| "Prabuddha’s work evokes a sense of introspection and respect. He is perhaps the only photographer in the country to honestly tackle issues that a lot of people would rather leave to anthropologists. On his canvas, he brings down every aspect to the elementary—be it the approach to the subject itself or the choice of seeing everything in black and white. He speaks to Dinesh Krishnan about his passion. " |
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You worked as a copywriter long before you picked up a camera professionally. How did the shift happen?
My life has been a series of fortunate accidents. Maybe if I weren't a copywriter then, I wouldn't be a photographer now. I think the whole frustrating process of writing a campaign with a clear view of its visual potential and then handing it over to some 'name' in the photo business, only to watch it being mutilated beyond recognition was one reason that I took up the camera professionally. I believe my ideas, both in words and in images, have been and continue to be based on a minimalistic simplicity.
When I started out, advertising photography was dominated (and still continues to grow in that direction) by a pseudo stylistic, over blown, artificial, embellished, colour splashed sensibility. A sense of naturalness about how we eat, drink, sleep, celebrate, f***, dream and live—was missing. So for me the niche was already there, I just had to ease in to it. Also my use of black and white was a radical departure from the trend of the times. There were a handful of people who recognised what I brought to the table, and a handful is who I work with even today.
How much of your visualisation was nurtured in the family?
Both my parents were sculptors, so from a very young age I was exposed to the idea of artistic expression. I'm sure it has moulded me into the person I am.
When you finally picked up the camera professionally, what was the kind of photography (and hence a statement) that you wanted to do? What did you want to stay clear from?
The camera for me works at many different levels. It is an instrument that keeps a very personal diary of my life; it is a tool for following, exploring, and articulating of subjects of personal interest. And yet at another level, photography is something that I do for other people to earn my livelihood. The lines between the categories do get blurred and, at times, I see whatever I'm doing personally seeping its way into my commercial work and vice-versa.
As the work that I do personally gets even more personal, I feel the need to bring the same sensibility to my commissioned work (of course in situations where the brief is open ended enough to allow it). I try to stay clear of contemporary trends and try to go with whatever my gut says is right. So my work is definitely very untrendy.
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