1. What is your earliest memory of how or what attracted you to photography?
My father was a poet and enjoyed sharing photographs from the newspaper with us, and talked about the content of the picture as well. His poems were on social issues and there would be social gatherings and meetings at home, which went a long way in influencing me. When I picked up the camera and ventured into this new medium, I wanted to document social issues.
2. What did you study before joining the JJ School of Arts to do a diploma in photography?
Life was never easy, as I had a lot of financial constraints, and being the oldest son, the responsibility of the family fell on my shoulders. After my schooling, I was pursuing civil engineering, but in the third semester I dropped out of the course due to a shortage of funds. Also, the instruction was in English, which I did not follow at all, as I came from a Marathi medium background. Even when I started the Fine Arts program at JJ School of Arts, my education was cut short, as I was unable to gather funds for buying pencils and paper. However, it was my art professor who advised me to take a photography course, which would enable me to sustain a living after the study.
3. What got you interested in doing the diploma in photography in the first place?
I was struggling with poverty at home, and wanted to get into a profession that would help me earn some money for survival. My professors at the art school took me to the photography class actually intending that I would do wedding photography to make a living. I took my professors’ advice of buying a camera and used my mother’s savings, which was supplemented by a kind neighbor and friend.
4. What prompted you to study film and video production?
I wanted to become a cinematographer, but I was not qualified for entrance into the course. So, I did a film and video production course to watch more films and understand cinematic language, which later proved to be very helpful in my photography. I still love watching films; my friends and I would watch four consecutive shows in a day during my time at JJ School of Arts.
5. If you were to design a photo program for aspiring photographers in India, what would it look like? Would it be a degree course? Workshop format? Mentorships?
I would like to design the photography program in the workshop format. I have been conducting workshops around the country with the youth for some time now, and I realize that the power of the camera to capture lived experiences comes through this medium. I show my social documentary photo series along with the photographs taken by the participants. When the participants use the camera first hand, then the story changes and the learning process becomes two way. While designing a photography program, the mentorship model is important, as it is necessary to get guidance and training from experts in the field.
6. How easy or difficult was it to get your first job as a staff reporter at Free Press Journal?
It was quite difficult to get my first job. I was assisting a senior photojournalist while I also learnt the business of photography. It was a struggle for survival — the ways in which news is collected, how one needs to tap the right resources and people for the information. During assignments, I was making my portfolio and learning how and what to communicate to the print media team. I was working on making my portfolio for about seven months. And then, one fine day, I was interviewed and appointed as a photographer at Free Press Journal.
7. Could you share your experience as a photojournalist? What was the most exciting part of being a photojournalist? Can you share one memory / incident while on the job that comes to mind?
While working as a photojournalist, every day was exciting. I was meeting new people and visiting new, unknown neighborhoods. I was covering major accidents like fires, as well as natural disasters like earthquakes; crime stories like shootings, and daily mundane events. There are many incidents that have happened during my tenure as a photojournalist — I survived the Mumbai riots of 1993. I met inspiring people like Mother Teresa, Baba Amte, Dalai Lama, JRD Tata. The list is endless.
When I was a young photographer, I used to spend nights at the fire stations, so I would get to visit sites where fire broke out. I would go to the site with the fire officers in their fire engines and it was quite thrilling!
8. Besides working as a photojournalist, you have spent a considerable amount of time working on various issues. What draws you to these subjects?
While doing photojournalism, I realized that I was drawn to document subjects that are invisible in society. I wanted to bring these stories into light and have the voices of dalits, tribals, women, and other marginalized groups heard and, in the process, to give them respect and dignity.
One day, when I was passing through the lanes of Mumbai central during an assignment, I encountered an acquaintance who asked me to accompany him and see the lives of the conservancy workers. That one experience of seeing these workers made me decide to photograph them with dignity and respect. And this is what I have always tried to do, while photographing them and other down-trodden realities of our society.
9. What is the story / issue that is closest to your heart that you have worked on? Why is it so important?
There are many stories, however, the ones closest to me are my projects titled In Search of Dignity and Justice, Justice Delayed is Justice Denied and Thrice Oppressed. I am from the same community, and am empathic to these issues, and have a close relationship with my subjects. I associate with these people and want to represent their voices.
10. While working on projects, do they typically run in parallel or do you focus on one project at a time?
I work on multiple projects at the same time. For instance, I have been documenting Kamathipura, the red-light area of Mumbai, for the past 14 years. Whenever I get the time, I go and shoot there. At any given time, I am working on 2-3 projects. It’s important for me to constantly produce work, show it and create some impact.
11. You started photography using analog and then transitioned to digital. Which medium do you prefer and why?
Both have their respective advantages and disadvantages. However, I prefer analog photography because it makes me anxious as well as it keeps me alert, disciplined, and alive to everything around me.
