Balan Madhavan is one of the most sought after travel photographers in India. He is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (www.ilcp.com), the only one from India. He has taken part in conservation projects in USA and Mexico along with many top wildlife photographers of the world.

When he is not shooting wild nature in its pristine glory in remote corners of the world, Balan is busy shooting tourist destinations around India, particularly the south. His images are used for the promotion of tourism by many Indian states. Balan employs photography as both a tool and a mission statement for conservation. His work does much to raise awareness of pressing ecological and wildlife issues. His list of achievements is impressive and runs long. He is an Associate of the “Royal Photographic Society (ARPS)” of United Kingdom and an “Artiste of the Federation Internationale de l'Art Photographique (AFIAP)” of France. He has been featured on the covers of leading Indian photography magazines like ASIAN PHOTOGRAPHY and SMART PHOTOGRAPHY and is a celebrity spokesman for conservation on TV in his home state. Balan was the winner of the United Nations (UNEP) photography Award in1992 and has garnered no less than 150 awards in various photographic salons and contests across India in the course of a long and colorful career curve. However, winning awards and accolades don’t mean much to him anymore and he has stopped competing in professional events. He now primarily employs the tool and craft of photography for the important messages they can convey. He is a truly gifted photographer whose exceptional skill is complemented with a very rare element – versatility!

He has also published his pictures and his first book of photographs, titled "MOMENTS", received the best tourism publication award from the government of Kerala. His second book has just been released and is on the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Entitled "Periyar in her Elements", it is a collaborative effort with fellow naturalists and nature photographers from South India. His next book project is named "Water, Taken for Granted.” As is evident from its title, it is on a deeply topical theme that explores pictorially the crucial role of water in our lives.

As always, a photographer’s bio is not complete without a hint of his gear. Balan’s cameras of choice include Canon and Nikon DSLR systems with an array of top class optics.

He lives in Tiruvananthapuram in Kerala with his family. You can write to him at balan@vsnl.com and visit his website www.balan.in to know more about this exceptional photographer and his diverse body of work.