding photographers on social media is to value you work and be unique. Wildlife photography on the internet today is over-saturated and it’s getting increasingly difficult to stand out, but don’t be discouraged by this. Don’t conform or get enslaved by the algorithms. Stay oblivious to the numbers and use the camera to tell a compelling story. Your story is unique, your story matters and no one tells it better than yourself. 

I can testament to the fact that Kabini is one of the most beautiful & magical forests with Tigers, Leopards, Elephants, Langurs & so many other animals co-existing together- has Covid had any impact on the forest and have you observed any changes to animal behavior? 

The impact Covid has had on so many lives, both human and animal, has been devastating. It’s important we learn from it and emerge from this pandemic as a wiser race. We live in the age of conflict, where there is an undeniable imbalance between nature and us and Covid has helped shed light on it. 

Sadly, we have created a world where many endangered species are now dependent on us for their protection. Animals that are highly adaptable, like Coyotes and Wild Boar, will thrive in the absence of humans. Those that are dependent on a particular habitat to survive and cannot adapt elsewhere, like Rhinos and Tigers, face serious dangers as they are highly dependent on humans to protect their habitat. Over the past two years, protected areas in India and Africa have seen an increase in poaching and smuggling. The impact of Coronavirus has led to massive losses in the tourism industry, which helps fund conservation efforts. Lockdowns have led to a rise in unemployment and donations and funds are drying up. This poses a serious threat to wildlife. Ecotourism is a tool for conservation, economic development and environmental protection and as we return to some semblance of normalcy, I hope to see critical habitats being restored through tourism. 

Fortunately, local wildlife tourism in India is booming and forests like Nagarhole have a steady flow of visitors that has helped retain the socioeconomic benefits of tourism in the area. 

Finally, you continue to push yourself creatively as you have also been developing your cinematography skills- what do you want to focus on in the next few years?

Photography and cinematography have helped expand my creative and storytelling abilities. Using visual imagery to tell a powerful story, in the hope that it educates and inspires people, is what I love doing most. I’m very passionate about writing and I want to focus more on scripting films and publishing books. I am currently writing two books and I hope to publish them soon. 

All of the above can be considered a conscious effort towards the protection of a habitat or species through creating awareness however, over the next few years, I would also like to dedicate more time towards conservation. The word ‘conservationist’ is thrown around today with reckless abandon. Most wildlife photographers believe they are conservationists and that’s not entirely true. Conservation is about formulating new policies, mitigating conflict, working with the locals, scientific research and so much more. This is something I would like to pursue in the years to come. 

Collections

A series of photographic work, exploring wildlife from around the world. View the full collection here.

Available Prints

My top prints are available to purchase as limited edition runs of only 25 and 15 between 30” and 60” prints. View a selection below or the full collection here.

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