Photography is an art that’s innate — and almost runs in the family as a passion — starting from my great grandfather, who took many images of World War I. I first picked up the camera when I was 15, and since then, I’ve never looked back.
Being an independent photographer, I always get to give my imagination the freedom to create. All the photographs that I’ve taken are mostly ‘story-based’. They have a story to tell, they emote words that need to be understood.
I am constantly trying to create something new — something that has not been attempted before. It’s this search that keeps me going. It’s always eluding, prodding me to look further. My photography has inspired me to know myself better. My pictures have helped me travel deeper into myself, where assertion becomes easier. It’s this constant discovery that helps create a new story everyday.
I always decide on the story first, and then narrate the same to the subjects. I give the freedom of interpretation to them, and they enact the same in front of the lens. All the images are born of this free-flowing process, where most often, I’m surprised by my subjects. They recreate the story in their own style, and an image is born from that moment of truth. Though most of my work is fashion-based, I don’t like to tag my work under any particular bracket. The adventurous rebel in me would not permit that easy getaway. Most of my works also lean towards visual arts, there is no limit, and these mediums set new standards. I don’t think I’ll ever stop recording stories and creating.
As told to Ganashree Kedlaya
