Swayam continued with his medical studies while also pursuing his childhood passion for photography. He sees wildlife photography as his fundamental purpose in life, and he has distinguished himself by producing outstanding work in the field.

Dr. Swayamsiddha Mohapatra is a practising doctor and works in the pharmaceutical industry. He is also a wildlife photographer by passion.

Swayam was born and brought up in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. After completing high school, he moved to Mumbai to pursue his bachelor's. And since then, he has been largely in Mumbai. In 2008, for the first time, he started wildlife photography, and in 2009, he got his first DSLR camera. And since then, he has been following his passion for wildlife photography. He says that his parents always exposed him to wildlife, and with time, he grew interested in wildlife photography.

Swayam describes his style of wildlife photography as Integrated Wildlife Photography. He tries to tell a story with the pictures he clicks. He tries to capture with his lenses much more than just the subject. He says that there is a greater story to be told that revolves around a subject. He also tries to draw the attention of the people toward deforestation and the ensuing damage to the habitation of the creatures through his photography.

Sharing about his achievements, Swayam says that he qualified for BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year as a finalist, and for the past two years he has been qualifying for Nature's Best Photography as a finalist. He won the third position in the category of World Photographer of the Year. His photographs were featured by the Golden Turtle in an exhibition in Russia. Recently, in a Spanish contest, Maria Memoria Lusia gave his black-and-white images of a chimpanzee the ‘highly recommended’ status. Apart from this, he has had his photographs published in the BBC Wild Planet Photo Magazine, and other local magazines in India.

Swayam’s piece of advice to budding wildlife photographers is to not quit your day job or profession to pursue it. There are a lot of struggles involved in it. He shares what was once told to him when he started off: A tiger doesn’t pay you to click its pictures. He finds it relevant and advises all to make a conscious decision before taking up wildlife photography full-time. Besides, there are a lot of expenses with regard to travelling, staying in a hotel, paying at the location to shoot, etc., and you may not always be able to monetize them. He also advises being patient, as it may take a long time to get a big break through your photographs.

Swayam says that for anybody who is starting out in the field, money is the biggest concern. You don’t always need the fanciest gear and gadgets to capture photos. You can start with something as basic as your smartphone. You don’t need to go into the wild to capture photos; you can just explore the biodiversity around you and tell people about it through your photos.

If he could go back in time and change something, Swayam would want to invest the money into his trips that he invested in buying expensive gadgets and gear to click photos. He would also want to tell his younger self to have more fun while clicking pictures and not worry even if he doesn’t get the required clicks.

When asked about his role models, Swayam says considers Dr. Caesar Sengupta, the founder of DCP Expeditions, as his role model. Dr. Caesar has given him a platform and audience to showcase his work. His friend Somdatt Malik also inspires him through his work. Besides, his mother and wife have always supported him.

Apart from wildlife photography, Swayam likes to read nonfiction books and interact with people.

Swayam’s life mantra is "Enjoy the journey; don't worry about the destination.” When you go out for photography, don’t go out under the pressure of clicking photographs. Enjoy the trip, sleepless nights, etc., and it will all be smooth.