Most unusual career choices are happy accidents. Atul Pratap Chauhan had no early stirrings of a passion for photography. In his village, a photographer was someone who clicked passport pictures or wedding photos. Atul was slated to invest elbow grease in the food industry when a professional photographer arrived at his restaurant to conduct a shoot. Watching him capture nuances of shape, colour, light and mood made Atul realise that photography could be magic if approached with passion.
It was an awakening he could not ignore and he says, “Destiny has funny ways of leading you to your destination. The restaurant shoot was one of the biggest turning points of my life and my desire to do something creative started taking shape.” In Bangalore, while working at Olive Beach, Atul met another professional photographer who saw a spark in him and took him under his wing. His first professional camera cost Atul almost six months of savings plus a few friendly loans. Then came some “small jobs” but they were enough for him to quit his job and jump into photography, full time.
And for the last one year, he has been shooting independently in Delhi and works with food, fashion and design. Yes, he shoots weddings too but not with the staged naivety of a small town photographer.
He loves shooting weddings because, “I love the drama, emotions, commotion and colours of Indian weddings. I like to shoot more than just images. I like capturing the soul of a moment.” He adds, “Photography is a mix of art and science and I want to keep it real and clean..my work reflects who I am and am also documenting my village with my camera. So it is not all just commercial. Two of my favourite shoots unfolded in Haridwar and Rishikesh.” When we mail him, asking for some more pictures, he lets us know that he is at Jantar Mantar, to support Anna Hazare. Yes, it is not about a livelihood but a life of many dimensions. And the soul of a moment.
