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Vishnu Gopal, an Indian expatriate, is a master craftsman with the lens. A look at his photos captured from the wildlife leaves one just mesmerized. With the absolutely high-quality pictures that he’s known to churn out, it comes across as a surprise that he is a mechanical engineer by education, and is working as a country sales manager with a company right now.
It’s all about passion for the creative geniuses, they say. Vishnu developed his passion for photography after he started his career in Qatar. He was lucky to have a mentor in Dileep Anthikad who guided him and helped him realise his potential as a shutterbug.
Vishnu has had a deep interest in painting from his early childhood and was an active member of different art clubs while he was a student. Most of his paintings included Nature, the love for which is not new to him. Later, his artistic interests turned to Nature and wildlife photography.
Since arriving in Qatar some 12 years ago, Vishnu has traversed several unexplored places in Qatar especially in search of wildlife. He found a lot many locations in Qatar with good flora and fauna, and, of course, a large number of migratory birds.
More than 3 billion birds fly from Europe and Siberia to Africa between September and April and one-third of them choose to stay in Qatar for a while. Qatar, it must be noted, attracts a large number of migratory birds who consider it to be a spot for temporary shelter and breeding. This helped Vishnu immensely in developing and fine tuning his passion for bird photography.
Images clicked by Vishnu have helped popularize Qatar as a wildlife destination that is not too small as many think and many are still to explored. Qatar has rich archives -- official and unofficial -- but the images captured by Vishunu and his team members fill with joy the hearts of people looking to explore wildlife in Qatar.
“I am more into bird photography and I explore Qatar’s wildlife especially during winters because Qatar serves as a temporary shelter for many migratory birds during this season,” says Vishnu.
“With the onset of winter, a lot of migratory birds arrive at Qatar’s beaches and water bodies and different varieties of birds can be spotted at locations such as Al Khor, Abu Nakhla, Al Karana and the South-West region of Qatar.
“The migratory birds flock to Qatar during the months between September and October and they return at the onset of February. There are different spots in Qatar where we can find birds like Northern Lapwing, European Roller, Blue Throat, White-throated Robin, Eurasian Hobby and Pacific Golden Plover during this season.
“I explore during the migratory season to capture the beauty of the winged visitors and every season is a new experience.”
In 2015, he decided to form a group for photography enthusiasts from India in Qatar and founded Photography Malayalam Qatar (PMQ) with nearly 10 members. The core motive of the group was to train photography lovers and give them a space to showcase their talents in the field of photography. Now it has more than 1,500 members and is active on various social media platforms. These shutterbugs travel to different places to find the best frames. Group members mainly travel to Africa, especially Kenya, which is a great wildlife destination. The group has travelled to Kenya more than three times and to many other wildlife-rich places as part of PMQ activities.
The group members are sent to different locations with professional mentors who groom them to capture the best moments without losing their life and essence. PMQ members travel every year and the group conducts workshops to help the passionate members to develop their photography skills.
Earlier, the group membership was open only to Indian members but now it has members from different parts of the world.
PMQ helps people to develop their skills in different areas of photography including astro photography, street photography, light painting and so on. The members are sent to the streets in Qatar with a mentor, especially during the winter season, to train them on various aspects of street photography.
In the past few years, PMQ has conducted more than 10 photo exhibitions at different locations in Qatar promoting the cultures of India and Qatar. A recent exhibition was held in collaboration with the Lulu Group where more than 75 PMQ members showcased around 108 breathtaking photos captured by them. The exhibition lasted for more than 10 days on public demand.
As a part of creating environmental awareness, Vishnu along with other group members, regularly conducts seminars and photo exhibitions on wildlife photography. As a result, most members of the group have a good collection of wildlife photos captured in Qatar which is a valuable contribution to Qatar’s wildlife archives.
The group conducts different photography competitions for its members. Group members have also won prizes in various competitions held outside of the group.
PMQ often collaborates with world’s leading brandssuch as Canon, Nikon and Sony to hold product training, workshops and photo works for the group members.
PMQ is now starting a new venture with the ICC (Indian Cultural Centre) Photography Club exclusively for Indians who are passionate about photography. Preparations are in the execution stage and the club is set to be launched by the end of this month (January 2022).
“The mission of this initiative is to train photography enthusiasts in Qatar providing materials and good training under professionals. The training will be free of cost and I hope this will help people to develop interest and unmatched skills in budding photographers,” said Vishnu, who is also the vice president of the ICC Photography Club.
Vishnu’s passion is driven by his roots in India and he is active in all the activities of Photomuse, a photography museum located in the southern state of Kerala in India. Vishnu actively works for the betterment of the Photomuse community and also conducts events in Qatar bringing skilled photography mentors from the community to train the photographers in Qatar.
Vishnu has worked in the past as the Photo Desk Editor of ‘Koode’, an Indian magazine in Qatar.
PMQ, in collaboration with Koode, has conducted a range of environmental activities including beach cleaning and providing a favourable living condition for the wildlife in Qatar.
Being a wildlife photographer, Vishnu has travelled to many places such as Botswana, Indonesia, Serbia, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and various other places and has captured mesmerizing shots that are an absolute bliss for the eyes.
“I was able to discover different aspects and beauty of wildlife. The biggest challenge being a wildlife photographer is to have patience. Understanding the behaviour of each animal and capturing it on camera requires good patience and observation skills. It takes days to capture the intended expressions in the right way but the animal world is a storehouse of wonders. It is a great privilege to know and observe them very closely and explore the world of animals through lens,” Vishnu pointed out.
