Dhritiman Mukherjee talks about his 15-year-long quest to photograph the Himalayan brown bear, and how not getting the perfect picture taught him valuable lessons
Dhritiman Mukherjee first set out to photograph the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) in 2004. For a fortnight, he trekked with great enthusiasm but had no sighting. For the next 15 years, he made over a dozen similar trips — trekking for weeks in the Tirthan, Pin, Tons, and Sainj Valleys, in pursuit of this elusive bear. It was finally in 2018, that he got his first publishable photograph of the brown bear. But by then that didn’t seem important anymore. What was fascinating was how much he had learned in each of these journeys.
Listen to him speak about how not getting the perfect shot has helped him shape his approach to wildlife photography.
See his photo essay on the Himalayan brown bear here.
About the contributor
Dhritiman Mukherjee
is one of India's most prolific wildlife and conservation photographers. His work has been featured in leading publications. He is also a RoundGlass Ambassador, and an RBS Earth Hero awardee.
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