An unbelievable amount of passion from a photographer who believes in capturing people, those expressions and their incredible story is a treat to watch. This is Sreeranj Sreedhar from Kerala and living in Dubai. Sreeranj loves to capture environmental portraits, culture & traditions and landscapes. Read this short interview to know more about this amazing photographer.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am working as an Admin & Human Resources Manager for a multinational company in Dubai for the past 23 years but originally from Kerala, India. I am a self-taught photographer and love travel photography, to capture environmental portraits, culture & traditions and landscapes.
What first drew you to photography—and how did you discover it?
I was fascinated by the works of Steve McCurry which inspired me to pursue the art of photography and learn to capture such moments & emotions. It was in the year 2011 that I got my first DSLR camera which was a Canon 500 D and started capturing images every weekend. When people started appreciating my works, I realized I should excel in this art and it was until I got involved with the photography group in Dubai called FSO, which has helped me to broaden my skills and changed the way I see things. Currently I use a Canon 5D Mark II body with Canon 16-35 USM II L & Canon 24-70 USM I Lenses and also a Fuji X100s camera for street shoots.
What does ‘people photography’ mean to you?
Connection between the subject and the photographer is very important in people photography. It is only when your subject is confident with you, will you be able to capture their expressions and emotions most naturally. I like to capture people at their work place and include the environment which portrays their working condition. In most of my photographs I like to include a human element to give life to the picture and create a mood and story to it.
What do you want your viewers to take away from your work?
I want my pictures to be an inspiration for the beginners just like how I came to take up photography as a passion in my life. I would also like to emphasize on the statement through my work that photography is all about how you see and not what you see and also not to depend much on the gear rather what you capture. My pictures should make the viewer’s curious and want to know more about the people and the places.
How do you educate yourself to take better photos?
I learn from the works of the master photographers whom I follow and understand how they have placed their subjects and other elements in the frame. I also attend talks and workshops by prominent Photographers to learn from their experience and constantly update myself on the areas that I need improvement. I am thankful to 121clicks for the articles posted time to time that has played a vital role in my progress. I also share my works for critique with my fellow photographers to understand the drawbacks and to improve upon them.
What are your thoughts on working on single images versus photo stories?
Single images capture only the moment and a particular emotion whereas a photo story conveys a broader insight into the lives of the people and their environment captured in sequence of images. I normally tend to do a research on certain subjects that I intend to cover as a photo story and work towards that whereas single images will depend on the situation and location at hand.
Your favorite contemporary photographers?
My top 10 favorite photographers whom I am inspired and follow are :
- Steve McCurry
- Timothy Allen
- Mitchel Kanaskavich
- Marsel Van Oosten
- Zack Arias
- James Nachtwey
- MaciejDakowicz
- Raghu Rai
- Vineet & Rohit Vohra
- Hari Menon
You have any favorite books on photography?
- Transcending Travel – Mitchel Kanaskavich
- Seeing the light – Mitchel Kanaskavich
- Within the Frame – The Journey of Photographic Vision – David Duchemin
- Photographically Speaking – David Duchemin
Any final thoughts for our readers?
Try to see things differently and capture those frames and angles where few have tried. It is all about what you have captured not with what you have captured. Be passionate in your strive to excellence and learn to judge your own pictures. Show only your best works. The moment you start identifying your faults and deleting the pictures you took yesterday, you are in the path of growth.
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You can find Sreeranj Sreedhar on the Web :
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Sreeranj Sreedhar. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
