Speaking to Capturing WOW, popular photographer Ganesh Vanare shared his diverse experience with us, helping our viewers iron out the chinks in the armor of their thoughts.
Revenue Through Photography:
He states that each photographer has his own way of generating revenue specific and adherent to his niche, field and body of work. That being said, he stresses that it certainly isn’t a walk in the park, and one must not just expect to get work having not amassed a following, or built a presence on social media through consistent posting. He states that he gained 10,000 followers only after he had uploaded no fewer than 1200 posts on his Instagram account across a span of 2 years
Patience As A Virtue:
Earning through photography can be a slow burner, especially through the testing times of the coronavirus pandemic. The key is to keep at it, keep uploading content, defining yourself through your images, and building your portfolio online, and sharing your work with people. Perseverance is always rewarded.
Barter Deals Are A No-Go:
A barter deal is essentially a non monetary agreement involving promotion of products by a person, to which they get permanent access to. However, Ganesh does not hold these in high regard, as he does not believe this will be a step forward in your career. He believes in valuing your work and valuing yourself. He also bears a nagging self doubt while selling his pictures due to ill intent possessed by buyers who seek to sell those pictures at higher rates. He stresses on the need to place watermarks in the core of the photo, in such a way that it barely affects the photo in context with the elements of the photo, but clear enough to be noticed.
Human Touch:
Ganesh is positivity personified, and a lover of people. He loves capturing the smiles on people’s faces, and believes human touch is what breathes life into a photo. He adores clicking photos of kids frolicking in their habitat and living their carefree lives. He believes in the existence of one moment which makes a photo special, and often succeeds in capturing that moment with perfection. He also believes in spending time with the surrounding and becoming one with the shoot location, so as to ease the subjects, the environment, and capture their photos at their most candid.
Struggles In Photography:
Struggles are a given, while building a photography career. However, it is one which you can build without any regrets. Ganesh highlights the importance of having sound mental health, and making the most of time without work, growing as a person as well as growing as a photographer. A major proponent of this crisis has been the Coronavirus pandemic, due to which many photographers have found themselves without a job. He stresses on the crucial element of one’s life that is family bonding, and clicking images of your daily life, while noticing nuances about mundane events that occur in daily life such as food, cooking, rays seeping through curtains etc.
Gauging Competition:
Being a competition enthusiast, Ganesh believes in gauging competition through contests. This, in accordance to him, gives you a good idea as to where you stand among your competition, and what kind of content your competitors are churning out. It also allows you to appreciate the vast chasm of variety that one can abridge in their photography style. It also enhances your ability to think spontaneously which Ganesh has incorporated into his style of outdoor shooting.
Ability To Change:
The most important skill one can have as a photographer is dynamism, both physically and virtually. Being a willing learner, having the ability to inspire yourself from the works of others, and adapt to situations moulding your work according to the situation is essential to growing as a photographer and overcoming any hurdle lying between you and your dream photography career.
