1. What is your earliest memory of how or what attracted you to photography?
My earliest memory of a photograph is when I was in fifth grade and I had my passport size photo taken for the first time. Later, I started observing people who would go on tours and vacations and would have a camera hanging at their waist, dressed up stylishly like heroes, showing off their cameras.
Then while I was living at the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), they would take us for our summer vacation to the mountains, we would have the Kodak KB10, which was a Rs 499 camera, and it came along with a belt that tied at the waist. We were four friends and would buy a roll of film and share that amongst us. So, we got to take nine photographs each and we made sure to keep a count of how many we were making. This was around 2000-2001. And we were taking photographs of ourselves, dressed as heroes, for fun.
2. What was it like for you growing up years at Salaam Baalak Trust? Why and how did documenting that life become your first photo project?
While I was living at the SBT, I was studying at a nearby government school. We never got pocket money, unlike the other boys who got pocket money and spent that during the lunch break to buy stuff that was being sold on the streets. However, at the Trust, we could get a new set of 6 or even 12 watercolors every week or so in our art class which we would bring to the school and sell off to our friends at half the price. This took care of our pocket money.
I was never really good at studies. In my 10th grade, I got only 48% and my supervisor told me that instead of continuing to study, I should perhaps look at some vocational training. It was then that I opted to take up photography. When I had just arrived at SBT in 2000, they had a photography workshop, conducted then by photographer Amit Khullar. Those who took good photographs got exhibited in a show titled Home Life. Archana and Gautum were two kids who had made good photos and they were sent to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This left an impression on me. I realized that if I could take up photography, I would get to travel and with this idea in mind, I told my supervisor that I wanted to take up photography. I never thought even in my dreams that I would become a photographer as I was only tenth class pass and could not speak in English. I thought that since I was hard working, I could become a good assistant. That’s all I imagined. And then of course as an assistant, I would get to travel, as well.
I left SBT in 2005, when I turned 17, as they have a policy that after the age of 18, we are not allowed to stay at their shelter home. They got me a job as an assistant to Anay Mann, a Delhi based photographer. Anay sir told me that I would be required to come for work only 8-10 days a month. He gave me a bike, a cell phone, and Rupees 3000 a month as my salary. I found this great as I had the rest of the month to do as I pleased. The only condition laid was that I would have to work with him for a minimum of three years. The next day I gathered the courage to ask him why this time condition. He explained that many youngsters come to assist him and when they think they have learned enough in six months, they leave. He added that if he was going to make the effort to teach me for a year or so, then he should have the benefit of having me assist him with those acquired skills. He assured me that in three years he would bring me to a certain level as far as photography skills are concerned. I really liked what he said and started assisting him from the next day. I took a loan from SBT of Rupees 28,500 and bought myself a Nikon film camera. Anay sir would also repeatedly force me to visit the library and would ask me to share with him the book that I had read and discusse what I liked in the book. He would also make me visit photography shows. I would go reluctantly to these shows and I asked him why it’s important to visit these shows. He told me that one day I’ll also have a show and I’ll want people to come. So, if I want people to come for my show, before that I also have to go and see what other people are showing. I have to give others respect by visiting their shows and only then will they respect me and come and see my show.
My first visit to a library was the Lalit Kala library where I found Prabuddha Dasgupta’s book, Ladakh, which totally captivated me. There is a theme that I found interesting in Ladakh. Since I didn’t have a library card, I was not allowed to sit there, so I went to the director and he gave me permission to access the library. I was also seeing shows at the India Habitat Centre around this time and I realized that every exhibition had a theme and was conveying a story to the viewer. That’s when things in my head started turning and I realized that instead of just making a single image here and there, I should also now start working on a story idea with a theme. I realized that I didn’t know many people in the outside world. My world was limited to the SBT, Anay sir’s house, and the shoots that we went for. I knew nobody else and nothing else. And in any case, I didn’t have any resources to travel. So, what was I going to photograph? That’s when it occurred to me – why don’t I shoot the life that I had lived? This was the easiest for me in terms of access. For my first project, Street Dreams, I decided that I would photograph street children under the age of 18, and through them I would show how I had lived my life as a street kid. The idea was that, when people would see images from Street Dreams, they would see me and the life that I had lived on the street. In those days, I was living in Lado Sarai, in South Delhi, and often I wouldn’t have bus fare to travel to the Ajmeri Gate area, where I was photographing. Basically, I would get into the bus from the front and go to the end of the bus and sit at the back and hide my face.
