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COOL JOB HUNTING AMIT PASRICHA PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER

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LIVES & ITS LESSONS

What do you do?
I am a freelance photographer in Delhi. I divide my time fairly equally between commercial and personal photographic projects. I photograph anything from a solitaire diamond to a large hotel commercially, from a baby for a magazine cover to a sanitation and adult literacy project for an NGO. For my personal projects I prefer photographing culture and lifestyles across the country with particular focus on our changing times. Currently I am doing a large part of my personal work in panoramic format which is exhibited and sold as art pieces.
How did you get into this profession?
I can say this was chosen profession for me since I am the third generation in a family full of photographers. In fact assisting my father Avinash Pasricha gave me great exposure and taught me both the craft and the art of photography as did hanging around Delhi Photo Company, my grandfather’s studio. I never did any formal course in it save a small course with Mr Kasinath. I earned my first pocket money in class VI in school photographing and selling images of classmates playing sports in school.
Do you remember your first big client/assignment?
Every assignment is a big one as their is so little repetition in the photography I do. I had my first major break with a magazine called CITY SCAN, a predecessor to First City for which I did cover photographs while still in class XI in school. The exposure was great and I got the chance to do photo essays on Alok Nath, Dadi Pudumjee, Amitabh Bacchan, Manu Chhabbria and many others for the magazine.
Does reality match dream?
I pretty much knew what I was getting into having seen my family at it before me, so there were no shocks for me. The truth is that what I do is the most exciting thing I could ever hope to do and there is no chance that I may tire of it. I still get the chance to meet different people from all walks of life, to travel for the purpose of observing life, to see marvellous sites and also to interpret ideas in a visual language, to train apprentices and watch them prosper, to be a part of NGO projects happening all across India. Really couldn’t ask for more
Do you earn enough money?
Since I have made a conscious decision to be a part-time commercial photographer and put in considerable time and money into the kind of photography I want to do, I do not earn as much as other commercial photographers. But it’s still enough to turn the wheel over as it is a well-paid profession. In years to come, though photography as an art form is likely to take some incomes through the roof.
What sort of education or training would one need?
Several mass media and specific photography-related courses are available. However it is must to apprentice with a good photographer who does the kind of photography you would like to do. Above all it is the vision you come with, which if keenly developed and of a nature which can be understood by your viewers, makes you a good photographer. It is a great exercise to constantly interpret images of master photographers, whether you are a novice or a professional of many years of standing.
panoramist@gmail.com