BHUBANESWAR: Photography as a profession is an avenue dreamt by many young enthusiasts. What’s unique and rare for budding photographers, is routine for Siddhartha Das, a native of Chinsurah, West Bengal. Orissa Post shares the story of this photography maestro who has come a long way in fulfilling his potential.
A photography enthusiast since his early childhood, Das is one of the photographer assigned with clicking aspects of smart city Bhubaneswar by Chief Minister’s office. Das firmly believes in the famous quote of Edgar Degas “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” At the age of 19, his pictures were highly appreciated by CM Naveen Patnaik.
Patnaik even shared Das’ clicks of Detour Odisha which covered multiple smart aspects of the state capital. Being inspired by Cory Richards, a National Geographic landscape photographer, Das tried his hands on wildlife and nature at first. Das stated that he learned a lot regarding landscape photography from Richards. However he learned the rules of photography and framing by watching photographs of Steve Mccurry. One of the other genres that interests him is street photography by famous lensman Raghu Rai.
Nevertheless, expensive photography tutorials and classes were a distant dream for Das during his formative years. He started off by reading various journals and YouTube videos to know the nitty-gritty’s of how to operate a professional camera. He bought his first DSLR in the year 2015. He experimented a lot in the initial days. This steadied his hand in the field. He travelled widely to various places across the country and captured memorable moments.
Das said, “Photography is an expensive leisure. It needs a lot of investment in terms of money for buying various gadgets and equipments. So, I began to shoot for people and in return, they paid me money. I clicked wedding photographs which gave me ideas regarding portrait shooting at varied lighting conditions.”
“I soon realized that a client’s need is far more different from a photographer’s point of view. Hence, I again preferred my own views rather than indulging in paid shoots. I clicked photographs according to my own perspective. Besides landscapes, street and wedding photography, I also click photographs on tradition and culture. I am one of the youngest photographers to click pictures of Himalaya while I was on a trek to Bagini Glacier,” he added.
Shrikrishna Patil, a wildlife photographer, said, “I have heard of him and seen some of his work. I am truly impressed by the maturity he possesses. His work showcases talent rarely seen for a 19-year-old.”
Sanjit Patnaik, an award winning photographer of Odisha, said, “As an experienced photographer myself, I found the work of Das to be quite mature for his age. Understanding the right emotion, timing and frame to capture the right moment is often challenging even for celebrated lensmen. This young talent is certainly making a buzz in the photography fraternity. His arrival is a positive thing for the state.”
Chaitali Shome, OP
