Rooh - The Soul

A 'place' I have visited

smaran — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:25:25 GMT

From the early years of my life, all I can remember are stills captured by my grandfather and father. At home, there lies two big suitcases filled with snapshots, memories of a reality shared by the family, and to just peer into them takes me back to an era long gone. This very feeling, wherein the core literally time travels and our perspective is forced to shuffle through what the lens captures, is what brought me into photography. For me, it's a momentary capture of what I experienced, something that is enshrined forever, never to be repeated exactly ever again. Travel photography opens the prospective of being a witness to countless worldwide destinations, to journal and share the events and experiences distilled therein and limitless magnification of understanding our purpose here on this planet. I have been traveling alone and photographing throughout my journeys, in hopes that I continue harnessing the skill set required to be a travel photojournalist. I've had no formal training and this scholarship, with Jason's mentoring and the experience of Greenland's challengingly remote landscape will push me and my understanding of travel photography to the next level.

Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

smaran — Sat, 5 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT

I believe life to be a giant cauldron of moments, traversing at infinite speeds, colliding, merging, resonating, existing and finally decaying. To capture such moments, only to elucidate them back and project them within the stimuli of photographs is what drives me. Photography came to me at a junction when I was struggling to find a definite medium of expression, and till date I do it for one specific reason, to try and preserve my reality within a frame. This, coupled with my absolute love for travel, lets me see the beauty within each and every second of existence, and all I intend is to share it with others. I'll be honest, I have varied aspirations but at the darkest of hours, I have questioned, what's that one thing that I would love doing for the rest of my life on this planet, and only one dream can satiate my hunger, which is to travel far and wide, and through my images, let people explore the world beyond their own minds. I know I have a long way to go, and even though getting mentored by Jason would nudge me ahead towards my dream, I know this shall only happen if it's meant to, and irrespective of it, I shall continue on my path. Thank you for the opportunity.

My Scholarship entry - My Kind of Adventure

smaran — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:43:35 GMT

When I left for Kashmir, I had absolutely no pre conceived intentions whatsoever. I simply booked my tickets and left with a few pair of clothes, my camera and the tripod. My entire focus was to travel, without any expectations out of the journey, to just live in the moment, accept whatever comes my way and cherish those experiences while having my camera as a cosy companion. Those 10 odd days alone there, brought me closer to my inner core and gave tremendous affirmation to my belief systems.

I have had no filmmaking or editing training. I bought my dslr with the purpose of getting into landscape photography and eventually ventured into filmmaking after extensive personal research on the workings of the camera and editing softwares. There is something that drives me to capture moments and depict it via this medium, and with every project I aim to get better at it. I believe that I am constantly learning, and each project instills a new process in me.

I am the happiest when I am constantly on the move, and winning this scholarship will expose me into a realm where I can experience what most take for granted, capture the beauty within and share it with the rest of the world.