KOCHI: The desert — endless heaps of sand, oppressive heat, occasional mirages, and the camels meandering across the dunes. But beyond these postcard clichés, lies a hidden world. When he first moved to the UAE as an interior designer, Anish Karingattil always associated the desert with the beautiful imageries he had seen in Hollywood films.
But instead of just rearranging furniture, he soon found himself rearranging his view of the desert — discovering its secret beauty through the lens of his camera, one tiny critter at a time. Growing up in the small village of Valapad in Thrissur, Anish was a person who could spend hours watching butterflies flutter by and fireflies light up the night. But back then, photography was not even on his radar.
It was not until a good friend handed him a camera and said, “You’ve got to try this,” that Anish got hooked. In 2008, he bought his first DSLR camera, after long days of designing interiors, he would head home, camera in hand, and teach himself the ropes by snapping shots and figuring it out — because who needs training when you have determination? “The main reason I started exploring the desert was that it felt like an uncharted territory. The desert has two different vibes — during the day, it’s a calm beauty, but at night that beauty intensifies, and so does the danger.
Almost 95 per cent of the creatures you see at night are packing venom,” he says. It is this risk factor that attracted Anish. He soon started entering the deep desert with one goal — capturing a scorpion at night.
“In the morning, scorpions are hard to find, but at night, you can easily spot them with a UV light. On that journey, I got my first shot of a scorpion with its babies — a super-rare catch. That experience motivated me to keep exploring further,” he smiles.
His adventures led him to dive deep into the world of ‘herping,’ which is all about observing, studying, and photographing reptiles and amphibians in their natural habitats. During the weekdays, Anish dons his corporate attire and plays the role of an interior designer. But come weekends, he transforms into a fearless photographer on a mission to uncover the hidden creatures of the desert — a journey that involves trekking kilometres across the sandy dunes.
Herping is not for the faint of heart, he says. It requires a serious understanding of the potentially dangerous creatures you might encounter, like snakes and other venomous critters. “You can’t just wander into the desert and start snapping photos,” Anish says.
According to him, it’s not just the creatures one has to study — the environment is equally important. “If there’s a full moon, many creatures, like snakes, will stay hidden, fearing other predators. And then there’s the wind.
When you are tracking them, you have to watch the wind. If it’s too strong, the sand will cover their tracks, leaving you blind to what’s lurking beneath. That’s when things get risky, especially with vipers.
They can strike three times their own length, so if you are dealing with a one-meter viper, it could jump three meters in any direction and attack in a split second.” And Anish’s approach includes respect for the wild. “If you do your homework, study their behaviour, places where they hang out, what risks they pose, and take precautions, you can minimise the risk factor.
And then, you can really appreciate the beauty of these incredible creatures,” he explains. The risk doubles when Anish opts for macro photography, which brings him up close and personal with these desert creatures. When Anish started out with macro photography, there were only a few people in the UAE interested in capturing these tiny subjects.
“In wildlife photography, you often have to lug around heavy, expensive gear, but with macro, the equipment is smaller and much easier to carry. Plus, the level of detail you can capture in these tiny creatures sparks people’s curiosity about nature and the world around them. I always ask myself, ‘What can I do differently than others? This thought is the reason behind my journey,” he says.
Taking macro photos is no easy job, especially when focusing on those tiny subjects. “Capturing a small subject in macro is tricky because getting the whole shape in focus can be a real challenge. Not only do you need to ensure the entire creature is sharp, but you also have to capture all its intricate parts in a single shot.
It requires a lot of patience,” Anish says. He has so far achieved numerous awards and honours at national and international competitions. He is a member of the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and has exhibited his work in both UAE and other countries.
Now, he adds, there’s a growing interest in macro photography in the UAE. “I even try to teach those who reach out to me online, sharing tips and techniques.” When Anish returns home for vacation, he’s not the type to just kick back and relax.
In the UAE, if it is the desert, in Kerala, he dives into the forests with the same passion. “Finding new tiny beings and seeing their details through the lens gives me a fresh perspective on life, whether I’m in the desert or the forest,” Anish says..
