Rajat Ghosh is a San Francisco/ Mumbai-based photographer specializing in conceptual imagery and people/celebrity. Ever ready to try new things he forayed in digital photography in 1996 while it was still in its infancy and moved along with time. Rajat has worked extensively for magazines and advertising agencies. Rajat feels: Light is the language of photography, it’s about the moment, it’s Rajat’s vision, and how he reacts to his surroundings, it’s about the moment, form, content (emotional)…

How did you get started in photography?

I pursued photography as a hobby from college days. While doing my Masters in Geology I realized that I was preparing for a career, just to make a living and was not following what I enjoyed doing the most – “making images”. Photography has the right combination of science/ emotion/ art to keep me engaged and wide-eyed. My images are ‘”My way of seeing”. I went to USA to realize my dream of being a photographer. I did my Masters in Fine Arts from The Academy of Arts at San Francisco, USA.

Which artists have influenced your work?

I like the works of Henri Matisse, James Rosenquist, Van Doesburg, and Mark Rothko. I am a very early convert to digital photography. Most of my images are stored on the Raid hard-drives. All the hard drives are named after these great masters. So, when I am searching for images I imagine I am getting the images from these great masters sorry I digressed. Typically I avoid looking at the works of other photographers as a body of work. Though one can¹t miss the work of Richard Avedon, Eugine Smith and Ryzard Horowitz.

What do you like shooting the most?

I enjoy making images of conceptual still life, environmental portraits, people on location and Virtual Reality. For me concepts and emotional quotient make an image. Most of my work has strong use of color, shadows, texture, and moments.

What made you want to specialize in this category?

“To be able to tell stories”. Most of my images have a story to tell. I like to include layers in my imagery, ideas within an idea. The source of inspiration for my personal work stems from events or things that affect me, touch me.

What is the most demanding shot you have ever done?

Every shot has a different set of problems associated with it. With good pre-production most shoots are a breeze. Usually I do a test shoot before the shoot, so usually within 15 minutes of starting the day I finish the shot that the art director had visualized, then I spend time trying to better the shot.

What is your favorite picture?

Presently I am working on “Infrared Landscape imagery”. I am exhibiting this body of work from 17th to 25th of Nov at Primal Gallery, NCPA, in Mumbai. The show is stated to visit Delhi and a few other countries. I have been blown away by the response as I have been very close to the process of making these images. I pioneered the method of making these digital infrared images. It has been a very exciting journey.

These images will be available with visage in a month’s time for licensing.

What’s the best use of a picture that you have ever seen?

The Two images come to my mind…

1. The image by W Eugene Smith, Titled “Tomoko Uemura in her bath” brought awareness about Minamata (mercury poisoning). It has changed the lives of people suffering from the disease. That is the power of photography.
2. Photograph by Kim Ut, showing children with their clothes burnt off was a striking enough images to change the sentiments of the Americans. This forced the US Army to withdraw from Vietnam.

Nothing really beats the power of an image. No matter how much TV footage one sees, its constantly moving hence its impact is not the same as that of an image.