12. 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? Why?
The changes are quite good for the medium, as it reduced the whole process of finally seeing the image. The fact that it is fast and immediate has helped photographers in many ways. However, I believe that photographers, who used analog, understood the art and science and play of light in a better way.
13. What draws you usually to work on a certain idea? Does it come as a gut feeling, or after analysis or research? Is it because of some memory? Or something that you are really concerned about?
It is my experiences, feelings, and memories, which are followed up with research that lead me to work on a particular issue. The fact that I identify with a particular situation is what draws me to that. Because I am concerned about particular subjects and am empathetic towards them, I start working with them and for them. I also feel that it is very important to share your work with the people you photograph, and that your ‘subject’ and your ‘subject matter’ should be more important to you than your being a photographer.
14. You founded the Photography Promotion Trust (PPT). Can you please tell us about PPT? What prompted you to start it? What are you doing under the trust?
National Geographic invited me to the U.S. in 2005. I got to visit New York, Los Angeles, and many other cities, where I met many great photographers who were very socially committed and engaged. They were engaged with the community by way of exhibiting photographs and organizing photo workshops for school and college students, with the goal of creating a new generation of socially-engaged photographers.
It is during this trip that I met Reza Deghati and Shahidul Alam at the All Roads Photographers Award from National Geographic. I learned about their work and was inspired to do something similar and work for the marginalized in my country using photography.
I used this experience and set up PPT in 2005. The aim is to liberate these youth from downtrodden communities using the powers of photography. Many members of the photographic community helped me at the trust by teaching classes and leading workshops.
PPT is a nonprofit organization that uses photography to create definitive change in the lives of socially marginalized people, and also promotes social documentary photography. PPT conducts workshops for free, exhibitions, training for youth and NGO staff. It also establishes partnerships with organizations for photo documentation work. We also document social issues in rural and urban communities. The issues of marginalized communities is the force driving us to make these lives matter.
We have been able to impact the lives of many communities, using the camera as a tool for social change and bridgebuilding between classes and sections. For example, our 10-year photography workshop with children of conservancy workers has helped them break the vicious circle of life in these communities, so that fewer of them fall victim to what once appeared the destiny of their becoming sweepers like their fathers and forefathers. Few participants of the workshop have even established themselves as successful photographers.
Going forward, we would like PPT to enlarge its canvas by organizing different social outreach programs through participatory media programs.
15. You recently started a traveling exhibition. Can you talk about this? Why did this seem important to you, and what have you accomplished? What was the peoples’ involvement?
Photography on Wheels is a mobile photo van that travels the length and breadth of India, stopping at villages and small towns that truly define the country and its diversity. It documents stories, meets people, creates a dialogue among communities, conducts workshops, exhibits and provides new perspectives to these communities using the power of photography.
The experience is truly beautiful. We share our works and inspire the people. We connect and build relationships with the youth in these areas. The youth in small towns and villages need exposure and the exhibition provides that and tries to inspire them and share new knowledge. We try to expose their talent, which will help them explore their photographic skills. The involvement of the people and youth has been very warm and welcoming, as we experienced it during our first and second photo tours in the Konkan and Marathawada regions of Maharashtra.
16. Can you please talk about the photography workshops you have been conducting?
The structure of our photography workshops is not just about teaching technical aspects of photography, but creating an individual citizen out of the youth. During these workshops, we bond with the participants through values and narrowing the gap of religion against hate. Bonding is very important in our workshops. The main aim of the workshop is to look at society through a different lens. We share many photographic works and develop an understanding of these classic works. It is a step-by-step process, which leads to respect for each other.
17. In recognition of your photographic work, you were conferred with the Padma Shri, India’s 4th Highest Civilian Award by the President of India. How did that feel?
It was a big surprise! Frankly, the award is not for my photography, but for the social work done through photography. The award is a recognition of photography; that photography can be a change agent; that photography is a powerful tool to bring about social reform in the society; that photography has the power to change the minds of the people and influence change in the power structures in the society.
When I started out as a photographer, I did not really expect any kind of recognition or return. My sole objective was to show the cruel face of the human condition and garner a strong response from the establishment to create change, however small. Being recognized for this, humbles me. Over the past 30 years, it has been more about consistency than hard work. Once you do what you love, it is about striving to constantly excel at it; shooting every day, traveling, learning and listening were just as important as hard work. Perseverance, I think is the right word.
18. You have worked as a staff photographer, photo editor, photojournalist, and a filmmaker. What do you enjoy most?
What I enjoy the most is photographing!
It has been wonderful to work as a photojournalist because it was interesting to meet new people, be on the move, and travel to new places, always clicking pictures. It’s all a great learning experience.
