A community of wildlife photographers, naturalists, wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists, Wild Woyages was founded in 2015 to be a platform to showcase photography talent irrespective of whether they are professionals or amateurs. ‘Woyages’ – yes you heard it right! The word “woyages” was chosen purposely with a “W” in the beginning instead of “V” as W stands for wildlife in our “Woyages”.
Inspired after seeing their pictures online, Travelrasoi met up with Wild Woyages to understand more about them, about their functioning and how do they look at the world of photography today –
What was the objective behind finding this community and the website? When was it founded?
The objective behind finding this community Wild Woyages was to provide an opportunity for all wildlife photographers to showcase their talent irrespective of their experience in this domain. It was also created so that we spread knowledge about wildlife and the conservation of wildlife through appreciating natural beauty.
The community was founded in August 2015 with a group of wildlife enthusiasts.
by Charlie Burlingame
How many members have signed in with your community till date?
We have more than 14000 wildlife lovers as part of our community who share their photos with us on a regular basis, through emails, websites and our instagram handle @WildWoyages.
In your opinion, how does a digital platform help budding photographers to showcase their talent?
Digital platforms have a reach which is more than traditional platforms, not to mention the cost which is extremely high in monetary terms. Budding photographers can use this opportunity to instantly reach a lot of individuals online and get in front of the right crowd to themselves get more followers and interact with like-minded individuals.
by Dhanu Paran
In comparison to the rest of the world, how is the industry for photography like in the country? Is photography followed as a serious profession by today’s youth or is it seen just a passion?
The photography is expanding drastically with easily accessible and affordable cameras which are available to everyone unlike a few years ago when only the elite could afford it. However, the costs for good lenses and cameras are still high but there are a lot individuals who use decent cameras and click fantastic pictures. We have seen some incredible pictures sent by skillful photographers who do not use expensive equipment.
It’s not yet seen as a serious profession due to the lack of opportunities in India except for a few handful who have created a niche for themselves. It’s more of a passion for youngsters maybe to look cool with a good camera and add to their skill set.
by Siddharth Singh
What future do you foresee for professional photography in India?
The future definitely looks bright as the adoption of photography has drastically increased in the past few years. But it is all about content, good content which a person generates through their photography.
However, lack of opportunities could create a hindrance to this immense growth.
by Stefano S. Magi
Going forward, how would you continue to encourage new talents in this space through your community and platform? Any other innovations you would be planning to launch?
Our platform is based on the fundamental of promoting new talent in our niche and so we would continue to promote people and their work using our community and encourage them to be a part of our community. We have got a few things lined up which we cannot disclose at the moment but they are sure going to be exciting
by Vishnu Sivanandan
-Travelrasoi
