Meet Amish Chhagan | Moment Creator & Wildlife and Conservation Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amish Chhagan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amish, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?

These days the vocation that absorbs most of my time is photography, specifically around wildlife and conservation. I have been honing down on my creative passion over the past few years and decided it was time to take the leap into the creative world full time – one in which I can showcase the beauty of the natural world and its habitants, as well as bring forth awareness of the importance of its existence, the destructive human impact and conservation. 

Over the years of hopping between concrete and savannahs, it has become painfully obvious how human exploits are diminishing the beauty of wildlife ecosystems with each passing day. It is unfortunate that this entire sophisticated network is at the mercy of us and our actions. As animal populations decrease in the hundreds of thousands along with their natural habitat, it is glaringly obvious the support required in both restoration and conservation efforts.

My role as a wildlife photographer exists because there are beautiful and spectacular moments to capture in the wild, but therein exists an important duty to the preservation and conservation of the wilderness and its natural habitat. This gives me a bigger sense of responsibility as a human and photographer to use my work to showcase the beauty of the once abundant wildlife we had on the planet. 

The medium of photography is an extremely powerful tool in conservation – it provides a visual voice. Change and action rarely originate from technical white papers and donation requests – sure these can make a difference. But I think real change it comes from a much deeper emotional connection, a profound sense of empathy and compassion – one with nature and one with an understanding of the impact we have had on this planet that not only threatens the wild and its natural habitat, but our very future existence. Photography evokes this in through its visual narrative and storytelling and I will continue to do all I can to support the most impactful causes and organisations in conservation and preservation.

The creativity and the art of photography combined with wildlife hooked me into the space, but therein opened a whole new world in creating impact that is purpose driven through my work in conservation. So, this not only gives me a personal agenda, but also a global one. It is one thing to focus and spend your time doing something you are passion about and that excites you – it’s yet another level to do something that also has great potential to create impact and make a difference in the world. I’ve found a purpose. 

This is not a business for me, it is part of a revolution to protect the planet and its wildlife inhabitants using the most powerful weapon I own – my camera.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Growing up in Zambia had its unique charms. We had to be creative to find entertainment outside school hours and a lot of that time was spent exploring the outdoors. I was fortunate to be in close proximity to the African flora and fauna and had numerous opportunities of being in total wilderness and spending time with our precious wild friends.

Between the semi-metropolitan city and spending time in complete wilderness, I appreciated the glaring contrasts at a young age; ecological, physical, visual, but mental as well. The serenity of these vast lands and the excitement of spotting wildlife often transpired within me; even more so when I found photography (or when photography found me).

Photography, like most great things in life, came by chance. I experimented with my father’s film camera, but the expense of buying film and the development was a bit much. There were only two stores in town that had the ability to develop film – and they were not cheap. Fast forward to me living in London, my interest in photography afforded me a basic Nikon DSLR. It was a massive upgrade to the string of compact digital cameras I was used to. I wanted to rekindle with a creative hobby, especially as I found myself spending most of my time working or thinking about my day job.

My first trip to Masai Mara some years back quickly narrowed down the type of photography that spoke to me; a new telephoto lens may have had something to do with it! The sheer density of the wildlife was astounding for me; each day seemed more exciting than the last. As I sat outside my tent on the first evening and went through the hundreds of photos I had taken in the day, my adrenaline spiked, and I felt this overwhelming excitement as it took me back to that very moment of making the photo. It happened again a month later whilst I was post-processing images from that trip – I was hooked. It was a convergence point for me that connected wildlife and photography, and with time the underrated importance of conservation. The pieces of my creative puzzle fell together nicely.

I think one of the areas I am most proud of is taking the leap to pursue this creative passion full time. I have found a purpose, a mission and a vocation that brings my creative passion alive, that contributes to making a difference in the world and one that I can share. Being in the field with my camera puts me in a state of flow, presence and connected to nature – in a word, meditative. I come from a finance and consulting background so there is an element of this I bring forth in how I approach this vocation to make a living from.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

As amazing as this journey has been for me thus far, my support network has been remarkable. My wife and family have been an incredible pillar in supporting my creative journey. My friends and fellow photographers have been amazing in raising awareness and guidance in what can only be described as a chaotic world.

I think one of the most surprising things I found is that how everyone in the field is so supportive and happy to share their experiences and even collaborate. Maybe I am still quite early in career to make this conclusive, for the most part fellow photographers are happy to give some time to have a conversation with you. So, a big shoutout of gratitude to the community. Thank you to all, you know who you are!

There are several organisations that have provided me with great exposure to showcase some of my work such as GEO Magazine, World Photography Organisation, Mara Elephant Project, Wilderness Safaris, Nkwazi Magazine and NatGeo Your Shot.

Website: https://www.chagsphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chags.photography/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amishchhagan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chagsphoto

Facebook: https://facebook.com/chags.photography

Image Credits
Profile photo (me with rhino in the background) – Gurcharan Roopra