World Photography Day: In conversation with Atul Kasbekar

The art of capturing memories

August 16, 2019 | by Arnab Mukherjee

Human beings have been fascinated with the world around all of us since time immemorial. From this fascination, an urge to capture it in some form or the other has led us to several art forms. Photography is a remarkable example of such an art form, and every year on August 19th, we celebrate this art form with World Photography Day. This year, we reached out to Mr Atul Kasbekar, renowned fashion photographer, to tell us more about the art and what it means to pursue it with excellence. Here's what he had to say.

What makes photography special to you?

What is unique about photography is that no two days are alike. Even if I have shot with the same person dozens of time, the next occasion will be in some way different. Since I have limited attention span and tend to get bored easily, the novelty of a new challenge each time I pick up the camera is the most fascinating thing about my profession.

Can you tell us about one aspect of photography that makes it memorable for you?

People often talk of meditation. What is actually meditation? To me, it is a state when your concentration is absolute. Your complete and total focus is on one thing and your mind is not distracted by the rest of the world. Pretty much the only time I find my focus in an almost meditative state is when I am shooting. The only person important to me is the subject and the rest of the world blends into nothingness. This experience on a continuous basis is my most cherished as a photographer.

How would you advise a budding photographer today?

My advice to budding photographers would be:
a) Consider videography as the market is much more vast and will continue to provide employment greater than just still photography.
b) The other thing is to be extremely well-read so that your life experiences result in a greater amount of artistic and aesthetic input in the images that you create.
This will be the differentiator between someone who consistently creates outstanding images and someone who just takes snaps.

Like this story? Also read: The best fashion photographs of all time
Image Courtesy: Atul Kasbekar