5 Indian Photographers Share Their Creative Processes To Make An Image Speak Louder Than Words

(L) Mohit Tiwari (R) Ankita Jain

Every photographer has a process they refer to whilst creating an image. This, in turn, lends the image a trademark signature that only their work possesses.

A picture is not just about point and shoot. In fact, there is a whole trajectory that the process of making pictures follows, each unique and disparate from the other. The photographer decides what she wants to show in her frame, how she wants the subject, or the landscape to be depicted. Quite often, these questions do not arise spontaneously but demand the photographer to invest in planning how these images are going to be made.

Over the years, Homegrown has had the chance to interact with photographers of various kinds, hailing from different spheres and walks of life, and learn the processes behind their visual stories. These stories are bound to inspire and also guide people notwithstanding their specific interest in the field of photography.

To that end, here is a list of five photographers who share with us their work and the creative process that goes into it.

I. Archisman Misra

Archisman’s Photo series titled ‘Grace’ is an attempt to redefine the definition of masculinity. As a part of his creative process, he focusses on how he will tell his story. Through the images that he makes, he tries to bring out the ideas of grace, self-love, and intimacy.

He believes in making his subject in sync with the story that he wishes to tell, so, instead of capturing them as they are, he tends to pre-decide what he will try to capture.

Read more about the photography project ‘Grace’ here.

Explore more of his work through his Instagram.

II. Soumyabrata Roy

Soumyabrata is a documentary photographer who often finds himself on a to and fro journey from his hometown, Tehatta to the Sealdah railway station (Eastern Railways). On these journeys, he is often enthralled to be greeted by a milieu of people from different social locations.

Specifically inspired by the grit and rigour of travellers who were suffering from an ailment and yet taking these arduous journeys, he decided to document them. This is where his creative process kicked in and he ended up capturing them in his camera in a bid to evoke the same kind of emotions that he experienced when he saw his fellow travellers.

Roy says that when he does this, he ensures that he does not tread into the personal space of his fellow travellers, who double up as his subjects. As he documents their plight, struggles, and discomfort, he tries to stay true to his ethics, only using a mobile phone instead of a big eye-catching camera.

Read more about the photography project here

Explore his work through his instagram

III. Ankita Jain

Ankita Jain’s work beautifully captures the veiled women of Bikaner. Often when she finds veiled women in an urban landscape, her thoughts quickly drift back to the women who live in rural India.

One day, on an impulsive urge, she decided to ferry to Bikaner to capture its women in their true element.

She explains that once she is able to conceive an idea, she doesn’t plan further. Her creativity comes to play when she begins shooting her subjects, and not prior. She doesn’t want to restrict herself to pre- mandated plans and instead, prefers to go with the flow. This helps her meet new people without any inhibitions and capture their beautiful often time unsung stories.

Read more about the photography project here.

You can check out her instagram here.

IV. Vijesh Kumar Raju Bhupathi Raju

Vijesh is a Munich based travel and landscape photographer who likes to make his way to the far ends of this world.

As a part of documenting the lives of indigenous communities, he likes to live and spend time with them to understand their way of life. He wants to bring these stories to the world through the captivating pictures that he makes.

Vijesh photographs them with the purpose to tell the world of communities that they have never heard of.

This, in turn, he hopes will inspire people to be receptive to conservation and human activism.

You can find his work here.

V. Mohit Tiwari

Mohit Tiwari is a photographer who questions the idea of masculinity as accepted in society. His process towards making his pictures begins with finding the right model who can convey the story that he wishes to tell. His photographic process isn’t only restricted to making an image by clicking away. Instead, he focusses deeply on making the subject and the environment add on to the whimsicality of his pictures.