I would bring the contact sheets to Anay sir and show them to him. He would select 2 or 3 photos and then ask me why I had taken those photos and I would reply because I felt like it or I liked it that’s why I took it. Every time I would say this, he would return my contact sheets and ask me to shoot more and this went on for some time. I started making notes while taking photographs. I would ask the name of the child and her/his age, what they did, where they lived, etc. So, when Anay sir would ask the same question, I now began giving more information about the person photographed and the situation, etc., and that’s when he started guiding me on how a story develops and progresses.
3. Tell us more about your associations with different photographers and how they helped you to evolve as an independent photographer.
Anay sir once took me to Prabuddha sir’s shoot who was shooting for Numero Uno, in a farmhouse in Chhatarpur. I was very impressed by him. The way he was interacting with the models and the other people was a huge learning experience for me. Also, the way he had set up the entire shoot with the various lights was quite unique. Anay sir took me to all the lights, switched each light on and off, and explained to me why each one was being used. I had already loved seeing Prabuddha’s book, Ladakh, and now seeing him work, I became his fan! When I had my first show, he was unable to come, and he called me to leave a CD of my work at his house for him to see what I was exhibiting. In fact, his wife Tanya got me my first photo assignment; I got this assignment after having my first show. The assignment was for an NGO called Paalna, near Kashmiri Gate, in Civil Lines, and I got paid Rs 30,000 for three days. This was at the beginning of 2008.
It was quite shocking and very sad when Prabuddha passed away. I was in a car with Anay sir when he gave me the news. I immediately called Vidhur Jung Bahadur, another photographer, and he informed me that they were all leaving for Alibagh the next morning. After his death, his first show was at the NGMA, in Delhi, where I also went on the stage and shared my memories of him. Over the years I have been interacting with Tanya Ma’am, his wife, who would get me an assignment now and then. I have also known their daughter, Alia. Some time back, I had to visit Goa and got in touch with her to ask if I could stay at her place. I stayed in their Goa house and everywhere in the house there were these beautiful portraits made by Prabuddha, so I have these very nice personal terms with his family.
Anay sir treated me very professionally on every assignment. In the early days, he was doing a lot of assignments for PHOTOINK, for which we would leave quite early in the day and return quite late in the night. The next day my job was to take the rolls of film to Harry & Laxman’s lab and, from there, take the contact sheets to the PHOTOINK office. Here, the images were selected and marked, and I would go to the lab and get prints made and then take the prints the next day from the lab and bring them to PHOTOINK. So, basically, this was my routine. If we traveled out of Delhi for an assignment and had to spend the night, Anay sir would pay me extra and tell me that I could go out and enjoy the town or city we were in. In the beginning, when I had just started to work with him, I was not very focused and would end up making mistakes. However, instead of getting upset with me in front of the client, he would put his arm around my shoulder, take me aside and explain to me my mistake or when the assignment got over and we would be at the airport, that’s when he would tell me where I had messed up. And he would make sure that I understood my mistake so that I don’t repeat it again. Also, in the beginning, when I was having difficulty in understanding technical things with the camera and lighting, etc., he would make drawings. He explained to me the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and light temperature, etc., all through drawings. Until then, I was sure that I would never understand this as it seemed too mathematical and difficult to understand. In order to make me comfortable with the lighting equipment, he would call me home and make me pack and unpack the equipment ten times so that I got the complete hang of it and would not get confused while on a shoot.
When Profoto light came, Bharat Sikka was the only photographer in India who was using these lights. No one else even had an idea of this light system. Slowly, people in the industry got to know of these lights, so Manish in Canon started giving out this lighting equipment on rent. Manish then called Anay sir to teach his staff the handling of this lighting system and Anay sir asked me to go and teach them, which I did. I had also assisted Bharat Sikka on a five-days shoot and we used the Profoto light system, which was quite helpful.
