The lens the eye the moving perspective

Far away, as the sun rises on the plains of Chobe National Park, Northern Botswana, a male lion sits watching over its pride, calm and relaxed. In a sudden movement so unexpected he yawns, showing off his powerful jaws and then swiftly the moment passes, but not for Architect Roghithan Ratnam, who has caught that moment in a single perfect frame. The pride, the previous night, had killed an elephant adjacent to a body of water. A cub ventures out to the kill, watching his mother closely, learning the ropes of surviving in the wilderness of Botswana. 

It is the ability to observe and capture into a single frame nature in its most raw setting that is enjoyed by Roghithan Ratnam or Rocky as he is known by most. Passionate about photography from his childhood he pursues his hobby keenly.  Upon completing his education in architecture, at the University of Moratuwa, he continued to gain experience by photo documenting architecture and landscape through travel and projects. A decision to move to Botswana, and to continue his Architectural practice opened the opportunity to explore the African continent through the lens while maintaining his hobby as an integral part of his life. His profession has enabled him to travel for work within Botswana and some of the remote architectural sites are in close proximity to the famed game reserves which provided the perfect opportunity to combine work and play. 

Rocky enjoys the long drives to sites located closer to the reserves as here he finds the time to unwind and reflect on how as a young boy in his home town of Jaffna, he would be seldom seen without a camera, much like the present day. This habit has ensured that he is always prepared to capture the perfect moment when the chance allows it. 

Botswana is over shadowed by the limitlessness of the land density and wild around it, the perfect place for an architect with a serious passion for the great outdoors.  Botswana, a land-locked country in southern Africa, shares borders with Zimbabwe to the east, Zambia to the north, and Namibia to the west South Africa. The Kalahari Desert covers northern Botswana, with famed game reserves such as Chobe National Park and Moremi National Park in the Okavango Delta, and the Central Kalahari Game reserve. 

Places like this embrace a sense of magic cultivated by the vastness of the bush, and a stillness that creeps through the tall grass and blows with the wind along the dusty planes.  Captivated by the call of the outdoors Rocky, whenever possible, adds a few extra days to his site visits and when all work is complete he escapes into a reserve or park where he will unwind, be engulfed by nature, and is ready to take out his camera to patiently find the perfect moments to make still and capture in his photographs. 

A single shot shows so much detail, a cub venturing and learning from his mother to vigilantly eat fresh kill. This unpredictability makes it more of an enjoyment for the photographer.

The very essence of National Conservation Policies is based on the philosophy of “low Volume, high value” where the key fundamentals being to avoid mass tourism and to maintain an exclusive quality product. This philosophy is clearly visible in the context of the National parks and Game reserves, as the culture within these areas strive to maintain a natural habitat with opportunities of glimpsing the wildlife in an original setting true to nature as possible. The observation of this culture within the reserves has assisted with the subject of Rocky’s photography, a component he takes into consideration when framing the landscape and subject. Most of his captures tries to frame the culture that is encouraged within the parks where less volume of tourists have enabled the subject to be viewed in its habitat without reacting to outside presence. It is all about the wait, the patience and the right opportunity to freeze a moment that tells a story of the subject in its setting. 

It is hard to say if it is the photography or the wildlife for which Rocky holds a greater passion for.
 

On one such venture, this proved worth every moment as it resulted in a stunning sighting of a pride of lions who had killed an elephant and was enjoying their well-won victory along a body of water. A single shot shows so much detail, a cub venturing and learning from his mother to vigilantly eat the fresh kill. It is this unpredictability that makes the photography so much more of an enjoyment to him as he is able to watch these majestic predators in their most natural setting.