As a structural biologist and a photographer, I believe that these two fields are quite the same. During my Ph.D. at Molecular Biophysics Unit in IISc, I was trained as a crystallographer shooting X-ray beams to biological macromolecules. The X-ray, much like what light does in photography, reveals the structure of macromolecules in all glory. In structural biology, certain variation, such as a fold or a motif, makes some of these structures unique and interesting. This “uniqueness” about one structure often generates curiosity and a surge in brainstorming ideas about what that macromolecule might be doing. In photography, shape, pattern, tone, and light are the uniqueness factors that make a few compositions memorable. A well-lit and well-composed photograph conveys mood and messages and hints a story. There are many reasons that I love photography, not the least of which is that photography has an uncanny similarity to my profession.
& family dramas
Many times, my instinct decides what I want to photograph. I photograph subject for what I feel urgency to explore. For example, I am deeply interested in the family moments. It is one of the recurring topics in my photography. I love both the familiar overture and the complex and subjective idea at its core. I also realize that these photographs allow different points of entry for viewers and reveal themselves at many levels.
I shot this mom and baby gorilla photograph in a safari park. It was a lot of fun just to watch the mother and the baby gorilla cuddling with each other. I was shooting for the entire time as they were communicating love and affection to each other. This photograph is one of my favorite. To me, the coziness between them speaks about the universal nature of this relationship.
I photographed those swallow chicks at Yellowstone national park. We spotted the swallows quite unexpectedly and found out that they were nesting in a nearby dead tree. I immediately noticed how hungry the chicks are and how crazy they behave at the prospect of one the parents returning with foods. As tree swallows are really swift flyer it was challenging to capture them in the same frame with the chicks. I consider myself lucky to be able to document this.
About the Author
Koustav Maity obtained his Ph.D. in Structural Biology from IISc and pursuing his postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego. His current research efforts are focused on developing new strategies to characterize membrane proteins. Besides science, he enjoys photography. His photographs have featured in National Geographic, Outdoor photographer, National park services and Share the experience. He received Share the experience award for the best wildlife photograph of the year 2014. His photographs were exhibited and awarded at San Diego County fair.
You can reach Koustav at maityk[at]gmail.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koustav-maity-792588b3
To see some of his photographs please visit
National Geographic your shot: http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/800576/
Viewbug: http://www.viewbug.com/member/maityk
This work by ClubSciWri is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
