Editorial Team at WallMag Updated on Jun 20, 2026 5 min read

Landscapes Through the Lens: An Interview with Photographer Bavanchikar Sai Rakesh

How did your journey into photography begin?

It all started as a hobby during the 2021 lockdown, with nothing but a mobile phone. I found a real sense of calm in capturing images, and I did all my editing on the phone too. I’ve explored my passion across a Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, an iPhone 13, and a Samsung S22 Ultra.

What was the first moment you knew landscape photography was your passion?

It clicked when I noticed a shift in myself — from simply taking pictures of places to feeling compelled to capture the light, the mood, and the stories in nature. Suddenly I was seeing greenery, clouds, birds, fields, mountains, even buildings, in a completely new light.

How has your photography style evolved over the years?

What began as a hobby grew into a real passion. My style moved from capturing a scene to telling a story — through heartfelt captions and far more attention to mood and colour. I grew more confident with simplicity, and started blending photography with visual communication, environmental storytelling, and social media design.

What motivates you to keep exploring and capturing landscapes?

The chase for good light, a growing connection to nature, and the satisfaction of creating something beautiful all drive me. Turning an ordinary field, sky, or hill into an image that evokes emotion is incredibly rewarding, and every new place holds the possibility of an unexpected photograph. I’m just as interested in what a landscape means as in what it looks like.

What are some of your most iconic landscape shots, and what makes them special?

These are some of my favourite shots, built mainly around camera angles, clouds, surroundings, and nature. Editing plays a crucial role in every one — saturation, vignette, hue, brightening, detailing, colour grading, and lighting are all key to how I finish an image.

What makes a golden hour shot special to you?

Golden hour isn’t special just because the light is pretty — it’s special because it changes the whole feeling of a landscape. It turns ordinary scenes into meaningful ones, almost a symbol of new beginnings or a story about growth. It rewards patience, too: you wait for the light and watch the scene change minute by minute. And it reveals details most people overlook — layers in the clouds, shapes in the trees and hills — creating an emotional connection through warmth, nostalgia, peace, and optimism.

Can you walk us through a unique composition or perspective you use?

I lean on the rule of thirds — dividing the frame into a 3x3 grid and placing key subjects along the lines or their intersections. Leading lines like roads, rivers, or pathways guide the viewer’s eye, and I’ll use natural framing with tree branches or archways, foreground interest for depth, negative space for simplicity, and sometimes a fill-the-frame approach for detail. Lighting and diagonal composition play a big part in my work too.

What does your editing process look like for a typical photo?

First I set the exposure, raising or lowering brightness to suit the main subject. Then I work on saturation and colour grading, and bring up the image quality with Lightroom presets where needed. Finally I fine-tune tint, vibrance, and the light on the subject, and add a slight vignette for a cinematic look.

What adjustments did you make in your before-and-after comparisons?

I lifted the brightness on the main subject and darkened the surroundings to make it stand out. I also adjusted saturation, vibrance, and the greenery, lifted the sky a little, and added a vignette wherever it helped.