Having assisted Bharat, I got a bit confused as to what and how I should shoot. Bharat would shoot only four images a day and on big shoots, production houses would really look after him well, gave him a lot of respect, and also huge daily rates. I was quite impressed by all this and wanted to become that kind of a photographer. The kind of image I make is totally different than the kind Anay sir makes, however, this came after huge learning. I had seen Anay sir make family portraits and once when I was in Mumbai, a family gifted me a laptop, and in return I offered to make a family portrait for them. I borrowed Anay sir’s 120 Pentax camera and really made a good portrait and when I showed it to Anay sir with great excitement, he told me that I had made an image just like his and it did not have any of ‘Vicky’ in it. He said that if anybody would see that portrait, they would say that it’s Anay’s portrait. This forced me to think as to how I would develop my own ideas and style in photography.
For my first book, Home.Street.Home, I had the privilege of working with Sanjeev Saith Sir. The entire process was a huge learning for me. Right at the beginning he made me print all my files and when I went to him with all the prints, he pointed out that the images had been cropped from the edges and that he could not edit and make a selection based on these cropped prints. I had to go back and reprint everything and when I came back with the new prints, he compared each image and showed the difference to me and how that mattered. And then when the color proofs came from Pragiti, he pointed out to me where they were off and sent me to make them again at the printing lab in Delhi. And then, while making the final edit of the book, he asked me what is it that I wanted to say through my book. Then, of course, the endless cups of tea and packets of butter cookies and discussions that I had with Sanjeev sir are priceless.
4. Would you please tell us about your six months of study at ICP and if, in your opinion, it is important to have a formal education in photography?
Anubhav Nath, the owner of the Ojas Art Gallery, had been asked to nominate a young photographer for an international photography competition, in 2008, and he asked Ram Rahman to refer somebody for the same. Coincidently, just sometime before that, I had introduced myself to Ram sir at his show at the Lalit Kala Academy, organized by Bodhi Art. Ram sir suggested my name to Anubhav Bhaiya, to whom I showed my entire work on Street Dreams and, based on that work, he nominated me for the competition. After the initial selection, I was asked to send some work made in relation to a construction site. At that time, there was huge construction going on for the Delhi metro, so I went at different times of the day and night to shoot, and in interesting blue, yellow, and orange light, made a lot of ‘beautiful’ type photographs. Before submitting them, I went to Anay sir to show him my selection and he told me that, though these photos were good, I would not be able to win in the competition based on these photos. I had focused a lot on cranes, and he commented that in NY, much bigger cranes were used so there will be nothing new to see in my photos. He told me that I should go and shoot construction sites with an Indian perspective, after which I went to the Rajasthan highway construction site and made images of women working with children playing in the background or walking with them holding their sari. Based on this work, I was one of the four international photographers selected to go to NYC for six months to photograph the reconstruction of the World Trade Center.
While I was in New York the organization realized that I had learned photography only by assisting photographers and had not studied photography and they felt that I should have some formal education in the medium. They got me into a six-month photo documentary course at ICP. It was while living in NYC and studying at ICP that I gained confidence. Till then, I was acutely conscious that I could not speak in English, which made me very shy. Whenever I had to go for meetings, I felt that if the clients heard me speak only in Hindi, they would consider me unprofessional, which hindered my confidence. At ICP, in my class, there were students from other countries, as well, whose proficiency in English was even less than mine. However, their work was very good. From that class I realized that one’s spoken language is not important; it is one’s visual language that has to be strong. Also, we would all make work, and bring it to the class where it was discussed. These discussions really helped me to understand how to work on visual stories long term and to articulate my thoughts on my own work. It was here that I started understating Dayanita Singh’s Myself, Mona Ahmed, and why she had worked for so long on that project and how that shaped the work. This led me to understand what documentary photography is and I decided to pursue this kind of photography. And, living in NYC, I came across many Japanese and Europeans and I realized that their English was very limited and that was hardly a reflection on their worth as photographers.
I think it’s important to have a formal education in photography. You get to understand the history of photography, which I think is very important. This understanding leads us to create better, deeper work, which will take the work to an altogether different level. It makes you understand that, if a photographer created only two works in her/his lifetime, what was the reason for that, and this leads you to think and look at work differently and to bring a certain quality to your own work.
