An interview with the wild nature photographer Pathik Patel by Aneliya Angelcheva
Urbanisation is a worldwide trend in the 21st century. The rapid globalization results in more build-up area leading to deforestation. According to a recent global assessment (FAO 2006) forests cover 30% of the total land area of the world while the total forest area in 2005 was around 4 billion hectares. When destroying the forests, we destroy the only home of many animal and plant species. Deforestation has caused the green zones of the planet to shrink, which has resulted in loss of habitat for several animal species over the last 100 years. Thus several animal species have become extinct by human activities including Arabian Ostrich, Tasmanian Wolf, Bali Tiger, Barbary Lion, Caspian Tiger, Japanese Sea Lion, Javan Tiger, etc.
This long list of extinct animals in the last 100 years can be traced to human activity. The IUCN list of endangered animals is also growing longer with time. The rate at which we are loosing these animals is alarming, and if proper measures are not taken soon we may end up losing a large chunk of the animal kingdom. This will indirectly affect us, in fact the adverse effects have already started to show. Tigers for example will be left with no option but to encroach human settlements for food if the deer population is exhausted. On the other hand if the tiger population is exhausted, the number of herbivores will rise which in turn will lead to depletion of vegetation cover due to overfeeding by these herbivores. In short, extinction of a particular species puts tremendous pressure on the other species as well as the ecosystem. And it’s high time we understand that we are a part of the ecosystem and any alterations in the ecosystem are invariably going to effect us.
Pathik Patel is a wild nature photographer born on 14 January, 1966 at Ahmedabad in India. After he completed his high school education, he went to school for chemical engineering. In between he photographed his family but didn’t know that it would become the passion of his life.
If you go through his collection of photographs, you will find a large range of variety and vividness. His photographs have also been selected in the “Veolio Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year” developed by BBC Wildlife UK (Natural History Museum) . His photographs of wildlife have reached the Semifinals in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and also have secured the 4th place in “Sanctuary – RBS Wildlife Awards” in 2008 in India. His photographs have occupied the title page of the local magazine ”Focus” several times.
His official website is www.pathikwildlife.com which offers a comprehensive overview of his work, a wide range of pictures of tigers, and his others projects. It also includes behind-the-scene information and biographical material.
You are not a professional photographer but your photos are inspiring. How did photography become your passion?
After my marriage, I stayed in the USA for 10 years. I came back to India in 2001 with my three children and wife. Then I got involved in my family business as the Director of my company. My first time, I visited “Bandhavgarh National Park” in India as a family tour where I felt an emotional connection with the wildlife. I saw many animals there but when I saw the majestic tiger, and from Read on →
Photo: hevertonwoss
If I’d observed all the rules, I’d never have got anywhere.
Photo: shimelle
It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone – so far.
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Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde
Julie Barbour
Photo: kcdstm
I heard someone sing:
To love is to bury
and at the time
misunderstood,
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2010 Poetry Chapbook Contest Results
Accents Publishing is proud to announce the results of its 2010 Poetry Chapbook Contest.
Metes and Bounds, by J. Kates, was selected by judge Dr. Richard Taylor.
Plein Jeu, by E. C. Belli, was selected by Accents Publishing Senior Editor Katerina Stoykova-Klemer.
Both of these entries will be published as perfect-bound chapbooks, and each author will receive 50 copies of his or her chapbook, along with a $150 prize.
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Interview with the visual artist Julie Kaye by Aneliya Angelcheva
Julie Kaye was born in Leeds, United Kingdom. She received her BA at Leeds college of Art. Since her emergence in 2008 Julie Kaye has blended the concerns and methods of Pop and Conceptual art. Evolving new techniques of expressive popular culture to create her own unique style, often extreme and always engaging. Her work explores contemporary obsessions with sex, desire, race, gender, politics, religion, celebrity, fame, mythology and human condition.
Since her debut in 2008, Kayes’ work has been exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions. Recent shows include the Edge of Love Berlin (2010), the DeerBLNproject, Berlin (2010), Hatch museum. Berlin (2009) ; Proud. Berlin (2009) Second commerce. SL (2009-2010).; Art of War. New York (2008).
Her website http://www.juliekaye.co.uk/ offers detailed information about her and her artworks. It also includes behind-the-scene information and biographical material.
Where did the passion for painting came from?
