Aman Chotani’s images draw from life. The photographer tells Shrabasti Mallik how he has captured the architecture and landscape of Nepal
A black and white frame showing two old women from Nepal encapsulates the story of the two most-horrific earthquakes the region has witnessed in last 100 years. The bundles of wrinkles on the cranky faces juxtapose the endless sufferings of Nepalese folks. Some striking images like this, captured by photographer Aman Chotani, will be up on display in a three-day exhibition Portraits Talk at the Open Palm Court in the India Habitat Centre from May 29.
The exhibition will be dedicated to the victims of Nepal earthquake. “It is in remembrance to the beauty of the place. I visited Pokhra, Kathmandu and was also there at the Patan Durbar Square. I have captured temples and architecture of the place, which all are now gone,” says the photographer. There’s also a photograph of a Nepalese beggar looking into a mirror with the words, ‘Who am IIJ’
Chotani’s forte lies in capturing the silent emotions in his subjects. That is why he mostly captures intimate moments of people, which reflect their mood and also the place they belong to. There’s a picture of a sadhu on a boat in the middle of the Ganges in Varanasi. Chotani shares how he spoke to the sadhu and took him to mid waters to take the shot. “When I have a concept in mind, I try and make that happen. In this case, I wanted to shoot him on a boat in the middle of the river because the concept appealed to me,” he says.
The 25-year-old photographer is a self-confessed adventurer, trekker and a traveller. His photos may show landscape, people and nature but there is much more to them. “My style of shooting is cinematic. I focus on the subject in such a way that it is able to tell a story. All my pictures tell a story,” he says. He defies the philosophy that photography is all about light, “I believe that the magic of a photograph lies in controlling the light. I play with lights in my shots and that makes a lot of difference.”
The most spontaneous picture that he has taken, is of a ship in Durban in 2012, titled The Titanic. “It was a tsunami and I crossed security lines to take that shot. That picture defines me — my spirit of adventure,” he says. The photograph was selected for the New York Gallery in 2013.
When not intrigued by anything special, he likes to sit and observe surroundings. “When I am not capturing something very natural, I prefer to watch everything that goes around. There is a lot that I learn and understand by just observing the surroundings,” he explains.
Even though he has travelled to Switzerland and Africa, he feels that India is the best place for a photographer because of its diversity. Everywhere you go in India, things are different, he says.
“In Africa all I found were forests, animals and tribes while Switzerland was all about ice and landscapes. In India, every state is different, in terms of culture, people, tradition and also colours. Rajasthan is full of bright colours while in the south, certain shades define the region. There is so much to see in the country and I try to capture as much as I can during my travels. One life is not enough to cover all the wonders of the country,” ends Chotani.