5. If you were to design a photo program for young Indian photographers, what would it look like?
In my opinion, it should be a three-years degree course, as I believe that, if one does a degree course, then a trained person will come out of it with a great, in-depth knowledge of photography and will never produce mediocre work. It’s like if somebody is studying to be an engineer or a doctor, they have to do a degree that takes four to five years to complete. To have a good career in any field, it is important to have a degree in that field. It should be the same in photography as well.
6. Who or what has inspired you to pursue photography and/or continues to do so?
I have continued to be inspired by two people – Anay sir and Prabuddha sir. Especially Prabuddha sir, because I have seen him work both on his personal projects and on commercial work and, while doing so, he clearly had two distinct personalities, which totally impressed me. I haven’t seen this in many photographers.
Also, around 2010, I visited PHOTOINK to meet Devika Daulet-Singh ma’am and asked her to nominate me for a residency or something where I could improve my work, as it was not possible for me to go and study photography. Devika ma’am then went through all my work and really liked the one image from my Street Home series where underwear are hanging outside lockers to dry. She told me that there was no need for me to go to a school and study photography, and instead took out books from her own library and asked me to study them and said that once I was through, I should go sit with her to discuss them. We did this over a period of time and these sessions were very helpful and defining for me. I studied books that were by photographers from different parts of the world from different periods of time. It was basically getting an education in the History of Photography, sitting at the PHOTOINK gallery, and having these discussions with Devika ma’am.
7. Is there a book, exhibition or body of work that has really impressed you and maybe influenced your work / life?
Yes, one of the books that Devika ma’am introduced me to was Looking at Photographs – 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. I spent hours and days going through this book and can say that this one book has truly been inspirational.
When I started our Rang library with Chandan Gomes after we had collected enough books, slowly I was able to understand Dayanita ma’am’s work, and Gauri Gill ma’am’s work, as to why they had created their work and what were the thought and creative processes behind them. We organized a reading and talk session at our library with Dayanita ma’am, and that was quite meaningful and helpful for me to understand her work, especially Myself, Mona Ahmed. When I started working on shelter homes after completing Street Dreams, this understanding of her work really helped me. I worked on this project from 2008 to 2012. After that, I started my work on the mountains, which still continues. In fact, in the beginning, when I started shooting the mountains, I shot them in a certain way, and in the first year itself, because of my limited understanding, I thought that this project was complete and that I didn’t have to shoot more. However, a better understanding of Dayanita ma’am’s work has been a great inspiration for me, which led me to continue my work on the mountains, change the way I was shooting, and today when you see that work, you see a certain level of maturity in that work. You see a passage of time, and you see the clarity with which I have photographed, which came from the number of years spent. To be able to look and see in a certain way and understand in a certain way came from looking at various bodies of work by different photographers – this has been one of the biggest learning experiences for me.
8. What draws / drew you to the subject matter you are pursuing in your current work?
For me, it’s a combination of things – I start working because of a certain gut feeling, also because there could be a certain memory that triggers it, and then, of course, this is followed by research. For instance, while working on my Street Dreams project, I realized that when I present this work to the world, it may change the thought process of many of the viewers. They will realize that for children who live on the street, if they were to get the right exposure and support at the right time, then they too – like me – can become something in life. So, along with exhibiting my work, I started giving talks, as well, so as to inform the viewer and help them change their mindset about street children. Up till now, I have given about 400 motivational talks, and sometimes I feel I am repeating the same thing. However, if this can lead to a change in perception and make a street child’s life better, then my purpose is achieved.
A lot of film directors make films to give a message to society, so I use photography in a similar way. Both media are great initiatives to convey social messages to the public.
9. Do your projects typically run in parallel, or do you focus on one project at a time?
I mostly work on my own projects, one at a time, while doing as many assignments as I can in between. However, even while working on a given project, I am open to various narratives and messages coming out of it. For instance, I am still working on my mountain project and in between, I worked on Janwaar Castle between 2015-18 and exhibited it, as well. When I started working on this, it was not with the idea of working on it as a personal project; it was more like working on it to support the concerned NGO. The free time that I have in between projects I spend going through my analog and digital archive.
