Chiiz Volume 10 : Black and White Photography

places and teach photography.
You like to capture untold stories and
unprecedented experiences. Can you share
something that left an indelible mark in
your mind?
In Nepal, I shot a portrait of a mother and
a daughter near the Annapurna Base Camp.
The mother, 109 and the daughter, 92 years
old were in one frame together. That was
before the Nepal Earthquake. They were more
close to my heart than the others and I still
think back to that time and would love to go
back and see if they are alive and well.
You have travelled a lot and I’m sure there
will be a social cause that couldn’t have
escaped your notice. Is there a cause that
you wish you could help out through your
photography?
Normally I do commercial projects when
I travel, but I do feel strongly about the
environment.I see people throwing stuff on
the streets offhandedly and destroying the
environment. I’ve been to 16 countries until
now and everywhere that I’ve travelled, I’ve
noticed that apart from India, other countries
are very particular about cleanliness and they
are very educated about basic environment
education. I feel that we, in India aren’t really
falling in and especially if you are an animal
lover, you’d be extremely concerned about
the fact that they eat whatever stuff that is
thrown in the streets thoughtlessly and some
eventually die because of it. This is something
that I feel about and in Ladakh or Spiti,
whatever treks that I take, we try to educate
people and make sure that we don’t leave any
mess behind. In future, I would definitely
love to do something about it through
photography.
What are the ingredients of a good
photograph according to you?
I believe that a photograph should be able to
tell to tell a story. But what set it apart are the
elements that you use to make the story better.
I love taking landscape as well as portraits but
with amazing elements like light, shadow,
patterns, reflections etc. You will always find
an interesting element in my pictures. I try to
play a lot with light. That’s what I always say
“Controlling light is photography.”
My pictures are cinematic. I want the audience
to feel as they came out of the cinema hall by
having a glance at my picture. Want them
to enjoy the entire screenplay. Want them to
take away the whole cinematic film.
If you ask personally then I would love to
capture the adventure which will thrill you
from top to bottom and make you stunned
like how did you even take this shot. Cross
the limits, break the rules shoot like a gorilla
and get the best shot, that’s what my style is.
What is the one faux pas that amateur
photographers should avoid?
I think the only mistake that they should avoid
is to stop thinking of becoming a Facebook or
Instagram celebrity. It will help you if you want
to become a blogger or an Instagrammer. But
if you really want to become a photographer,
you don’t need to worry about social media.
You just need to keep working properly or
learn lighting or a commercial or something
related to photography. There’s absolutely
nothing that you are going t o get from social
media.
Priyashi Negi
priyashi@chiiz.com
Trekking to the top of the hills through
tiny little paths and between pines is
nothing short of a paradise for Priyashi.
Books and poetry are her refuge. She is a
foodie at heart and seems to be blessed
with a sweet tooth and a love for all
things cheese (pun-intended).
Skyscraper
NIKON D800 24mm F/22 1/1000s ISO400
Shells
NIKON D800 48mm F/4.5 1/60s ISO640
Arcade
NIKON D800 24mm F/10 1/125s ISO100