Photography used to be a hobby for Haryana-based consultant Gaurav Singh but now it has become a full-time professional pursuit.
Gaurav is not complaining as he takes his camera whenever he moves out of his home. His muse is his better half who has been sporting enough to pose as a model while he captures her images on his burly camera. “In this exhibition, I am displaying 18 images of my wife. Whenever I need a model to pose for me, she willingly agrees. Having a wife who does not mind being on the frames, which are later mounted at a gallery, means that I do not have to hire professional models and waste money on them.”
This self-taught photographer has now come up with 50 black-and-white and colour images which highlight different facets of a woman and also creatures of the wild living in harmony with natural surroundings. These images have been put on display at a week-long solo exhibition which was inaugurated at the Lalit Kala Akademi’s Gallery II and III here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the exhibition, titled “Arrested Moments”, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda described the pictures as an interesting piece of work.
“I must congratulate Gaurav Singh for the hard work he has put in with dedication,” he added.
For Gaurav, the images predominantly focus on human emotions. “As an observant photographer I can either capture a man or a woman on my camera. But I prefer focusing on a woman as she can convey different emotions in an artistic sort of way. A woman has aesthetic qualities.”
He noted that to touch simplicity in life, as in art, is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions. “When I lift my camera, my attempt is to do just that -- albeit in my own special way. Photography then becomes an expression of my thoughts, perceptions and the subjective emotions that entice me. The intimate intricacy of human emotions and expressions moves me to proceed in this direction,” says Gaurav.
For Gaurav the other area of interest is exploring nature. “I am deeply stimulated by the inherent artistry of nature. It helps me break the monotony of everyday life. My work is an amalgam of some of the most creative moments of my experiential spectrum - a reflection of my individual psyche.”
Apart from taking pictures in Gurgaon, Gaurav has also travelled to the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary and the Okhla Bird Sanctuary where he has captured images of blue bulls and birds.
Artist Bhuvanesh Raina, who has curated the exhibition, says one needs to have passion and artist’s vision to capture these images. “He has captured images which only one with the discerning eye can catch.”