Vishnu’s photos have won prizes in different prestigious photography competitions in Qatar including Lusail Photography Competition and Katara Photography Exhibition, where hundreds of photographers participated from different parts of the world.
It’s all about passion for the creative geniuses, they say. Vishnu developed his passion for photography after he started his career in Qatar. He was lucky to have a mentor in Dileep Anthikad who guided him and helped him realise his potential as a shutterbug.
Vishnu has had a deep interest in painting from his early childhood and was an active member of different art clubs while he was a student. Most of his paintings included Nature, the love for which is not new to him. Later, his artistic interests turned to Nature and wildlife photography.
Since arriving in Qatar some 12 years ago, Vishnu has traversed several unexplored places in Qatar especially in search of wildlife. He found a lot many locations in Qatar with good flora and fauna, and, of course, a large number of migratory birds.
More than 3 billion birds fly from Europe and Siberia to Africa between September and April and one-third of them choose to stay in Qatar for a while. Qatar, it must be noted, attracts a large number of migratory birds who consider it to be a spot for temporary shelter and breeding. This helped Vishnu immensely in developing and fine tuning his passion for bird photography.
Images clicked by Vishnu have helped popularize Qatar as a wildlife destination that is not too small as many think and many are still to explored. Qatar has rich archives -- official and unofficial -- but the images captured by Vishunu and his team members fill with joy the hearts of people looking to explore wildlife in Qatar.
“I am more into bird photography and I explore Qatar’s wildlife especially during winters because Qatar serves as a temporary shelter for many migratory birds during this season,” says Vishnu.
“With the onset of winter, a lot of migratory birds arrive at Qatar’s beaches and water bodies and different varieties of birds can be spotted at locations such as Al Khor, Abu Nakhla, Al Karana and the South-West region of Qatar.
“The migratory birds flock to Qatar during the months between September and October and they return at the onset of February. There are different spots in Qatar where we can find birds like Northern Lapwing, European Roller, Blue Throat, White-throated Robin, Eurasian Hobby and Pacific Golden Plover during this season.
“I explore during the migratory season to capture the beauty of the winged visitors and every season is a new experience.”
In 2015, he decided to form a group for photography enthusiasts from India in Qatar and founded Photography Malayalam Qatar (PMQ) with nearly 10 members. The core motive of the group was to train photography lovers and give them a space to showcase their talents in the field of photography. Now it has more than 1,500 members and is active on various social media platforms. These shutterbugs travel to different places to find the best frames. Group members mainly travel to Africa, especially Kenya, which is a great wildlife destination. The group has travelled to Kenya more than three times and to many other wildlife-rich places as part of PMQ activities.
The group members are sent to different locations with professional mentors who groom them to capture the best moments without losing their life and essence. PMQ members travel every year and the group conducts workshops to help the passionate members to develop their photography skills.
Earlier, the group membership was open only to Indian members but now it has members from different parts of the world.
PMQ helps people to develop their skills in different areas of photography including astro photography, street photography, light painting and so on. The members are sent to the streets in Qatar with a mentor, especially during the winter season, to train them on various aspects of street photography.
In the past few years, PMQ has conducted more than 10 photo exhibitions at different locations in Qatar promoting the cultures of India and Qatar. A recent exhibition was held in collaboration with the Lulu Group where more than 75 PMQ members showcased around 108 breathtaking photos captured by them. The exhibition lasted for more than 10 days on public demand.
As a part of creating environmental awareness, Vishnu along with other group members, regularly conducts seminars and photo exhibitions on wildlife photography. As a result, most members of the group have a good collection of wildlife photos captured in Qatar which is a valuable contribution to Qatar’s wildlife archives.
The group conducts different photography competitions for its members. Group members have also won prizes in various competitions held outside of the group.
PMQ often collaborates with world’s leading brandssuch as Canon, Nikon and Sony to hold product training, workshops and photo works for the group members.
PMQ is now starting a new venture with the ICC (Indian Cultural Centre) Photography Club exclusively for Indians who are passionate about photography. Preparations are in the execution stage and the club is set to be launched by the end of this month (January 2022).
“The mission of this initiative is to train photography enthusiasts in Qatar providing materials and good training under professionals. The training will be free of cost and I hope this will help people to develop interest and unmatched skills in budding photographers,” said Vishnu, who is also the vice president of the ICC Photography Club.
Vishnu’s passion is driven by his roots in India and he is active in all the activities of Photomuse, a photography museum located in the southern state of Kerala in India. Vishnu actively works for the betterment of the Photomuse community and also conducts events in Qatar bringing skilled photography mentors from the community to train the photographers in Qatar.
Vishnu has worked in the past as the Photo Desk Editor of ‘Koode’, an Indian magazine in Qatar.
PMQ, in collaboration with Koode, has conducted a range of environmental activities including beach cleaning and providing a favourable living condition for the wildlife in Qatar.
Being a wildlife photographer, Vishnu has travelled to many places such as Botswana, Indonesia, Serbia, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and various other places and has captured mesmerizing shots that are an absolute bliss for the eyes.
“I was able to discover different aspects and beauty of wildlife. The biggest challenge being a wildlife photographer is to have patience. Understanding the behaviour of each animal and capturing it on camera requires good patience and observation skills. It takes days to capture the intended expressions in the right way but the animal world is a storehouse of wonders. It is a great privilege to know and observe them very closely and explore the world of animals through lens,” Vishnu pointed out.
Vishnu’s photos have won prizes in different prestigious photography competitions in Qatar including Lusail Photography Competition and Katara Photography Exhibition, where hundreds of photographers participated from different parts of the world.
