Its still intrigues me as to which life was better, the impoverished but joyous life of the small town boy, or the life in city with two cars, a house and a studio to boast of which comes along with the hassles of being a city dweller and a corporate honcho. Yes, I do wonder.
It wasn’t that bad. I earned the love and affection of my team members, mostly juniors. To date I keep getting calls, SMSs and mails on teachers day. It makes my heart fill up with pride and content. At least there are some people who think I did make a contribution in their lives. I am fully aware that it was indeed their hard work and perseverance that brought about the changes in their lives. It was their determination to excel that brought success. But it feels good to know I was a part of their success stories. And now after 22 years with the Oil and Gas industry, life takes a turn. It’s not a mid-life crisis. I have already been through that long back and now I have stabilized with my thought, my aspirations and my needs…. My need to be creative in the field of arts.
Pd. Birju Maharaj at a Kathak Recital
The Artist in me : From classical music to tabla, writing poetry to fine arts, and even Dancing and sculpture making. I kept exploring through the better part of my life. Each art form gave me immense pleasure and I delved deep into each one. But my final call was to be a wedding photographer. At the age of 16, my father who is with us no more, bought me a Agfa click-III. That made us poorer by Rs 99 (in the year 1986). But I felt like the most richest person on earth. I went on a clicking spree for a while but soon my studies drowned me in my regular mundane studies. Painting was still my prime focus and I earned a diploma in fine arts soon. Serious Photography as an art form was still far away.
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Gurgaon, the Millenium City
The maze of a big City : That was in the year 1986. But fate has something else destined for me. The quest to make our lives a little better in terms of money, led to me take up double Bachelor’s Degree, one in Physics and another in Engineering (Instrumentation). Armed with good marks and a lot of zeal, I came to Delhi with one of the most sought after jobs with Engineers India Ltd. That was a dream come true. The city life of Delhi fascinated me endless, and swept me off my feet for a moment. But that ecstasy was short lived. The urge to be creative made me join Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya, the temple of Indian classical Music. Wedding Photography was not even in my mind to say the least.
Corporate Life : Those were the days. I was busy with my corporate life, yet made time to practice my classes. While driving my two wheeler or while at home, I was audible always singing and practicing tan, tala and sur. The depth of Hindustani shastriya Music was mind boggling and I turned away from rest of the world. It was as if I had my tail on fire the urgency was such to learn this form of music. This continued for 4 long years. And then money matter took over.
That's me when I was a corporate guy in the year 2007
And the stock Market : The stock market fascinated me. Not the big money, but the sense of achievement one gets on making a successful investment and making money out of it. That was good till Harshad Mehta scam ripped me of most of the earning leaving me empty handed. That was long time back. With a broken heart, I brought my focus back to family and engineering.
A drastic change : Life was never static for me. It took unbelievable turns after every few years. And now I am faced with the biggest and most treacherous turn. I have always loved challenges, without them life feels to be monotonous, mundane and mediocre. I refuse to live a mediocre life. 22 years as a corporate honcho, and now I decided to look for new excitement, something I had been working for the last 10 years relentlessly. It all started as a hobby in the year 2002. And today I have ended my engineering career to start afresh as a Professional Contemporary Wedding Photographer. Having already executed a few wedding photography assignments and a few pre-wedding couple shoots as a professional, I have already the required portfolio in my bag. The responses from the clients for whom I have already worked, sounds very encouraging. So here I am, chucked a 34 lakh per annum job for the love of art and creativity.
Haldi, an intrinsic part of Hindu Weddings.
Finally a Wedding Photographer : Being a Wedding Photographer is not a life with glamour and spotlights. But who wanted that anyway. I get a kick out of challenges and wedding photography is by far the most challenging genre in photography. You get only one chance to capture a candid moment…. Just one chance to capture those feeling moments that would otherwise be lost forever and probably even go unnoticed while being enacted by your subjects. No retakes like we do in the studio for portfolio shoot or product shoots. I rejoice in capturing those special moments, moments of happiness, moments of pain, moments of love and moments of sheer ecstasy. I capture them all for them to cherish them for the rest of their lives. The brides and groom are frequently amazed to see those moments and wonder, “Wow did it really happen” !!
Maneet, right after getting ready for her Wedding.
Contemporary Art : Candid wedding photography is not exactly about having a lot of blurred background as is always thought to be by many. It’s about capturing your candid moments in the most unassuming and natural way. To capture you in your elements. Not a posed “say cheese” smile, not a snap while holding your groom/bride in the most awkward way. The image, the style of the image and the manner in which it was captured define contemporary style. The latest modern contemporary wedding photography is not just minimalistic, it looks at the subject with its soul in it and captures the image in a manner that reflects the mood and the environment as well.
IF you are looking for a Wedding Photographer, contact me : +91-9818736625
