Beyond the Reading Room highlights the interests and skills of people within the University of Virginia’s Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging.
For the first installation, we spoke to Anuj Shah, MD, a Diagnostic Radiology resident and wildlife photographer. His work can be found on his online portfolio and his Instagram account.
How did you first get interested in photography?
My love for photography really began with a love for the outdoors and a desire to share with others why I feel our environment is so important to preserve. I spent a lot of my childhood outside, whether it was exploring the woods behind my childhood home in Kentucky or hiking with my parents when we had moved to Arizona. Eventually, I began carrying an old camera around and taking pictures of everything I saw when I was out on these small adventures.
What drew you specifically to wildlife and nature photography?
I’m constantly struck by the beauty of our planet and the incredible biodiversity we are lucky to be apart of. For me, wildlife and nature photography is a way to explore new landscapes, learn about the animals, birds, and insects that make up our natural world, and share these wonders with others. I think all wildlife and nature photography should be rooted in principles of conservation, and my goal has always been to tell stories about conservation and share with others why it is so vital to protect our natural world.
What do you enjoy most about being behind the camera?
I love the patience that nature photography requires of me. Whether it’s waiting for the light to change when photographing a mountain or forest, or waiting for an elusive animal or bird to pop into frame, landscape and wildlife photography requires a deep understanding of and respect for the subject you’re photographing. I am constantly forced to understand a habitat that a particular animal lives in as well as its behaviors and habits before I can ever hope of capturing it on camera.
What are you looking for when you’re out photographing—what makes you stop and take a picture?
When I’m out hiking, it’s often just unique light that catches my eye—this could be the first shred of light during blue hour over the mountains or sunlight filtering through the trees during a foggy morning. When I’m out looking for wildlife, I’m often listening for particular bird calls or looking for flashes of movement that might indicate I’m not alone. I’ll often spend entire walks/hikes just listening and keeping my eyes peeled, without ever taking a single picture, but it’s the process of exploring a new place that truly gives me all the joy.
Do you have a favorite photograph you’ve taken? What makes it special to you?
I think some of the most special photographs I’ve taken are ones that I have a unique emotional connection to. Growing up in Arizona, there was a small nature park near my house I would go for morning walks in. Over the years and across hundreds of these walks, I became familiar with a couple packs of coyotes that lived in and wandered throughout this park. Photographing them was always a challenge, as they were constantly on the move and quite secretive creatures. After many years, I stumbled upon a very special moment in which I had stopped to tie my shoe and noticed a young coyote pup sleeping under a bush about 50 feet away. I quietly took a few pictures, both as it slept and as it gradually woke up and made eye contact with me. It felt so special to be trusted by this beautiful animal and to capture such special pictures of a subject I had been learning about for so long.
Coyote photographed in Arizona.
Is there a particular place around Charlottesville or Virginia that you especially enjoy photographing?
I’ve been lucky enough to hike around Ivy Creek Park numerous times over my first few months living here, and it has been incredible! The park is filled with unique hiking trails and a variety of flora and fauna that changes by the season. It feels like a slice of a forest taken from Shenandoah or anywhere else in the region and has been so beautifully preserved, and I’m very fortunate to have a place like this so close to home.
What is the most memorable or unexpected thing that has happened while you were photographing?
I love a good surprise wildlife encounter, but sometimes they can walk a fine line between exciting and “too close for comfort.” While out hiking in Alaska, I rounded a corner and came face to face with a large moose. Although generally gentle animals, moose can charge when they are caught off guard, so I made sure to quickly and calmly back away until I was a few hundred feet up the trail. Thankfully, she was as calm as could be and I was able to admire from afar as she continued walking through the landscape.
What camera/lens or equipment do you typically use?
I use an old Sony mirrorless camera and telephoto lens I bought many years ago during college. They are sturdy and trusty pieces of equipment and have survived some incredibly rough weather I’ve put them through.
Has photography changed the way you see the world in any way?
Photography has fortunately and unfortunately opened my eyes to the reality of the climate collapse that we are in the midst of. In exploring new places and searching for particular species, I’ve experienced firsthand just how quickly we are destroying habitats and eradicating species that are so important to our planet. I’ve come across receding glaciers and large swathes of land torched by wildfires, but what strikes me the most is the disconnect I see between humans and nature. We are unfortunately able to separate our everyday actions, such as buying something unnecessary online or tossing something in the trash that will end up in a landfill, from their real-life consequences on the environment and climate, although the two are so intricately connected.
How do you balance photography with the demands of residency?
Residency and my other responsibilities typically take top priority, but I treat photography as a welcome break and a way to destress outside of work. When things feel particularly busy, the thought of a new weekend adventure gets me through a rough week.
Is there anything you’ve learned through photography that you think carries over into medicine or residency?
Learning photography was a slow and arduous process that required quite a bit of patience, and I think radiology residency (and medicine in general) often feels the same way! As I look back on the trial and error it took to become a more experienced photographer, I feel comforted that although radiology is this expansive new world, I have time to study and incrementally improve every day in the reading room.
What would you tell someone who wants to start getting into photography?
Take lots of pictures! I’m a huge proponent of the idea of taking pictures with whatever camera you have access to. For many people, this may be a smartphone, but our phone cameras have gotten so advanced that it’s the perfect way to start understanding the rules of composition. Once someone has access to a camera where they can adjust the settings, gaining a basic understanding of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture will help them learn how to use these tools to channel their creative vision into an image.
If you had an entire day with no responsibilities and could photograph anything anywhere, where would you go?
Dangerous question. There are too many places to count, from mountains like those in the Canadian Rockies and Patagonia to the fjords of Norway and New Zealand. If I were forced to choose, I’d have to say returning to Iceland to photograph puffins. I was lucky enough to see some adorable puffins there before I ever knew how to use a camera, and I’ve been itching to return ever since.
