VIEWING THE WORLD THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS
As a teenager, every month, I waited for the National Geographic magazine. It was my window to this fascinating world of many cultures, people, architecture and a whole plethora of different experiences.
I have always loved travelling and being in a creative profession has allowed me to travel to many interesting places. When travelling for work, I always look forward to those couple of free hours or an extra day to move around the place. I like visiting unexplored interesting places, seeing interesting new cultures, trying new cuisines, music, and more importantly capturing them with my lens. Another thing that captures my attention is the light and atmosphere, which keep changing in different countries. Light adds life to the pictures.
I recall my first trip to Thailand, which was a work trip. I landed at ‘The Safari World’ and as I waited for the orangutan show to begin, the orangutan caught my eye. He looked bored. Doing the same act day in and day out in a sad, tedious, monotony. His body language seemed to say, “When is this going to end?” I always look to capture moments like these. Pictures tell stories, and heighten things that normally go unnoticed. My picture ‘Bored in Bangkok’ was featured in the National Geographic Worldwide Photography contest in the ‘People’s Choice’ category, 2009. It was also featured by National Geographic, under its travel section / intelligent travel.
Fashion and luxury brands are the other things that fascinate me, and New York is the best place to observe and enjoy them. Fifth Avenue is my favourite place to walk around with their stunning window displays with fashionably dressed people rushing to work in heels, making the streets of New York their very own catwalk. I have spent hours capturing these moments.
Today, the whole world has been brought to a standstill, but I have not let it put a stop to my photography. I have found a new muse, my little kitten Skittles. I have tried to capture her naughtiness, playfulness, cuteness and attitude in my photographs. I strongly believe that if you see the world through a different lens, it becomes beautiful
and enchanting.
Tags : backbeat IMPACT magazine Ashutosh Karkhanis Open Strategy and Design National Geographic