They document these sporting activities by going all out and capturing images of adventure sport athletes in breathtaking action.

 

Jyothy Karat, who photographed climbers at Mt Zambala in the Siachen Glacier, is one of the few rock-climbing photographers in the country. “I started off by documenting the climbing community in India. We’ve got some incredibly talented climbers and what we are lacking is constant support and infrastructure. Since the sport is making its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, I hope more athletes take it up,” she beams.

  

Apart from skills to capture pictures, rock-climbing photography depends a lot on physical ability. “We need to train hard because sometimes we might be in a place with no one to turn to for help. You need to be strong enough to face any strenuous situation,” says the adventure junkie, who is currently working on a story on the future of climbing in India.

  

Coimbatore boy Jagan Mathew has undertaken documenting several extreme sport projects to promote them.

 

“Different kinds of adventure sports are happening in the country and the scope for extreme sports photography has grown immensely. Though I take pictures of many such events, my favourite would be dirt biking. It was CS Santhosh, an off-road racer, who inspired me to take up dirt biking and documenting it. It really helps when the photographers themselves have a passion for the sport,” Jagan explains.

  

After completing his automobile engineering course, Sreerag KB took up off-roading photography and is one of the most sought-after photographers in this field. “I love off-roading and that’s the only reason I adopted this as my profession. It took me years to get a perfect shot — we need to prepare for different situations like sudden climate changes and injury.” 

Sukesh Viswanath, who specialises in underwater photography, says, “When I am under the water with my camera, I feel like some of my senses are taken away and it becomes purely a visual thing. I experience space with my body. All the movements, colours and textures work seamlessly in this world and it’s just fascinating I can do this all my life.”

Underwater photography is all about passion, persistence and patience. “One needs to be passionate about diving and the ocean itself. You need to perfect the skill of just conducting a safe dive. Patience is the primary rule of staying underwater and even more when you want to get the right shot. It is a slow process where you master the fundamentals, study your subjects and work with them or capture specific behaviours,” the youngster adds.