Keeping a pace with horses

KOCHI: Have you ever tried to take a close photograph of an animal without interrupting its movement? A perfect shot owing to an appropriate ambience. But this Kochi-based equine photography artist Radhesh Rajappan has taken many attractive photographs of horses and has been continuously researching on them.
For Radhesh, photography is his passion and being specialised in equine photography, this artist knows how to take the perfect picture in a frame. He has a fascination for horses. He loves them and intends to show it in his photography. “I was always attracted to horses from my childhood days and so my mentor told me to specialise in one thing. That’s how I directed myself to the field of photography where I chose horse as my subject,” said Radhesh.

It has been two to three years since he has been working on this subject. It was not an easy task as photographs could only be taken without disturbing the animal’s movement but he has taken some of the best pictures of horses. “ I used to spend one whole day with the horses so that I could capture some of the best pictures. For this, we need to take a lot of photographs continuously,” he said.

The art of photographing an animal is very different from that of capturing a normal picture. To take a perfect shot, a relaxed ambience should be created. The artist shares how exciting it was for him when he intially started capturing even the slightest movements made by the animal. He aspires to create an individual mark with his preferred subject working alone and introspecting deeply on famous polo ponies, Arabian stallions, thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses. Whether it is a stallion, mare, colt or filly, pony; whether they are for equestrian, dressage, racing, polo or just showmanship, Radhesh shows his connect with his subject. For him, it is the elements of grace, beauty and spirit of horses that make him closer to them.  A series of images titled, ‘Mitra - The Companion’, which is an ongoing project was showcased in his exhibition ‘Land and Life’.

“This is the first time I am exhibiting all my works together. There are 20 photographs of horses I have displayed in this exhibition,” said Radhesh. He has been awarded the Associateship of the Image Colleague Society International, California and the Associateship of Photographic Society of New Jersey, USA. He is a member of the Shutter Bugs Creative Forum in Dubai and has exhibited his images in Dubai Art Fair, 2015, Photography LIVE Dubai in 2016 and 2017. Currently, he is a resident in Bahrain working in the hospitality sector.