About preeteesh
A street performer brings joy to people of all age, sex and color.
When I came across with this opportunity presented by worldnomads.com and National Geographic Chanel to win a photography scholarship with Jason Edwards in Oman, only one thought came into my mind, ‘I want it’. I know it’s a mammoth task for an amateur photographer like me but at least I have the right intentions for a start.
My name is Preeteesh Peetabh Singh, born and brought up in a middle class family in India. When I say India, it means a country which every traveler should definitely visit once in his lifetime, a plethora of love, animosity, people, culture, languages, beauty, happiness, emotions and expressions.
My relationship with travelling started form an early age, due to my father’s transferable job we had to keep moving places after every two to three years. While other kids completed their schooling and graduated from one city, I travelled extensively all over India. Initially, I used to hate getting away from friends, but I really don’t remember when I started liking it. Meeting new people, learning a new language, changing food habits, changing weather, playing a different game, adapting to different cultures and style of doing things, all these gave me a thrill, and it still does.
During the course, I completed my graduation degree in business administration in 2010 and worked for a year in a financial company. My job was all about the crazy stock market, tetris looking graphs and a sea of unnecessary phone calls where people tried very hard or rather tried their luck to make some money.
By the way, I always loved photographs, I mean who doesn’t? But there was a difference; I loved being behind the lens as much as being in front of it. I developed this passion after being inspired by my elder brother. He had this big complicated camera which was very hard for me to understand, leave alone clicking photos with that thing. So, I decided I’ll take classes and learn how to use the DSLR’s and also to pick up some photography skills. I enrolled in National Institute of Photography, Mumbai and completed a certification in basic photography over the weekends, while I was continuing with my job. This short stint changed the way I ‘looked’ at life.
Every photograph has a story behind it, and I aim to capture those stories through my lens. Photography is a journey worth ‘living’. Personally, it’s a collection of memories and emotions. All I know is weather its 3 am in the morning or the temperature is -22 degree Celsius, I can pick up my camera and leave for a trail. As cliché as it sounds, it has developed gradually as my passion for the true meaning of it.
After 22 years of my journey in India, In January 2012, I finally got an opportunity to move to a different country. Picked my spot, Canada it was. Although I am here for my higher education (PG Financial Planning), I have a confession to make. The curiosity to see the world, to take the first step in a new country on my own was a major reason behind the decision to move.
I have been actively involved in photography and writing since I came here. In May 2012, eight of my photographs were exhibited in ‘Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival’ held across 300 TTC subway stations in Toronto. This was the first major recognition which I got through my photography. It was important to me, as it gave me confidence to compete at a higher level. I believe practice and some more practice is the single best way to excel in photography.
My most recent success came in November 2012, when my entry into the ‘Wikipedia photo contest around cultural heritage’ made it into the top 100 finalists in Canada.
Apart from clicking photographs, I write. I have been working for my college (George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto) newspaper as a reporter for the past seven months. I am also an active blogger and a social media enthusiast.
Whatever I do in life, wherever I land up, I’ll always love photography and travelling. This scholarship to me seems to be an opportunity for me to get into what I truly cherish, an opportunity to be on a NatGeo travel assignment, an opportunity to learn and be mentored by Jason, an opportunity to interact with a different culture, and an opportunity to view life from a different perspective.
This experience will help me shape my life in regards to what I really want to do. As a student it is really a tough decision to make in choosing a career in photography knowing the precariousness of the work. This experience will definitely give me a boost to focus and achieve success in this field. This assignment will make my belief stronger that the love for the job leads us to the ultimate victory and satisfaction and not the monetary benefits.
Good photographs have the power to make ordinary things look extraordinary. Unexpected nature of a photograph has the ability to stand out. I, through my photography will aim to capture unexpectedly extraordinary photographs which I am sure will stand out.