Praise. I was a very shy child but always got a lot attention for my artwork. So I associated feeling good with art from a very early age. It is at the very core of my self worth, spirituality, emotions and desires. The passion and reward for the dedication to it has grown into an obsession for which I’m very grateful.
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Photo: vickispix
The greatest happiness is to know the source of unhappiness.
Photo: kmndr
Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. Only one thing matters: to be able to dare!
Photo: dominicspics
Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.
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August 29, 2010 by petkraski ·
Peter Kraevski
Photo: yogendra174
Oh, fruit of light!
Swell with love!
Ripen with sadness!
Sweeten juices – dreams!
And let your fragrant thoughts
be honeyed dew
upon your tender skin!
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Donal Mahoney
Photo: bsabarnowl
Rogers Park, Chicago
This brilliant winter morning finds
waves of snow on every lawn
and red graffiti dripping
from the walls
of Temple Mizpah
once again
as down the street
stroll ancient men
who every morning
shuffle here for prayer. Read on →
Interview with the young photographer Abby Hollandsworth by Elisaveta Baltova
Abby_Hollandsworth
Abby Hollandsworth is a 16 year old photographer, born and raised on the East Coast of the United States. At the age of 12 she bought her first camera, and her passion for photography grew from there. Over time she came up with more and more ideas to make her pictures inspirational and creative, and people began noticing her work.
At first she shared her pictures on a small site, and that eventually grew into her own blog (www.abbyleighphotos.blogspot.com) which helped boost her business as a photographer. She doesn’t use Photoshop on any of her pictures, instead she works hard to make the shot as real and unedited as she can. At the moment she shoots weddings, couples, and children, but she hopes to one day intern and shoot for magazines and clothing companies.
How did you decide to start?
Since I was old enough to hold a camera, I’ve loved taking pictures. That started with the cheap, throw-away kinds and developed into SLR digital cameras (over time). I never really started photography at a specific point, but I’d say I always really wanted to become a photographer, and it just grew from there in my middle school years.
What inspires you the most?
In photography, the most inspiring thing, in my opinion, is the ocean. I find whenever I go to the beach, it refreshes me and I come up with more ideas to make my pictures better.
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August 20, 2010 by poetryman ·
Michael Lee Johnson
Photo: Robert Marin
Rebecca fantasized that life was a lottery ticket or a pull of a lever,
that one of the bunch in her pocket was a winner or the slots were a redeemer;
but life itself was not real that was strictly for the mentally insane at the Elgin
Mental Institution.
She gambled her savings away on a riverboat
stuck in mud on a riverbank, the Grand Victoria, in Elgin, Illinois.
Her bare feet were always propped up on wooden chair;
a cigarette drooped from her lips like morning fog.
She always dreamed of traveling, not nightmares. Read on →
Katerina Stoykova-Klemer’s Interview with Conference Director Julie Wrinn
Julie Kuzneski Wrinn became director of the conference in 2007 after serving for three years on its board of directors. A native of Indiana, Pennsylvania, she received Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in English from the University of Virginia. A ten-year veteran of the book publishing business, she held editorial positions at several publishers in Washington, D.C., most notably at Counterpoint Press, the esteemed independent publisher. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and two young sons.
Julie, could you please give the readers of Public Republic a brief overview of the Kentucky Women Writers Conference and its mission?
The Kentucky Women Writers Conference is a literary festival for readers and writers, women and men, celebrating the work of contemporary women writers. It is the longest running event of its kind in the United States and the only annual conference featuring contemporary writers, exclusively women, in a series of workshops, readings, and discussions. I have been director since 2007.
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Klara Barcic
When people who like to travel talk about Croatia, they usually talk about its magnificent coast and its 1200 islands, covered with green carpets of scented Mediterranean vegetation. Little is known about its hinterland. Indeed, it is difficult to count all the sights to be seen and all the cities that well deserve to be visited, but we can definitely propose a visit to Varaždin, a baroque city in the north of Croatia easily reachable by bus, train or by car (approximately one hour from Zagreb on the A4 motorway).
Photo: samosvoja
Today I’d like to take you to the Špancirfest, one of many events the city offers to its visitors, but before we disappear in the festival’s jam, I suggest you take a glance at some of the city’s sights. The most important one is certainly the Old Town, a fortress first mentioned in the 12th century. Its familiar baroque style goes back to the end of the 16th century. Today a fortress hosts the Varaždin Municipal Museum.
Photo:Walnut
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