Hi, I'm Mukul.

I have been drawing, painting and making art for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a small town in India, I was fascinated by the photographs I saw in National Geographic magazines. My family played an important role in nurturing my love for art. I was always encouraged to be creative, explore my imagination and fearlessly go after what I love.

I eventually went on to study art, earning my Master of Fine Arts degree and building a career as a professional artist. But photography became something very special to me because it brought together two things I deeply love - making art and being outdoors.

Some of the most meaningful moments of my life have come from simply being out in nature with my wife, watching wildlife, paying attention to light and waiting for those precious moments when everything somehow comes together.

Learning to See Differently

Photography changed how I see the world. It made me pause, hold on to a moment a bit longer and be immersed in the present.

As I became more serious about it, I realized that the camera was only a small part of making an image. Everything I had learned through drawing and painting mattered way more than the tool itself.

My professional career as a lighting artist pushed that understanding even further. I spent years studying how light transforms a scene, creates atmosphere and changes what we feel. My wife, who is also a multidisciplinary professional artist, has played a huge role in shaping my artistic journey, helping me refine my eye, strengthen my instincts and see art from new perspectives.

Eventually, drawing, painting, photography, cinematography and lighting stopped feeling like separate disciplines. They were all teaching me the same thing: how to really look at something, understand what I feel about it, find my own perspective & expressing it though strong artistic fundamentals.

And that changed not only the art I made, but also how I experienced the natural world.

Why I Created The Wild Artist

One of the things I love most about photography is sharing what I have learned with others.

Photography can feel unnecessarily complicated. There is so much conversation around cameras, lenses, settings and technique that it is easy to forget why many of us picked up a camera in the first place.

I have come to believe that making meaningful photographs has less to do with owning the best equipment and much more to do with learning how to see.

That belief is at the heart of The Wild Artist.

I wanted to create a place where people could explore the wilderness with a camera in hand and discover their own creativity without feeling overwhelmed by the technical side of things.

When I teach, I don't expect you to already think of yourself as an artist. And I don't want to tell you what your photographs should look like. I want to help you become more observant, understand light, experiment with ideas and gradually develop the confidence to express yourself through your images.

I don't want you to make photographs that look like mine. I want to help you make photographs that feel like you.

Whether we are photographing bears in Alaska, exploring the winter wildlife & landscapes of Yellowstone or simply studying how light falls on an ordinary subject, my hope is that you come away with something more meaningful than a collection of beautiful photographs.

I genuinely want you to return home seeing the world a little differently.

A Little About My Background

I am a multidisciplinary artist based near Seattle, working across wildlife & nature photography, and lighting for video games. My journey has taken me through quite a few different creative fields, and each has shaped the way I see and create art.

A few highlights from my journey:

• Photography & Recognition: My work has been recognized by Bird Photographer of the Year, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Nikon USA, Capture One and the Photographic Society of America, and published by National Geographic Society and BBC Earth. I have also photographed cover photographs and other editorial work for multiple magazines blending natural light with on location lighting that I designed along with my wife.

• Art & Video Games: 15 years of experience leading teams and lighting virtual worlds for video game projects- Guild Wars, Halo, Forza Motorsport, Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons

• Teaching & Mentorship: Taught at Kirkland Arts Center and Cloud 9 Art School, delivered lectures at the Academy of Art University and the University of Washington, and serve on the University of Washington Continuum College advisory board for its photography program.

• Education: Master of Fine Art, Academy of Art university, San Francisco. Master of Computer Applications, Bangalore University, India.

It is a slightly unusual mix of things, I know. But I wouldn't have it any other way!

All these experiences have shaped how I approach art and photography, and they are what I bring to every workshop, expedition and conversation with someone who wants to learn.

Why the Wild Matters to Me

The more time I spend around wildlife, the more I realize how much these experiences have given me.

There is something extraordinary about watching an animal simply go about its life, completely unaware of the things we humans tend to worry about. These moments remind me that we share this planet with an incredible diversity of life, and that there is so much worth understanding and protecting.

I also believe that people are more likely to care about the natural world when they have experienced it for themselves.

That is one of the reasons conservation has become increasingly important to my work.

You will often find me out on the Salish Sea, photographing and talking about puffins, whales and the other incredible wildlife that lives here. I also hang with the Salish Sea School, aiding their research & education efforts through my work.

It is a small way I can use my photography, my voice and my time to contribute to something much bigger than myself.

Through The Wild Artist, I hope to share that same appreciation for nature with others. I am passionate about encouraging them to understand, respect and care about the places and animals we are fortunate enough to experience.

When I'm Not Doing Any of That...

There is a pretty good chance I am still outside somewhere with a camera.

I love wildlife, traveling, exploring new places and spending a probably unreasonable amount of time watching animals do completely ordinary things. I also love drawing, painting and playing cricket whenever I get the chance.

Despite having spent much of my life making art, I still consider myself a student. I am constantly learning, experimenting and discovering new things.

And I still get ridiculously excited when the light is beautiful.

That sense of wonder has never really left me. I still wake up everyday feeling the same curiosity I felt when I was It is what keeps me going back into the wilderness, and it is a big part of why The Wild Artist exists.

If that sounds like something you have been looking for, come explore the wild with me.

See differently. Create meaningfully.