Amit Sharma is a lifestyle photographer specializing in travel and fashion photography. Based out of New Delhi, Amit has been involved with photography shoots for various top-tier brands. In a recent interview with us, he talks about his experience with photography, the legalities involved and his experience with Pixpa.
Amit Sharma Photography
1. Did your early photographic goals include earning a living from photography, or did it start as a way to express yourself creatively?
When I started shooting, all I wanted was to shoot good pictures. The kind of pictures I had seen in books, magazines, posters etc. I had no idea that its possible to make money from photography. There was no internet, no digital, no platform to showcase your work. There were only some books available.
2. You do a lot of lifestyle photography for well-known clients such as The Collective. What can be some shortcomings for those partaking in lifestyle photography?
Lifestyle Photography is a largely misunderstood term here and often confused with fashion. Fashion and Portraiture is a big part of “lifestyle” imagery but its not all. The shortcoming is people need to understand the term in depth and look at what’s happening internationally. Also when you restrict yourself to a style the work becomes very limited.
Amit Sharma Photography
3. You have shot for various fashion magazines like Femina, Cosmopolitan, Travel and Leisure, etc. Which of them has been the best experience for you?
My best experience has to be shooting for Travel+Leisure magazine. You go out on a destination, see new places and shoot at will. Cant get any better than that.
4. How important is it for you to be true to the subject when shooting? How does that create an impact on your photographs?
Well, the point is that the purpose of any photograph is to convey an idea, a story or evoke an emotional response. How close you reach your intended objective, should be the criteria for judging one’s work. Whenever I shoot on “commissioned projects”, I try and stay as close as possible to the original objective of shooting that picture. This may not always hold true for your personal work as It tends to be a little more free and experimental. Even then I feel there is always a subject that has to be done justice to.
5. What are some of the legalities associated with the assignments that you work on? How easy, or difficult is it for you to negotiate the terms and conditions for your photography?
The usage rights in terms of duration and territory are some of the major issues. Some clients want all the data captured during a project which is a strict NO NO. Digital capture and post processing charges is another area where clients need some spoon feeding.
Some clients do understand international norms and they do understand our rights. Its rather much more important for photographers to be aware of these things and stay united.
Amit Sharma Photography
6. Do you actively share your knowledge on photography with those in the same industry, and those interested in taking up photography professionally?
Absolutely, without a doubt. The industry and photography community has to move together.
7. Pixpa is revered by photographers, artists, designers and illustrators from around the world. As a photographer why do you think they should build a portfolio with Pixpa?
I made my website with Pixpa when they had just started. It offered a clutter free design which was very efficient, fast and very easy to operate with almost no downtime at all. And with time things have only got better. All the above reasons should be enough for any artist to showcase his or her work.