10. How do you measure success or that a body of work is going well?
Between 2011-2015, every two weeks, we would all gather at my place and have an event called Raat ka Adda, similar to the Nazar ka Adda that was organized by Dinesh sir and Prashant sir. We would look at each other’s works and give feedback, basically healthy criticism. Later, we started changing the venue. Once we had the adda [informal meeting] at Anoop’s place in Noida and at Mahavir’s place in Jahangirpuri. It was easier to have it at my place, as I was living alone and I am not married. These addas were very productive and useful and we really looked forward to having them. They provided a healthy space where we could openly show the work we were working on and have discussions and get feedback. This really helped me.
After a while we thought that, to improve our work, we should perhaps visit artists’ studios and see how they work and also their work spaces. My first visit along with Chandan Gomes was to Mithu Sen’s and Samit Das’s studios. This visit was quite helpful, as they showed us some art books and this made us realize that we need to look beyond just photography in our work. I also called up Gigi Sacaria and told him that I really like his work very much and that I would like to assist him. Since Gigi sir works with photography as well, I worked with him on 2 or 3 of his projects, which were great learning experiences for me. I also visited the studio of artist Arunkumar H G. I then organized an exchange program in which I invited Mithu Sen and Samit Das to my home, so that they could interact with all the Rang photographers and other young photographers and had great discussions. We also called Ram Rahman, Prashant Panjiar, and Shahidul Alam. We would share our works with them, and they would talk about their art practice and life, and this entire exchange was very interactive and immensely helpful. Once Devika ma’am came, as well. I have documented all these adda and when the right time comes – when all these young photographers have become big names in the field – I will bring this out. That is when I will share this documentation.
All these interactions have helped me hugely in my growth as a photographer.
11. What has the contribution of the photography community been to your development, and how do you feel they have supported you in reaching where you are today?
At the Vadehra Art Gallery, they give solo shows to artists only after they are of a certain age and give young artists only group shows. One day, I sent an eMail to Roshni ma’am that if you won’t give me a chance to have a solo show then how would I improve on my work? In her reply to me she asked me to come and meet Vidya Shah, who told me that though they couldn’t give me a solo show, they would give me a group show, which would almost be equivalent to a solo show.
In 2012, they did a group show titled Apna Ghar, named after my shelter home. When this work was exhibited, we organized a Nazar ka Adda there one evening and someone asked me where would I now like to take this work, to which I replied that I was hoping to now make a book out of it. You will not believe me, after the Adda, Prashant sir took me out for a walk and said that The Nazar Foundation had a budget to make a book and that he liked my work. However, the final decision lay with Sanjeev Saith. He asked me to take out all my contact sheets and digital material and took me to Sanjeev Saith’s house two days later. Once we were there, I pulled out all my work and Prashant asked me to leave the room so that he and Sanjeev could discuss, to which Sanjeev said, no, I didn’t have to step out. He said that they were going to do the book. I was so thrilled that day. I had a desire to make a book and the offer came right in front of me, I did not have to go to anyone. We were looking for 100 patrons to contribute Rs 5000 each and everyone from the photo community contributed. Dayanita ma’am in fact wanted to contribute much more than Rs 5000, but Prashant sir said that they were not accepting more than Rs 5000 per person, so Dayanita gave more names and under those names made a much bigger contribution. My books sold so quickly that I am left with only one copy for myself. I have been supported throughout my career by the photography community.
Similarly, I too try to support my friends. When Sunil Gupta approached me to look at my work for FotoFest Houston, I suggested to him the names of other Rang photographers. Anoop Ray and Vinit Gupta both got to exhibit there. I know one thing clearly: that I am where I am in my life only because people along the way supported me and mentored me. And it is my responsibility that I too give back and do whatever I can in my capacity to push and support others.
12. Do you ever find yourself creatively ‘stuck?’ Is there something that is particularly helpful to you in overcoming this?
Whenever I find myself stuck working on a project, I give it and myself time. And with time, I always find a solution. For instance, there is a project that I have been thinking about for four years now that I would like to work on but haven’t started work on it yet. It’s based out of Assam and, over the years, I have visited Assam many times and have been staying in tea bungalows and have realized that slowly the culture of tea bungalows is dying. They are getting converted into either guesthouses or restaurants or changing the construction to make them more practical and contemporary. I want to make a document and record the architecture and the culture of these tea bungalows before they completely die out. I want to make a book of this work for future generations. For some time, I was stuck and struggled as to how to go about this as an individual and connect with all the tea bungalows. I have a friend, Joi Barua, who is a famous singer and his wife, Nayana Borthakur, who are both Assamese. I decided to collaborate with them as they have good connections in Assam. Nayana will write the history and I will take the photographs. They have written a proposal for the project and sent it to the Tea Association, and I am hoping that we will soon be able to begin work on it. Many times, you don’t have an immediate answer or a solution to a situation or a problem. However, if you give it time, a solution appears.
