Vishwatha Reddy
Karmactive Team“ I hope that they inspire people in some way to care about and conserve the natural world ” – Dmitry Kokh
Dmitry Kokh is a Russian-based photographer. Kokh is a passionate wildlife and underwater photographer. His parents instigated him to zoology school, where he became a biology student. At the age of 11, Kokh felt a passion for nature at a young age. He held a speech that drew the attention of Nikolay Drozdov, a Russian professor at Russian State University. Nikolay complimented Dmitry Kokh with his speech and told him he would get very far in this field. Despite this huge stimulation, Dmitry’s interest in nature faded after the age of 12 and nature losts its charm over Dmitry.
After crossing thirty, Dmitry had a calling from the wild and started contemplating chances in the direction to pursue his passion. Dmitry started his own IT company eight years ago which is another big passion along with his family. His saw an opportunity grew when his friend invited Kokh on a trip to the Azores to watch Sperm whales. Dmitry even jumped into the water and took pictures of animals which disappeared within seconds. His passion surfaced again and began to gather information about animal behavior and how to manage as a spectator and photographer. Within a span of four years, Dmitry Kokh was highly commended in the category ‘Under Water photography’ at the NPOTY contest 2020.
Dmitry threw himself challenges to bring the best outcomes. Deep inside Dmitry believes in nature’s magic. His excitement had reached a tipping point when technology allowed cameras to capture imagery in burst mode, like a machine gun that makes 20 frames per second. When Kokh visited Kolyuchin Island near the Northern coast of Chukotka, Russia, he saw some movement in the abandoned windows. He witnessed polar bears roaming in and around the buildings. “Never before were they seen in those buildings, so that was a once-in-a-lifetime situation,” says Dmitry. These imagery of polar bears in a domestic setting has gone viral across the planet. Dmitry has received much awaited appreciation from the international community.
Traveling to many countries and bringing awareness among audiences practicing photography, his ambitions have changed. It started with shooting great photos of rare species where every picture tells a story. Kokh began to capture the moment where there is a connection between the animal and the photographer.
Covid-19 misery has benefited Kokh. staying away from the city, helped him to escape the Moscow lockdown along with his family. He enjoyed time with his family working from home where he used drone cameras and started shooting the life cycle of young herons from egg to fledgling. Dmitry was able to capture imagery from a closer distance without the herons taking notice. The purpose of using social media platforms was helpful as it expands an audience base.
“The best shots are accidental but no accident!”, laughs Dmitry. To find out what makes him a passionate underwater photographer, visit the farthest places and explore the deepest seas that inspire him, one has to experience his work.
From being a biology student to starting his own company and leaving everything behind to follow his passion, despite age Dmitry Kokh followed his intent.
