“God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things.” - Pablo Picasso
I came across this quote when re-reading “Mother of God” by Paul Rosolie and have been pondering over it for a while. How can I accurately capture the art in wildlife?
This line of thought reminded me of the work of Frans Lanting, where he shot close-ups of wildlife. Whether it was a jaguar or a bird, he zoomed right in, focusing on the texture of the animal. (This inspired a blog post of mine, which you can read here).
These images make the body appear like a landscape to me. And so I thought, “what if I approached my wildlife photography like how one would approach shooting landscapes?” It would require a different skill set and a different vision for the final image. Enthused by this idea, I began to shoot these animals differently.
Ultimately this has culminated in my project - Wildscapes. Here I compiled my work into projects, each focused on a particular animal. Currently, I have photo stories on the elephant and the spotted deer.
I see enormous potential for this project. Therefore, I will continue to shoot for it, adding more images and projects as I create them!
Update
Write of Passage ended this week.
For the past 5 weeks, I’ve been attending a live online course that teaches you how to write on the internet and attract all kinds of professional and personal opportunities. It showed me how to build a writing habit and information capture system. It taught me how to refine my thinking through writing and connect with like-minded people. It showed me the power of my story, and how to use it to build my personal monopoly.
[If you want to read the issue about Write of Passage, click below]
The course is organised by David Perell; a prolific online writer, who used the internet to amass an enormous following. Now he coaches other in doing the same.
I came across David 2 years ago, and have religiously followed him since. I read his newsletter every week, and scroll through his twitter account for interesting ideas around writing and entrepreneurship. Check him out! (He is the reason my newsletter exists in the first place!).
This week, I was featured in my friend Alexandra Allen's newsletter Wednesday Wonders. She writes about teaching online, solopreneurship and a whole lot more. I gain a lot from reading every week, and so I highly recommending signing up!
This Week’s Links
For the past week, I’ve been watching several movie analysis videos on Youtube. Here are some of my favourites.
Transcending Time | Interstellar's Hidden Meaning Behind Love and Time: Interstellar is probably one of my favourite films. It is incredibly well filmed and scored, and has some deep meanings. This video explores the movie’s several themes.
Why Samwise Gamgee is the true hero of the Lord of the Rings: Many think that Frodo Baggins is the hero of the LOTR story, but this video argues otherwise.
Why the music in “How to Train your Dragon” is so memorable: This iconic film of our time has some of the most emotional soundtracks I’ve ever heard (and I study film scores in my free time). This video breaks down why and how this track is so powerful.
Postcard
While roaming through the city of Alappuzha, Kerala, I came across a shop with a variety of bananas. Small and bid, green and yellow (and even red)—you name it. Every conceivable variety of banana hung from the rafters.
Intrigued, I went up and had a small chat with the owner. He turned out to be a sociable man, taking interest in my curiosity. He answered my questions about the bananas, telling me the individual names and characteristics.
His expression here, along with his banana frame, tells the viewer a story. What does it tell you?
Favourite Quote
Today I am going to share a little excerpt from the Lord of the Rings. The characters are on the brink of death when this conversation plays out.
“PIPPIN: I didn't think it would end this way.
GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
PIPPIN: What? Gandalf? See what?
GANDALF: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
PIPPIN: Well, that isn't so bad.
GANDALF: No. No, it isn't.”
Have a great week!
If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.
Great stuff in here, Ishan. Congrats! :)
Your newsletter livens up my inbox, Ishan!