In March 2015, Atul Khasnis and his family moved to Peachtree City, and just three days later he posted a photograph, turtles lined up on a log, on the Life in the PTC Bubble Facebook page. It was so well-received earning hundreds of “likes” that Atul kept posting, and very quickly he and his photographs became famous in the Bubble.

Atul Khasnis was born and raised in Mumbai, India. He married his wife, a physical therapist, and went to medical school in his home country. Because all of his medical textbooks were written by American doctors, Atul dreamed of practicing medicine in the United States. That dream became a reality in 2002 when Atul became a research fellow at Michigan State University and later continued his medical training in rheumatology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.  During this time, Atul and his wife welcomed two sons into their family. Through a connection in Atlanta, Atul learned about and pursued an opportunity with the Piedmont Healthcare System.  That position led him to Fayette County where he opened an office with another rheumatologist last spring.

In February of last year, a local acquaintance introduced Atul to the Life in the PTC Bubble page. Before moving to Peachtree City he asked a couple of questions on the page including asking for suggestions on karate lessons for his sons.  Then just three days after moving here, Atul had already captured some of the beauty of this area through his photographs which he shared online. Because of the positive feedback he received, Atul continued to post photographs capturing the splendor and uniqueness of our area. The popularity of the photos led to an exhibition of his work at Saville Studios this past fall. In my interview with Atul, with a big smile, he admitted that he had never gotten this much support anywhere he has lived.  He is grateful and humbled by the positive feedback and encouragement he has received.

Dr. Khasnis first started taking photographs around 2003 with a very basic digital point and shoot camera. He is self-trained in photography and Photoshop via online courses and youtube videos. Currently he shoots with a Canon T3i EOS Rebel which he takes with him everywhere he goes. Outside of his office at Westpark Walk in a wooded area, he leaves corn and birdseed to attract wildlife. On his lunch break, Atul often goes outside with his camera to photograph any animals that come to feed on his offerings.  For bird photos, he uses a 150mm-600mm zoom lens, and his newest lens is an ultra-wide angle lens.  Atul goes out almost every day to photograph nature in and around Peachtree City. Some of these incredible photos are shared via the Life in the PTC Bubble Facebook page.

Atul’s favorite places to photograph are anywhere that there is water, and he especially loves to capture the reflections in the lakes. He has never known Lake Peachtree as an actual lake so more often he visits Lake McIntosh, Line Creek, and Lake Kedron.  Often his almost eight-year-old son will accompany him on his photographic outings taking with him his little point and shoot camera.  His son has asked on several occasions for his photos to be posted on the Bubble page, but Atul tells him that he is not quite ready yet and needs to continue to practice his craft.  Both of his sons attend Kedron Elementary and are excited about how popular their Dad’s photographs have become.

Since that first “turtles on a log” photo, the positive feedback Atul has received has kept him seeking and exploring our area hoping to find unique scenes to photograph . After his photography exhibition, he created a calendar that is on sale at several local stores including the Peachtree City Visitors’ Center. He also has a book of photos in the works that will include a history of local places that he has photographed. Surprisingly, Atul has only been on a golf cart one time since he moved to Peachtree City. Currently he and his family live in an apartment so have no place to charge and store a golf cart. On the one occasion that his family rented a cart (when visitors were in town), he took a photo that ended up being the best seller at his exhibition and can be seen on the June page of his calendar.  If you are interested in purchasing any of the photographs that are posted online, you may email Atul and purchase a print through him. His email address is akphoto74@gmail.com .

After my hour long interview with Atul while sipping an amazing cappucino at Beautiful Earth Organics, I couldn’t wait to buy a calendar from him and marvel at the artistry on each page.  All we have to do is look for the captivating beauty around us in nature. It is there, sometimes we just need to see it through a different lens. Thank you, Atul Khasnis, for opening our eyes to nature’s magnificence and grace right in front of us.