19. Is there a book, an exhibition, or a body of work that has really impressed you and maybe even influenced your work / life?
I have been influenced by many great masters such as Henri Cartier Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Raghu Rai, and Pablo Bartholomew. I love Josef Koudelka’s work. Many famous painters such as Vincent Van Gogh and Rembrandt have also inspired me.
20. Could you describe a time when you found yourself creatively ‘stuck?’ If yes, then how did you come around to dealing with it?
Yes, I found myself stuck many times. The way I see, and think, and my beliefs; I often felt stuck. That’s when I would take my work to my friends – writers, photographers, artists – and show them my work and have discussions and take their advice. For me, my family and friends are very important as they inspire me.
I also visit art galleries, bookstores, attend music concerts, or take a day or two excursions outside the city. Or go for a walk and relax, meditate, and rejuvenate myself. I reflect on the advice and again continue my work.
21. When you put together a series of images, please share the process while you are creating the narrative? Is it different while you are working on your own story and while working as a photo editor on a story by another photographer?
When I am working on a personal story, I work on the content and understand the issue. It is different in the sense that I am with the story for a long period of time. There are additions and deletions, but the process is very simple: beginning, middle, and end. And it is very personal.
While working as a news editor, on the other hand, you cater to the needs of the newspaper. The need of the hour is the news, and this needs to be quick, which makes the edit and the narrative different. The focus here is on strong visuals that tell the story in fewer images.
While working with other photographers, it is interesting to understand the style of the photographer and give input based on my experience, way of seeing, and beliefs. It is very important for other photographers to share and discuss their stories for input and advice.
22. Can you share a bit about some of your personal photographic work / projects? Why do you make this work? What do you hope to achieve with it? Do you have any particular ambitions for it? Does it guide / influence your photographic work at large?
One project that is very close to me is In Search of Dignity and Justice. Working on this documentary project has influenced me deeply in my life. When I saw the deplorable conditions of conservancy workers, I wanted to give them identity, dignity, and justice, as well as provide some solution.
I work because I feel very strongly about them and their issues. These people are my own people and I want to see their problems, conditions and situations improve and change. I want this work to be seen by policymakers and every citizen of India.
Currently I am working on the draught-affected farmers and Dalit atrocities.
23. Given the fact that a “zillion” images are produced and circulated on a daily basis, in your opinion, what is the place for serious reportage and journalistic images?
Serious reportage and journalistic images will always be important as they have something critical to say. They will stand out for the sheer quality of the ‘image’ and for being a reflection of the society we live in.
24. While working on a long-term project, what is the advice you’d like to give to young photographers?
Firstly, you want to ensure that you truly feel for the story. Only then will you be able to sustain your interest and commitment to work on it for a long period of time. Secondly, you should be in a position to approach working on the story at any given point of the day or the night, because that’s when you will get intimate photographs. Thirdly, you have to respect and feel empathetic towards those with whom you are working.
25. How do you measure success or that a body of work is going well?
For me, it is about spending as much time as I can with my subject and as I go on, the layers begin to open; I begin to understand many aspects that I hadn’t earlier, and finally I see that it’s all working out.
For me, it’s the story format with a beginning, middle, and end. And, in time, when it all falls into place and the story seems complete, I know that my work is going well.
26. 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 from it?
For me, it’s important to show my work regularly, and I put a lot of effort into doing this. For instance, I have been showing my work at the Kalaghoda Art Festival in Mumbai for the past 20 years. I do this because I believe that the work that I make needs to be seen and shared. In the process of showing, I meet many people, students and artists, and this interaction also brings a new meaning to my work, which I greatly value.
27. How would an interested collector go about buying your work?
The collector can get in touch with me directly at my website or PPT’s website.
28. Do you feel that there are adequate opportunities and avenues to share / show your work in India, or do you always look for such opportunities abroad?
Since I am a social documentary photographer, I hardly have opportunities to show my work in galleries. Having said that, I endeavor to show my work in public spaces. Recently, I was able show my work inside police stations, schools, and gardens.
29. Do you think there is a universal language that photography uses? Are Indian photographers finding that they are judged by western criteria and standards?
Photography is a universal language, however there are many boundaries, which are created by curators, photographers, and gallerists. Nationalities and identities are given importance while judging, and this is always guided by western standards and western politics of superiority.
30. 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 wish I had exposure to photographers and their works. This would certainly have given me some direction to understand what I should do, and would have saved me 10 years of the struggle that I underwent.
31. If you didn’t do photography, what is the next best thing you would like to be doing?
Best thing would be doing photography only. Second best, perhaps farming.
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Copyright © Sudharak Olwe
20 November
