Mastercraftsman
The masters of the craft share their insights and photographs
Syed is a digital marketing professional and a self-taught photographer based in Delhi. “I have been a story teller since childhood and now use photography as a medium to tell stories. Sometimes realities can be too complex and stories give it a form.
Photography, to me is like oxygen, without which I can’t survive. I love to travel for photo-shoot related assignments as well as leisure, and to explore new places and people. I’m endlessly inspired by nature and the adventures which life is throwing at me as a challenge” says Syed.
What veered you towards photography? Tell us about your journey.
In 2005, I got hold of an analogue camera during my cousin sister’s wedding and captured a few moments in it. It was like a new toy for me and I was on cloud nine upon being entrusted with it. My excitement was short-lived since the camera reel only had a capacity of 36 shots and finding an extra set of reels was quite impossible and impractical at the time. My father took the film negatives to the post-processing center and after a couple of days, when everybody saw the photographs, I received a lot of appreciation. That truly ignited the fire within me and made me realise that such a tiny device could bring so much happiness to people and can freeze time as well.
In 2008, my elder brother got a Sony digital point and shoot camera as a gift from our cousin who lived in Germany, and I guess that was the turning point in my photography career. I clicked pictures every day and practised splash photography, taking pictures of the birds from my terrace, among other elements. The urge to capture everything with that small device with the added bonus that I didn’t have to suffer any limitations of storage capacity made me shoot even more. In 2013, I got my first ever paid photography assignment from my college to cover the fresher’s party. During the same year I got to know about a photography group i.e. Delhi Photo Enthusiastic Group-DPEG that taught photography over the weekends, free of cost. On one of my walks with DPEG, I saw a group of 3 people reading the same newspaper. I thought to myself that it can be an interesting frame capturing the by-lanes of Delhi in the streets of the crowded market with a contrasting backdrop and immediately clicked a photo of it. I posted it on social media and I was praised for my work. That gave me the muchneeded boost and motivation.
My first D-SLR i.e. Nikon D5100 with a 18-55 mm lens was a gift from my father and it lead me to pursue various other genres of photography. By 2015-16, Instagram gained the much-needed popularity in India, and since I regularly posted on this platform, I started getting paid assignments such as portfolio shoots, corporate shoots, product shoots, as well as clothing and lifestyle shoots. In late 2015, I travelled to Pushkar and one of my photographs titled “The moustache man” went viral over Instagram in 2016. It got various recommendations and was featured on some of the big pages on Instagram and Facebook, nationally and internationally. That was just the kind of push that was needed to take my photography career to the next level.
In November 2018, I organised a photo tour along with a friend, to the world’s largest Camel fair which is held at Pushkar, Rajasthan. It turned
out to be an astounding success. We managed and mentored 20 people over a 3-day tour. It was fun sharing the knowledge that I gained from my mentors/friends over the years. We did some incredible light painting photography, long exposure photography and some street portraits as well.
How would you describe the work that you do?
I don’t want to be labelled or tagged as a genre-specific photographer. I want to learn and experiment with all genres. I like to observe the subjects and want to be in the moment where I sense that I can do justice to it by ‘uniquely’ capturing them.
What drew you towards portrait photography?
Portrait photography, for me, is all about capturing emotions and storytelling; the experiences an individual had or are going through, are reflected well in their faces, particularly in the eyes. In storytelling, your photograph should be self-explanatory. They say “Emotion is one of the most valuable elements in portrait photography.
Nothing is more powerful than a face that provokes a smile or teary eyes that arouse great sympathy.”
Of course, there are lots of other elements that play vital roles in creating a frame, but, without feelings and emotions, you will not be able to convey a story, nor create certain moods in your photos.
Behind each photograph, there is a photographer who waits for the right moments, using cameras and techniques to capture the transient joys, frustrations, or anger. Portrait photography is a constant challenge
and some of the best portraits involve the most authentic captures of human emotion and expression.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in getting the photo you want?
The biggest challenge for me has been shooting outdoors with strangers as they may not be very receptive about photography. Moreover, editing pictures is something that I find quite challenging since I may not have the same tastes and preferences as my clients. We need to arrive at an amicable solution and find a common ground, which may take time. Shooting for a brand or corporate brings different types of challenges to the table every time. Every individual wants something new and ‘out of the box’, which is of course necessary to survive commercially.
Where would you like to go next for your photographic tour and why?
I often wish that I had a time machine to go back into the past and see the rich culture of India. The old monuments and cultures fascinate me. If you ask me for one particular destination, then I guess that planet Earth would be quite small. To begin with, I would love to explore all parts of India as we have diverse cultures, festivals and landscapes throughout the year.
How do you find the balance between work and travel?
From Monday to Friday, I dedicate myself completely to the office so that there’s no workload over the weekend, which, I usually save for my shoots. I plan my travels in advance and always have my camera and gears in the car, for any random plans of travel or shoot. My office has been very supportive as they know about my passion for photography.
Where do you get your creative inspiration?
I always believed in the saying “You don’t find your passion. You grow your passion.” I am a self-taught photographer. I have found that it is helpful to look at pictures of other photographers to improve my own skills and I try to do this as often as possible. Observing how the photographers chose to capture and edit has helped me figure out how to capture my photographs and edit them. I follow the work of many ace photographers such as Raghu Rai, Steve McCurry (I call him- Father of Photography), Lee Jeffries, Lisa Kristine and more.
I would like to add that creativity is something that cannot be taught. According to me, it’s all about observation and presentation. How you perceive and portray. For having a good creative mind, one should be at peace from within. The mind works well with good music, good books, and while travelling.
What tips or advice do you have for other aspiring photographers?
The first and foremost advice is to come out of your comfort zone. You can’t sit at home and shoot and learn. The universe has a vast space for your creativity to unfold. Use it. Put on your shoes and camera bag and step out.
Shoot whenever you want to and whatever you wish to. There are no laws or benchmarks in photography. It is all about time and you need to dedicate time for photography. Be regular with your practise and have patience. Photography is like time travel and the camera is the time machine. Use it well.