Tasneem Pardiwalla: Balancing Professional Career and Passion for Photography

When photography is your passion then no other commitments can hold you back from experimenting and creating an incredible piece of art. Tasneem, despite her professional and personal obligations, manages to sneak in photography and captures splendid moments with her camera.

Hello, can you please introduce yourself to the community?
My name is Tasneem Pardiwalla. I'm a Chartered Accountant based out of Mumbai, India. I also work in several other areas like content writing and creation, investment advisory and of course, photography.

When did you first start shooting with Lomography cameras?
If memory serves me right it was in 2011. I'd attended an Independence Day special Lomowalk in Mumbai. I managed to get my hands on a Lubitel which takes 120 format photos. I was limited to 12 photos only, so I really had to frame the images I took very carefully. Looking down into the viewfinder was very disorienting at first, but I got used to it very quickly, and I have to say this- I absolutely loved the experience.

You have amazing collection of travel photography, how do you manage to get that perfect shot?
I've always ensured that I had a camera with me everywhere I went, from a very young age. This is well before I managed to get my hands on my first cell phone camera. I'm always on the lookout for beauty in the little things, even if it's something I see at the side of the road while I'm running errands.Travel heightens that since you're always more hyper-aware of everyday things that you might end up missing at home. I also have very patient friends who give me space when I'm in my zone and get stuck in one spot taking pictures for more than 10 minutes.

What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to be a photographer?
Keep taking photographs, don't wait for an exotic location to pull your camera out. And keep your eyes peeled for interesting subjects. Don't be afraid to experiment with different styles of photography. Also take the time to learn a few basic rules of photography, so that you can learn to break them for the most impact

Is there any genre of photography that you’re partial to?
I think it would have to be a combination of documentary/street photography and travel photography. I love the idea of telling a story through my images. There are so many facets of a place that you can observe and catalog one frame at a time- from the food to the local style of dressing, the architecture, and the people, to the very core of what makes that place unique.

I used to find street photography very nerve-wracking when I first started. In those days, it wasn’t a very normal sight to see people armed with cameras taking pictures of people, ordinary markets, local train journeys and the like. You’d end up attracting attention, and not always the welcoming kind. But I’ve been lucky to have had mostly positive experiences in the form of interactions with people who were curious, and who’d welcome the intrusion of my camera, and invite me to their personal space. But these days it’s become more commonplace to see cameras in the oddest locations. I guess it makes things a bit easier, and you’re more likely to get an unaware and natural shot. It's still a lot of fun though.

Where can we find more of your work?
I'm pretty active on Instagram. I've also started a travel blog, and I'm trying to get more involved and active in that space as well. You can find me on Instagram and We lost her intransit

How would you define film photography in your own words?
It's a combination of a science experiment and magic. I've done all sorts of strange things to achieve interesting results – from boiling my film in salt water, to tossing it in the washing machine, to double exposures with patterns and clouds. I'm never sure of the result, but the fun part is the journey itself.

เขียนโดย shivanisohal เมื่อ 2017-11-24 ในหมวด #ผู้คน