Retro Kolkata : First of all Heartiest congratulations for your selection in Retro Kolkata Magazine Green Edition. Please introduce yourself. Tell us about your background.
Sayan : Thanks a lot to the Retro Kolkata team for the wonderful opportunity. Hello, this is me Sayan a 22 year old guy recently completed my graduation, planning for further studies, lives with my parents in Kolkata. I’m passionate about photography and started my journey couple of years back.
Retro Kolkata : How important is photography to you? How did you start photography?
Sayan : Photography is a timeless medium. Pictures elicit memories, emotions with which anyone can resonates the same old feeling only looking at the picture. That’s the fascinating power of photography.
The art of capturing always mesmerized me in many ways at different ages but since lockdown it helped me more to find myself and explore the appealing beauty of uneventful life through my photography. Being a shutterbug, my affection is to discover untold, unseen stories in ordinary.
Retro Kolkata : What motivates and inspires you as a photographer?
Sayan : Its actually difficult to narrow down to a specific thing that motivates me. Being very honest what I believe art is everywhere only the person need to be a vigilant observer to find out the story from the melancholic, dull lifestyle. We all humans have different standards with the word ‘beautiful’ that a beautiful thing must meet certain pre-determined societal 'beauty' standards to be ‘beautiful’. But a bunch of pale-dry flowers in a corner can also be 'beautiful' and tells the story of how fragile life is. So it depends on individual's own perception how one wants to perceive things and get inspiration from surroundings.
Retro Kolkata : Which genre of photography do you like and What inspires you? Which masters of photography have inspired you in your photographic work?
Sayan : Documentary photography is my first personal choice, but as I am very new in this field its too early to bring myself into one genre. All I can say, trying my best to learn, explore, absorb and soak myself in the field of photography to enjoy every bit of it, and to find own style of work which represents me who I am.
Actually there are few whom I admire but special mention to Anurag Banerjee and Avani Rai their work is massive source of inspiration for me. Also, I really want to mention one person my father, no, he’s not a photographer but he used to click lot of pictures with his camera and every time when the shutter clicks and flash light pops it made me curious and think more about the mystical process of capturing maybe he was the one who knowingly or unknowingly ignites the spark of photography in me back then in childhood.
Retro Kolkata : What type of camera, lenses and lighting equipment do you use?
Sayan : Well, it might not be the best thing to say but as I have just started recently neither do I own camera gear nor any lighting equipment as of now. I do take all my shots with my mobile.
Retro Kolkata : Do you prefer black and white shots or colour?
Sayan : Monochromatic images contain all the possible colours and it has a potency to depict the truth, reality of this world and unseen emotions of human beings. Because of that I prefer black and white over colour photographs.
Retro Kolkata : What is the best project you have worked on and how did you get involved with it?
Sayan : Recently I worked with Kolkata Centre for Creativity where one of my photograph exhibited after getting selected for their annual exhibition My Kolkata in Kolkata 3.0
Retro Kolkata : What qualities make a perfect shot for you?
Sayan : Composition and the idea of presenting the story through the image are two things I consider for a perfect shot.
Retro Kolkata : Could you please share the happiest moment in your photography life?
Sayan : Every time when my work gets acclamation from different platforms and when they gives opportunity to showcase my work, a sense of contentedness works within being shutterbug. Isn't it a happy moment to work with and answering questions for RETRO_KOLKATA ?
