Photos from around the world
Lioness and cub in the Mara, Kenya
The Big Buddha, Hong Kong
Shot in Rajasthan, in a small village.
Photos from around the world
Lioness and cub in Kenya
Spiral staircase, Rome
South Africa
Copyright © 2022 Dadu On Safari
I was very fortunate that I was born into a family of photo dealers known as ‘Elite Studios Ltd’. I was 5 years old when my Uncle (Mr. T.S. Mahajan) came back to Nairobi after graduating in Photography from Guildford School of Arts in 1957. My father (Mr. Kartar Singh Arora) owned a renowned grocery store called ‘Atmaram and Son’. From a small space in Atmaram and Son, Elite Studios was born and with it my interest in photography.
Every weekend I would do small errands for my uncle, Mr. T. S. Mahajan and for my 8th birthday I was gifted a ‘Brownie’ (pictured).
.With a big camera around my small frame I would click away and would watch curiously as my uncle developed my film roll. He would then give me some very valued feedback which became my foundation for the photographs I now take.
My first achievement in photography was in Jamhuri High School where I was awarded the ‘best action photograph’ of the year back in 1966. I felt like I’d conquered the world as my photograph featured in the school magazine.
My passion for photography was reignited when at the age of 22 years I became a Second Class Scuba diver. I started taking under water photographs with a Nikonos 35 mm underwater camera where I had the privilege of capturing the beautiful corals and colourful fish of the Indian Ocean.
With the arrival of my 2 boys, my interest naturally shifted to taking family photos with a Topcon SLR camera with various interchangeable lenses and over time. Over time, various video cameras arrived on the scene. Some of you may remember those big bulky VCRs. These cameras captured some treasured moments of the boy’s school days.
In 2015, I visited Asia for the first time. This marked the purchase of my first DSLR camera - a Nikon D5300. It arrived 2 days before I was set to travel and all I did was shoot on green mode (automatic). This was my turning point in photography. No more films, no more developing, no more waiting. I was amazed at how easy it was to review photos and delete them if I wasn’t happy with them.
In 2017, our first little angel arrived - our granddaughter was born. Now I am a Dadu ( fun loving a.k.a. grandfather) to 4 beautiful grandchildren. This brought a wonderful opportunity to capture more precious moments
Through my new lens, I will be sharing some of these moments I have captured on my travels. Africa is a haven for photographers for its variegated landscape and home to the big Five and a hundred different species of birds . I hope to share some of my transformative moments behind the camera, in the wild , and what contribute to make a part of who am I today . I recently travelled to Maldives and have taken pictures of the great reefs and marine life . It is my hope that you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed taking them.