Dehradun, 7th August. This date will mark a new milestone in a career spanning two-decades for Dehradun’s own photographer and videographer Pawan Negi. In his late thirties now, Pawan was part of the team of ‘Counting Tiger’s,’ a documentary that will premier on the 7th of August, at 8pm, on National Geographic.
The only one from Uttarakhand to be part of the project, Pawan was handpicked by London-based company Optimum Television. Their debut documentary captures the herculean task of Tiger Census in two of India’s premier Tiger bastions the Dhikala, Motichur Range in Corbett National Park and Chilla Range that falls within the Rajaji Tiger Reserve.
Pawan Negi started off as a cameraman when he fell short of funds to pursue a career in Hotel Management, today he looks back with no regret, “I started my career as a camera assistant with ETV. I then moved to freelancing with Doordarshan. I have been handling cameras for close to two decades now, and have no complaints.”
Pawan worked closely with renowned wildlife experts Dr. YV Jhala of Wildlife Institute of India along with Director Upma Bhatnagar, Producer Manoj Bhatnagar, Cameramen Shivendra Gaur and Sujit Chaurasiya with Dilip Chaudhari on Sound on the documentary.
Working with the professional crew Pawan learnt along the way. He picked up, “new techniques and nuances about wildlife photography, meeting deadlines and sticking to a rigid schedule.”
As India is considered home to the magnificent animal, greatly admired, feared, worshipped and even hunted to decimation, the documentary closely captures Tiger Census that takes place every four years. Efforts made by officials, villagers on the periphery of the Tiger Reserves, forest guards studying tiger pug marks; grass cover, foliage, habitat, prey presence to put an exact number on the presence of the majestic feline is lauded and the umpteen challenges, highlighted in the documentary.
Walking away with the enriching experience, Pawan has made up his mind to explore the potential in wildlife photography for he believes, “Wildlife and Tourism have a lot of potential, and untold stories need to be told.”