13. How much effort do you put into getting your work shown? Is this important to you? Does showing your work feed your creative process, or does it distract you from it?
Yes, after having worked on a project for a considerable amount of time and having taken feedback from friends and mentors and improving on it, I do want the work to be shown. And for me, it’s also important to give out a social message through my work. Just like all movies are not meant only for pure entertainment, some are made to give out a social message.
There is a village, Jhaanwar in Madhya Pradesh, where the tribal children do skateboarding and if you will see these children you will be spellbound by their talent to skateboard. They are representing India internationally in this sport. However, if I hadn’t shown this through photographs, how would people come to know of them and the fact that they play so well? That’s why it is important for me to show my thoughts and emotions through photographs.
I use a lot of my photographs for social impact. For instance, at the Skate Park in Jhaanwar village, where I was making photographs for over 3 or 4 years, there was an acute shortage of water, especially in the summers. I was informed that a solution was available to fix the water shortage problem, but Rupees 8 lakhs were required for the same. I suggested that I would make prints of the images that I had made here and sell them as edition prints, which I did, and collected Rupees 8 lakhs. We used this money to dig a deep boring, constructed a huge platform, and put a solar panel and motor to run it. Now, water is available there for 24 hours. This is a contribution that I was able to make through photography.
Recently, I was on assignment for Save The Children, shooting a family at Jama Masjid who lived on the street. I later uploaded the image on Instagram with the name and details of the family. A friend of mine from Silicon Valley, after seeing the photo, got in touch with me and sent Rupees 50,000 for them. I put in an additional Rupees 15,000 and started a little roadside grocery store for them. By showing my work, not only do I inform people, I get encouraged to make more such work.
14. Do you feel that there are adequate opportunities and avenues to share / show your work in your home country, or do you always look for such opportunities abroad?
My answer to this is that however much people get, they feel it is less. To be honest, I had nothing to lose. For me, I could only gain and what I have is more than what I expected – it is extra. I have been given a lot of opportunities in India and a lot of people have supported me: Alka Pande at India Habitat Centre gave me my first show, Anita Dube exhibited my work at the Kochi Biennale, Vadehra Art Gallery exhibited my work twice – first as a group show and then as a solo in 2018. In fact, in 2008, Vadehra Art Gallery did a huge show on Indian Contemporary Photography, titled CLICK!, which was curated by Radhika Singh and Sunil Gupta, and they showed my work. At that time, I was the youngest photographer in that show. This led to more opportunities as Vadehra Art Gallery organized many events in relation to that show – walks and artist talks, and since I was the youngest photographer in that show, they included me in all these events.
So, to be honest, I have got many, many opportunities in India, which a lot of people do not get.
Internationally too, I have had quite a few shows and they came on their own. In 2014, I went to NY where I met a Harvard University Professor who nominated me for the Time Hetherington Visual Media Grant. On my own I would not know much about grants and awards. It is my friends at Rang who would tell me to apply here and there. My friends and mentors have helped me immensely, because of which I have been able to get where I am today.
15. We know that fine art or documentary photography is not always enough to make a living. Some do commercial work, others teach. Are there other photography related areas that you work with in order to supplement your living? Some that you would recommend aspiring photographers to consider?
I conduct workshops in order to supplement my living. However, I know quite well that I am not a good teacher when it comes to teaching the history and aesthetics of photography, etc. So I do workshops as a team with Chandan, where he teaches the aesthetics of photography and I teach the technicals.
Also, I do a lot of assignments for NGOs for making a living. They prefer giving me the work as I come from a similar background. I’d like to add that even though I have a history of being from the streets, my rates are not compromised, I am paid what I ask.
