10-year-old boy from Jalandhar wins ‘young wildlife photographer of the year’ award

Natural History Museum, London, awarded Arshdeep in the 10-years-and-under category.

Jalandhar’s Arshdeep Singh,10, has won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Asia) Award for his photograph ‘Pipe Owls. The award ceremony was held at the Natural History Museum, London, on Tuesday.

Arshdeep started talking photographs at the age of 6 and recently won the Junior Asian Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.(Facebook/Arshdeep Singh)

Shot outside Kapurthala city, the wining photograph with two owlets closely sitting inside a pipe, was taken while Arshdeep was travelling with his father.

“I often travel to Kapurthala with my father for nature photography. One such day, when I saw a ‘spotted owl’ flying inside a tube, I told my father to stop the car. He did not believe me. We waited for sometime until they came out again and without wasting a moment, I took the shot. My father was stunned,” said Arshdeep, while talking about his prized possession.

Arshdeep was awarded for his photograph termed ‘Pipe Owls’.

“The owls were looking straight into my eyes. I felt like each one of them wanted to say to me- I see you!,” he said.

“After his keen observational skills helped him see these spotted owlets Arshdeep waited patiently for the birds to peep out from their hiding place to get this winning shot,” the organisers noted. Arshdeep ventured into the field when he was six.

Passionate about capturing birds on camera, his work has been published in Lonely Planet UK, Germany and India, and BBC Wildlife UK. Inspired by his father, Randeep Singh, who is also a wildlife photographer, the duo often travel together to capture nature.

“I learn everyday, learning helps me become a better photographer,” he says.