#nofilter

I’d like to tell you a story.

It is not the story of someone who wanted to be a photographer all his life. Or someone who woke up one day and decided to chuck his job to pursue photography as a new vocation. My story is not the stuff of legend. Anything but.

A few years ago when DSLR cameras were all the rage, I wanted one. I didn’t know why. I just did. Until then, all I had ever used to take photographs was a ubiquitous point-and-shoot – for special occasions, family holidays, that sort of thing. And though I wanted a DSLR, I had no pressing reason to buy one. Until our old point-and-shoot finally gave up the ghost just before our family holiday in 2013. So I bought the least expensive DSLR I could find. Provenance notwithstanding, it was like seeing the world anew. And the instant connection I felt with the lens took me quite by surprise. Over the course of that holiday, I discovered I wanted to explore photography as a serious hobby. And all the pieces seemed to fit. For one thing I live in Goa, one of the most picturesque places in the world, and second, my day job involves a lot of travel.

It’s been three years since I bought my first professional camera. And so began my big leap into the unknown.  I signed up for a course at a local institute that teaches aspiring photographers the basics, and also trained with a couple of professional photographers to learn the ins and outs of wildlife and nature photography.

I have a long way to go in my journey as a photographer. I also know I have come a long way from when I first started.

3 years is a long enough wait to share your work with the world. So I gave in to some of my more encouraging (read biased) friends and acquaintances and created a visual account of my journey to becoming the photographer I am today. #nofilter is this visual account – a notebook with a lot of blank pages and 10 of my favourite photographs chosen to reflect the most meaningful milestones in my journey. #nofilter is also how I choose to process my photographs – natural, clean, minimally processed. I want you to see what I see when I look through the lens. Experience the same emotions.

You will find all the photographs in this notebook in my portfolio. However, if you live in India and you want your very own copy, all you have to do is write to me in the comments and tell me your dream and what you are doing to pursue it. I will send five most interesting responses a complimentary copy of this notebook. And I also hope my story inspires you to get up and get working on your dream.

Nitin