Also, it’s not only about earning money through assignments. I have a mobile which is a Chinese Techno mobile and I was their ambassador for six months. The company had called me and wanted me to shoot their advertisement and asked me how much I would charge. Since it was a commercial ad, I thought I’d ask them for Rs 3 lakhs. They called me after an hour and said that I had quoted quite less and offered me Rs 5 lakhs. So these kinds of things also happen in life. I truly believe that if you work honestly, then that honesty shows in your work, and people value that honesty.
I am quite satisfied in life with the kind of assignments I get to do. In fact, the city of Delhi has given me everything that I have – name, fame, money – so I love this city. Once Smt. Sheila Dikshit ma’am got in touch with me with an assignment for which she wanted me to photograph the 15 things that she had done in the city of Delhi and make a book of that. It is called Dilli, Meri Dilli. Twenty-five percent of the images in this book are by me and I feel very proud that the Chief Minister of Delhi asked me to work for her on this.
A lot of people today feel that in photography the opportunities are very less; however, I totally disagree. When I started photography, only 5-star hotels got the interiors of their rooms photographed. Nobody else did. Today, if a person starts even an Airbnb, they get their rooms photographed. There is a huge online market for everything from a packet of salt that needs to be photographed, which was not the case earlier. Opportunities have only increased. Earlier people did not get a pre-wedding shoot done, now no wedding is complete without one. Earlier there would be only one photographer shooting a wedding. Now there are ten photographers hired to shoot at the same wedding. I agree that, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the market has been badly affected so we all need to change our perspective, but I am sure that opportunities will arise, even if they are fewer. I had my first show in 2007, and I only started getting work in 2013, six years later. However, I did not get desperate to make money. I would get small assignments once in six months or so and it was only after my first book came out that I started getting work. During this time, I kept my expenses low and did not give up. I was patient and worked hard and kept my focus. One thing I have learned in life is that if we work hard and persevere and do not lose hope, we can be successful. Also, doing documentary photography has brought a lot of patience in my life and has slowed me down, which has made me enjoy my life even more.
16. Digital technology has changed photography drastically over the last few years. Did you initially embrace the changes or resist them? Do you believe the changes have been good for the medium or not?
For a long time, I could not dream of turning digital as the equipment was quite expensive. I was given my first digital camera, a 550 D, when I was invited by the Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation to document the reconstruction of the World Trade Center. While I was there, Ram Rahman sir was visiting NY, and I excitedly showed him my new digital and he showed me his, which was a new full-frame Mark II. I had no idea what a full-frame camera was and then Ram sir took out a sheet of paper and through some drawings explained to me the differences in the sensors. I had already been using the 550D for a month and you won’t believe that when I went to B&H and told them I wanted to return that camera and buy a Canon 5D Mark II, they actually took it back without deducting a penny.
After turning digital, life became easier – visits to the lab, processing and contact sheets, editing, printing, and then scanning – all that stopped, which was a huge relief. Having turned digital, I go to Satpal Nirwal Lab – Digital Work Studio only once now, and that too for a short while as he knows how I like my images, so he works on them and sends them back to me via eMail. Also, I can immediately show the results to my clients, as there is hardly any waiting time. In fact, the Sony camera that I use now has an option where I can transfer the image directly to the mobile that I am using and this is really useful. In my opinion, science and technology really benefit us and make our lives simpler. However, the experience that we had in the darkroom and even cutting of the prints by the paper cutter, I miss that.
17. With your years of experience, of the lessons you have learned, what is the one thing you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
I have met a lot of people in the last fifteen years of my photographic career who have pulled me up and also pulled me down. However, people at SBT (Salaam Baalak Trust) gave me confidence that they are behind me as strong pillars and Anay sir and Anubhav Bhaiya didn’t allow me to stray here and there and kept me grounded.
I think I kept meeting people and they kept giving me good advice along the way, which I kept following and moved ahead.
18. How would an interested collector go about buying your work?
They can either get in touch with Vadehra Art Gallery (roshni@vadehraart.com) or with me directly (roy.vicky@yahoo.com).
19. If you didn’t do photography, what other career might you have pursued?
I would have either been doing theatre and puppetry, as that is what I was doing at SBT before getting into photography, or I would have ended up working at the Gurgaon (Gurugram) toll bridge that had newly opened up then and earned Rs 12000 a month, which was quite a lot at that point, or worked as an office boy. I couldn’t have dared to dream big dreams because of the background I came from.
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Copyright © Vicky Roy
20 November
