Archives of Nature

Himadri is a professional photographer from Assam, with an academic background in Geography and Environmental Planning (double masters). “Photography has been an integral part of my life since 1998. However, my first major travel and photography experience happened in 2006 when I travelled to Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for work. The experience in itself was ‘ground-truthing’ and somewhere between shifting jobs and moving across cities during 2009-2013, I realised that my true calling is photography and creative arts. I have worked with several genres in photography like - wedding, product, industrial, events and festivals, documentation etc., but my heart and soul lie in Landscape and Portraits. My first major achievement was getting published in ‘Daily Dozen’ by NatGeo Your Shot (Apr, 2014) and being one of the winners of their assignment ‘Nature in Black and White’. The assignment winning image was later published in the book ‘Getting Your Shot’ and the National Geographic Magazine. Since then, I haven’t really kept a track of my achievements as every single one of them has been a stepping stone to attain the next milestone, until recently, when I received ‘The Night Sky Award’ in ILPOTY 2020” says Himadri.

Sweta Baruah

What sparked your interest in landscape? How has it shaped your creative journey?

Till 2013, I used to capture everything I saw around me for the purpose of documentation and landscape photography was no different. However, in 2013, a close friend (Sayan) introduced me to 500px and the likes of Marc Adamus, Ryan Dyar, Michael Kenna, etc. and I was dumbstruck by the kind of images they produced. I wanted to know more about the process, but the resources were limited. Understanding their images, discussing about the possible techniques and practising them on the field were what drew me into the dynamic Landscape genre. The more I practised, the more I could visualise the end result. In recent times, the urge to produce images like Enrico Fossati, Erin Babnik, Guy Tal and TJ Thorne, in what I call ‘my own backyard (NE India)’ is what keeps me searching for new frames.

What is it that you look for in an image? Do you begin with the end in mind?

Before shooting an image, I look through the viewfinder to check for the elements I would want to include in the frame. Most of the times, I shoot the same scene using different focal lengths, since landscapes are not just wide and expansive vistas, but, at times are about tight scenes too. If the scene is too big to fit in one frame, I capture a panorama or a vertonama. I generally do not have anything specific in mind when I start shooting, and I go with the flow of what catches my eye. If I’m already familiar with the location, the idea is usually to create something fresh.

Sometimes, I do begin with an end in mind, like the Monet’s Lullaby series that I am working on. At other times, I just go with the flow, as in case of the lightning shots or the “purple heron in rain”.

How do you usually plan your trips and what has been your longest photography trip so far?