Late Mr. O.C. Edwards

A sage figure, dedicated to bird photography, whose mantra was "Do not harm the creatures being photographer", whose meditation was "absolute concentration while photographing his subjects in the field" and whose cult was "impeccable craftsmanship". He was a school master, who taught English and Mathematics in the Bishop Cotton Boys" School, Bangalore. OC Edwards was a founder-member of the Mysore Photographic Society and the first Editor of the Viewfinder, which was then the official journal of that society. He always used to say that one need not go to far off places or possess sophisticated equipment to do good nature photography. Dedication, patience, perseverance and good knowledge of natural history and photography were more important to ones success. Quality work is possible even with humble basic equipment was his advice to photographers. He practiced austerity, humility, good sportsmanship and high ethics in his quest for bird photography. The astounding pictures he produced with incredibly outdated equipment proved beyond doubt that it is the man behind the camera that mattered and not the camera that captured the masterpiece. His lectures and demonstrations to members of the Mysore Photographic Society inspired many to take Nature Photography. He always had a word of encouragement to budding photographers. Today, Bangalore enjoys its pre-eminent position as the cradle of successful Nature photographers in the country, all because of him.

T.N.A. Perumal