Why Life Through lenses? by Sonal Jain

START OF MY PHOTOGRAPAHY JOURNEY

Life Through lenses as a name crossed my mind the day I bought my camera. Photography is something that turned into a passion that started as a hobby. Like every Indian child, my parents have always wanted me to join every possible class in the neighborhood. It started with skating classes, swimming, painting, dance, yoga to music. What stayed with me the most is taking a photography course, shot my first live project with the professor and since then my love for photography kept increasing. 

This journey with this name started when I decided to start my own Instagram page. For days I kept thinking for a name that would resonate with what I truly believed. I finally caught hold of this one but then saw hundreds of people using the same name in different combinations. I was in a fix whether to go ahead with it or not. Later I gave it a thought that every lens is different, every vision is different. So, what if our page name is somewhat similar, the content can be different. I started life_through.lenses page on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/life_through.lenses/?hl=en 

JOURNEY OF MY INSTAGRAM PAGE

Like every new start, I was nervous. I wanted to live up to the name I chose. I started clicking pictures that suited my eyes well. I forgot about how technically correct people are when they click pictures. Soon later when I got introduced to some brilliant photographers around, I instantly began to lose my confidence in my skills because photography is not just about clicking pictures, it is an art that requires patience and creativity. I began to experience performance pressure and that became a drawback in my journey. Then came a long 2-year gap where I did not click a single picture for my page. I did not believe in my camera and most importantly in myself. 

Luckily, after a span of those 2 years, something struck me, I saw many people randomly just being their own selves on the internet. Little did they care about what people said, what they had to show. I began to click pictures again, went on photo walks with friends in Delhi, and learned to click pictures from different angles.

Jaipur Amer Fort

Varanasi 

Steerts of Chandni chowk

Indian monument- Humayum's Tomb

Silhouette

    

Street Portraits

Portrait of a common Indian Man

 

Today, I post pictures that please my eyes and not others. Pictures that fill my heart and my eyes with love are the best ones that I take.

FEARS AND DRAWBACKS

Nothing or nobody is perfect with what they do. There are some drawbacks in every journey, and I know mine. Since I always wanted to capture life through lenses, there is one branch of photography that I still have not become familiar with. Clicking portraits of people is something I still fear. There is a technique to click portraits of people and I have not caught hold of it yet. That is when I began to make my own definition of life through lenses.

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENTS

Well, this was a dream come true when someone offered to hire me as their photographer. Every journey has little milestones, and this was mine.

BABY SHOOT

My first photography assignment was a baby shoot of a 2-month-old child. I went there with zero experience, little nervousness but full enthusiasm. My mother came along and jokingly said ‘I’ll become your assistant for today’. It was one of the best experiences so far because I am fond of little kids and capturing their expressions and moods on my camera was delightful.

  

                                                  

             

 

        

JEWELLERY SHOOT

Then came another exciting project my way and this time it was a jewelry shoot. I was again very nervous because when people pay you for the work, you are bound to work up to their expectations. It was a good experience to have since the client is very specific about what they want. 

 

Earrings

 

 Earrings

Rings

Bracelets

STAGNANT PHASE

After the two shoots I did, I was confident that more such assignments will come my way and I was ready for it. But since I said all journeys are not smooth sailing, for the next year there were no assignments for me. That is when I understood, creative fields like this will have many highs and extreme lows. I used to click landscapes and travel pictures to keep my page alive.

FASHION SHOOTS

Soon after that year, I got two fashion shoots with youngsters like me who were budding fashion designers. They had lovely designs to shoot and I completely enjoyed it. They were outdoor shoots, so it became very exciting. These two shoots taught me a lot regarding skill, patience, judgments, and many more.  

   

          

                  Design theme- "SAKURA"

                            

Men's high fashion business attire

                                   

Shot for Brand- LARDY DARDY

High Fashion Business Attire shoot

 

INTERIOR SHOOT

This came to me when I was randomly seeing WhatsApp stories of people. There was someone looking for a photographer for their interior project. My experience with the interior shoot was null. It is not as easy as any other shoot I did because interior shoots have limited space and limited light. It is more of skill-based and creative ideas one must put. I still took a leap of faith and decided to text them saying I want to try my hands on this project. 

Living area

Mirror

 

Cushions

Tables

I did not charge any money for this project because I did not have the upper hand. It was me who needed the work more because I wanted to experience and add it to my portfolio. I am happy to have bagged this project because it was a new field of work and now, I can take more projects ahead. 

OVERVIEW- LIFE THROUGH LENSES IN A NUTSHELL

My journey has always been more about learning and not monetary. Monetary gains came on the way when I showed that commitment and enthusiasm. I have seen many people who have no work experience first ask about the pay and then about the work. For me, this concept never worked because when you try to look for monetary benefits without skills, you are bound to make mistakes and not deliver adequate services with full commitment.

 

In the end, all I would say is that, I may not be the best photographer ever, but when I click a picture, the passion with which I click them fills my heart. If my heart is satisfied by the end of the day, after I process the pictures, that is my version of LIFE THROUGH LENSES.