In his line of work as a wildlife photographer, Sanjitpaal spends much of his time journeying across Malaysian jungles to document rare species.
On many occasions, he also works with his wife Ravinder Kaur, one of the country’s foremost wildlife researchers on hornbills.
For him, there are many variables to consider while preparing for an expedition. Does one have enough water, batteries, food, energy to last the expedition? Is there a mitigation plan in place if something goes wrong?
Well-known conservationists such as the late Australian wildlife educator Steve Irwin, have met their untimely deaths in their line of duty and to the layman, such expeditions seem like a Herculean task meant for those at one with nature and at their peak of fitness.
The award-winning photographer admitted his work does have its mundane moments but there are also surprises on the job every day.
“We wake up at a certain time. We do our prep work. We leave at a certain time and we get to work. Everything is clockwork,” Sanjitpaal told FMT Lifestyle.
Another key aspect of his work is respecting the beliefs of the local indigenous people, who often work as guides on expeditions he goes on.
“We rely a lot on our guides, indigenous people who live and work around the area who we employ. We consider them as part of the crew. Along the line, after working for so many years, we’ve become brothers and sisters, like a very tight-knit, well-oiled machine.
He said that during the expedition, things do get monotonous or repetitive after a while. “That is the most important part of every expedition because the route for any mission to fail is not being able to predict or consider the unexpected.”
As a wildlife photographer, Sanjitpaal said he is always on the lookout for something unexpected. “Sometimes, despite my best effort, I don’t get the shot and then, I’m kicking myself all the way home,” said the 40-year-old.
As he speaks about his work, an expedition does sound more and more like a sting operation, combining skilled planning, hiking, some reading, espionage, and photography.
Instead of stalking a criminal, you are stalking a creature, hoping to capture on film its very presence in its habitat. “For eight to twelve hours a day, I am just focused on a hole in the tree,” quipped Sanjitpaal.
With the narrowing attention span of the modern man, this is no easy feat on top of every other challenge Sanjitpaal faces on the job.
“Some may consider it to be a lot of daydreaming but I’m always trying to visualise the terrain in my expeditions … how I could take the next photo that is going to change this world and our human perspective towards the natural environment,” he said, adding that photography is very different from storytelling in the form of video or audio.
Talking about some highlights in his career, the Kelana Jaya native noted that he has come across Malaysia’s native mountain goat only twice in Peninsular Malaysia.
“For the first time in my career, this year, I’ve seen it twice, in two different states. This is our local mountain goat. I’ve never seen a serow before in my life, so that’s quite a surprise,” he remarked.
The endangered Sumatran serow is known to be a shy and solitary creature found in mountain forests. This increasingly rare species can be found in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and parts of southern Thailand.
It is a ‘vulnerable’ species classified under the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), due to its dwindling numbers.
A protected species under Malaysian law, it is often the target of poachers who hunt the serow for its meat, traditional medicine and for use in witchcraft.
Aspiring to make a difference in the conservation scene, he and his wife founded Xploregaia in 2015, a Malaysian environmental social enterprise dedicated to conservation. Its aim? Saving Malaysia’s endangered hornbills.
Xploregaia previously collaborated with Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur to raise awareness on its work to restore natural cavities and build artificial nest boxes for Helmeted Hornbills in Malaysia, among other things.
Sanjitpaal has also been developing his oeuvre of photographs based on his excursions in the wild, in order to raise funds for conservation projects in Malaysia.
For more information on wildlife photographer Sanjitpaal, visit his website or follow him on Facebook.