Irrawaddy Squirrel by Masudur Rahman
Captured within the lush surroundings of the Chittagong University botanical garden, this portrait of an Irrawaddy Squirrel highlights the elusive nature of the species. The photographer, while on a routine birding tour, managed to overcome the squirrel's characteristic shyness to secure a sharp, intimate frame. The image is award-worthy for its technical precision in challenging conditions and its ability to document a difficult-to-approach subject with such clarity. It serves as a testament to the patience required in wildlife photography, transforming a fleeting encounter into a compelling study of natural behavior.
Masudur Rahman
Born in 1967 and based in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Masudur Rahman Mamoon is a dedicated wildlife photographer and a prominent member of the Chittagong Bird Club. Since beginning his journey with film portraiture in 1998, he has transitioned his focus toward the natural world, frequently documenting avian life across the country. His work, which often appears in local weekly publications, reflects a deep-seated belief that photography serves as a vital medium for creative expression and positive social change.
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Expert Photography Reviews · 5
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Read the reflection →The Architecture of a Breath
We spend our lives moving through the world as if we are the only ones inhabiting it, heavy-footed and loud with our own intentions. Yet, there is a parallel existence unfolding just inches away, hidden in the architecture of the leaves and the quiet geometry of the branches.
Read the reflection →Reviews & Comments
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The squirrel sits in the dappled shade of Chittagong, caught in that fleeting, nervous stillness. I’ve spent enough hours waiting in the brush to know the photographer held his breath here, matching his pulse to the creature’s twitching fur. It’s a quiet, humble communion. The light doesn’t just illuminate the subject; it reveals a secret. Looking at those dark, watchful eyes, I feel a sudden, sharp ache for the silence of the woods. He was truly listening.
We look at this squirrel and we aren’t just seeing a creature; we’re seeing a conversation. Masudur Rahman didn’t just point a lens; he waited until the forest allowed him in. It’s in the way the creature holds its gaze, so steady and alert, that we feel the silence between them. I’ve spent my life listening to stories, and this tiny, twitching life tells one of patience. It’s a photograph that asks to be returned to.
A 1/25th shutter speed for a twitchy squirrel? That’s a gamble that usually ends in a blurry mess. Rahman clearly didn’t just stumble upon this fellow; he sat still until his joints ached and the creature forgot he was there. I’ve spent enough mornings shivering in damp brush to recognize the stillness required for that focus. It’s a quiet, earned victory. He didn’t just take the shot; he waited until the squirrel invited him in.
The squirrel’s coat, a muted ochre reminiscent of Morandi’s dust-laden palettes, vibrates against the verdant, suffocating emerald of the Chittagong foliage. It’s a chromatic collision that I find utterly intoxicating, as if the creature were merely a flicker of dried earth suspended in a humid, chlorophyll-drenched dream. One feels the damp heat of the garden in those deep, mossy shadows, where the light doesn’t just fall; it clings, heavy and ancient, to the squirrel’s twitching, nervous form.
1/25sec at f/5.6, 300mm. It’s a reckless gamble. At that focal length, the shutter speed is far too slow to negate mirror slap or micro-tremors. I’m genuinely surprised the subject isn’t a smear of fur. Rahman got lucky with the squirrel’s stillness, but relying on chance isn’t craft. The depth of field at f/5.6 is thin, yet the focus is sharp. It’s a technically flawed approach that somehow yielded a clean result. I don’t like the odds.