My Photography Interview

The Man behind the Camera Focused  

Shivu.k is a renounced photographer from the garden city Bengaluru who bagged 32 International awards and 92 National awards.

ARPS Distinction from Royal photography society from London.  

EFIAP Distinction from Federation De la Art photography from Luxemburg.  

AFIAP Distinction from Federation De La Art photography Paris. 

His photography subjects are pictorial, wild life, macro etc. 

 He is a vender of newspaper and dramatically he turned out as a great photographer as well as photojournalist. He also wrote two books, "Vender Kannu" and "Gubbi enjalu".  This is a small interview of Shivu k in spite of his hectic schedule in Mangalore. 

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Kishore K.V :Sir many heard that, you jumped into photography through a rather uncommon door. So when and how your instincts said that to you having the sense of photography? 

Shivu K  :It was 20 years back I had a holy touch of camera in my life. It was just a time pass and curiosity I bought a camera of 60RS. A use and throw roll camera which was very minute in size. Prior to this moment I was a painter. I used to draw many paintings and pencil sketches. I also had an internal urge to convey something which is uncommon. This uncommon urge somehow took a perfect shape with camera I touched.  I started telling my unique feelings which I frame in my brain and retina by camera. And a serious enquiry about photography itself gave a great appraisal to me to continue with it till today.

 Kishore K.V : What elements make photos so much alluring?

Shivu K   :According to me a photographer must go to seize a picture with empty mind. One must not hang in his earlier captures. A hangover always hinders the creativity of a man who stands behind the camera. He must frame the frame before he look into the view finder. Impact is the basic element which attracts the viewer. So one should glue the center of attraction of the subject what I call as impact in the picture. Another important element is placement or alignment of a subject. A subject must be placed one third in the frame and also it is left to the creativity of a photographer. The major spot light in the capture is balancing light and playing with light. Light is like a soul of a capture. Light gives life to photo. And photo must be understood to the viewer. These are some of the basic elements to make picture attractive.   

Kishore K.V :What is the difference between Good and bad photos? Can you render a critical analysis?

Shivu K   :I give an example of two photos taken in one context to answer this query. If two professional  photographers are challenged to grab the scene in rain, one takes the photo from inside the building with secured protection to him and to his camera with optimum condition and minimum risk and another captures it amidst of filed holding the umbrella having supplementary concentration and attention to his camera and pays the same creativity and technique as like the first one. Then according to my reading the 2^nd one stands above to first. Which means you got the answer.

Kishore K.V :What is the standard set by you for your capture?

Shivu K   :It’s nothing other than practice and experience I indulge in my every captures to set standard. Since I bagged some international awards I cannot produce photos below to that level. Sometimes if I feel like I cannot balance my imagined frame in the camera I preferably don’t entertain myself to capture it. This is how I maintain my standard. You have released lots of wedding photographs recently in your website. It looks like rather than a subject, a photographer is enjoying the scenario. 

Kishore K.V :How do you enjoy taking wedding photographs behind the camera? 

 Shivu K : A smile. You know I cannot take the photos without enjoying the moment. May be there lays my success. So what I do when I take wedding photographs is I alert them with key advice that please do enjoy naturally in the auspicious moment. When they start enjoying the moment unknowingly my heart jumps with farthest gratification and I start my business. That’s why you felt, a person behind the camera is enjoying the moment more. The most loved genre in photography by you, It’s none other than pictorial photography.

Kishore K.V :Sir, can you share the frustrating moment you experienced when you were pressing the shutter button?

 Shivu K   :I had lot. But I cannot spell it now very exactly. I always feel frustrated when people disturb my frame. And also I do go into that feeling if at all people deviate me when my eye was into view finder. If the subject doesn’t behave in a proper position also then I am frustrated.

Kishore K.V : How was your parents’ reaction when you said you want to end up with photography as a profession?

Since I took the profession to earn my daily livelihood I started to lend some amount of money to my house which gave a much secured feeling towards my passion to my parents. So they never asked me why you bought a camera and why are you always spending time on it. I very tactfully balanced my passion and my parents’ chaos.

Kishore K.V :How is photography profession and professionals in Karnataka?

  Shivu K  :He with tedious face, to be frank we are very much behind in comparison with Kolkata even though we have maximum number of professionals. It has quite sad reason to this scenario.  But in Kolkata they encourage many who just jumped into the field. This made wide difference between Karnataka and Kolkata. Kolkata itself have 15 international standard clubs where as we have only 2. So now I am writing the book which gives a complete picture of photography just to overcome the problem of Karnataka. 

Kishore K.V  :Sir how you learnt techniques of camera like shutter speed, aperture ISO when bought first DSLR?

  Shivu K :I am really blessed to have teachers like Late Shri Raj gopal, B.Srinivasa .T.N.A Perumal C.R Satyanarana and other Seniors.  I learnt each and every techniques of camera by them. And also they taught me how to be creative when one captures the photo. When we glimpse at your photos we find your silent murmur in each click. 

Kishore K.V :How is that possible for you to render your voice in your captures?

 Shivu K   :I feel very intimacy with the moment before I capture it. What I do is, me and my moment we both talk each other very swiftly. And later if the moment is convinced with me I start capturing the moment by enjoying its intimacy. That might be the strong reason to my silent murmur in my photos.

Kishore K.V :You don’t capture photos without a play of light. How do you play with light?

 Shivu K   :I study the light a lot. Light moves from one place to another in various frequency of time. I love to give an example of my capture on fisherman, boat and fishnet. For that capture I studied two years by frequently visiting the place to study the angles of light when they sue the net into the water. At last I understood the play of sun in the fixed frame and ended up with good click. It’s always an intense enquiry arms us with success.

Kishore K.V :A last question for you.  Each and every human have his own strength and weakness. In the similar way, which is your strength and which is your weakness?

  Shivu K  :My strength is curiosity to searching new thing which is very special.  My weakness is I have less dedication now than earlier. 

                                                  

Interview by :  Kishor.K.V and his friend.

 Thanks to Kishore K.V and his friend. Ujire SDM College, South Kenara Karnataka, Sharing My Photography Experience..

Shivu K