Shots and Moments
Ganesh Vanare of Haram Khor fame talks to us today about his scenic journey. Ganesh began the Instagram page a passion project way back in 2012 when he was in college. He has come a long way in terms of quality of work and fame with his candid photography.
Hi Ganesh, how did this passion project turn into a full-blown profession?
I really like capturing real-world moments. My work consists of a lot of landscapes. It started out as a fun project, but I kept myself involved in it and didn’t consider making any money out of the work initially. Honestly, I started collaborating with brands very recently.
Only after my first brand collaboration, things kicked off and this became a full-time profession. It took me a while to make money out of this. Instagram has shown me some projects in the past seven months with lifestyle, food-based clicks.
How do you choose your subject? Do you sometimes cast them?
I haven’t done any casting of a subject till now. I prefer everyday people to be my subjects. In fact, I don’t talk to them and prefer to observe them in their natural habitat. I look for someone who has a unique characteristic that fascinates me. In Mumbai, I travel around by local trains and it is a very colorful scenario of people and objects.
Are you planning to be completely focussed as a Mumbai street photographer?
Not really! I have already traveled to places like Benares might visit Pushkar soon. Also, some international trips are on the cards in the future. It will be captivating to see how subjects change based on their geographical location.
Did the Juhu beach photo of yours propel you into the spotlight? What was the thought process that went into the photograph when you clicked it? Was it planned?
Of course! I am glad that photo struck a chord with the public. The attention towards my photography considerably increased after that and there was a noticeable spike in my followers too.
FOLLOW ME TO THE CITY OF PLASTIC !!! by Ganesh Vanare
The photo’s subject Aishwarya in the photograph is a good friend of mine. We have been to Carter road multiple times and we have been constantly disturbed by the garbage on the beach. Initially, we had no plans and were just roaming around Juhu. It was evening when we were at the beach and the high tide had started. Once we decided to click a photo, we realized that with the high tide you can’t capture the photo like we wanted it to be. Thankfully, I got that one hasty shot when the tide was low.
Are you planning to diversify your photos more along social awareness?
Definitely, I would really like to address the increasingly scary garbage and plastic issue. I am very passionate about keeping our environment clean. Anything I can capture the soul of!
What do you look for in the brands that you collaborate with?
Some brands only look at the number of followers. I like brands that do their homework, look at my work before approaching me. It helps when they check the stories and see if the followers real or not. Money is secondary, mainly because it comes automatically with quality. I like brands who pay for the quality of the work than the number of followers.
Secondly, the agency should come to us with relevant projects that give us the space to innovate. Greenroom has given me the liberty to do my work and gives me innovation space. If the brand has so many restrictions on our work, it reflects in the final product. There are times when you realize that you could have done a better job if the brand had given you the independence.
With all this cutthroat competition, how do you keep your content unique?
Everyone’s perspective is unique if left to themselves. I observe a lot and take a while to click a photo. The perspective automatically makes me click something different than the rest. I love clicking what that stands out of the crowd.
What is your current favorite platform?
Definitely, Instagram.
Thank you, Ganesh! That was fun and hope to see you back on Greenroom soon.
Keep watching this space for more interviews with your favorite influencers.