Photography is meditation for this Railway Babu!

See the world like a stranger, you’ll get an honest vision : Ajay Sidhu

SHAINA SHARMA | JALANDHAR

Photography is something you see through your mind’s eye. It’s not just a way to express yourself but also subtracting yourself from the world with an artistic vision. It takes a lot of guts to follow your passion and continue it as your hobby, especially when you have a family and career to look after.
But there’s one name Ajay Sidhu who listened to his heart and continued his hobby. Currently, he’s a Chief Booking Supervisor in Indian Railway at Jalandhar. Let’s read what he has to say about his talent…..

Since when you got attracted towards photography?
It’s been 20 years that I’ve been doing photography. My elder cousin was a professional photographer by looking whom I got motivated and started doing photography. Also I used to look pictures of renowned photographers in magazines, which fascinated me. It was from then only I got fond of photography.

Photography is your passion or your hobby?
It’s my hobby, passion, in fact an obsession. It’s just like when people get indulged into something they start developing their taste in that. Clicking photographs give me a kind of satisfaction and relax my mind.

What type of photography you’d like to do most?
I like to click pictures of birds and concentrate more on landscapes, pictures that include more of nature not human faces or portraits. 

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Favourite destination you prefer to click photographs?
Bird Sanctuaries are the most likely places to visit. I’m planning to visit Bharatpur.

Is there anybody in your family who extended this talent from you?
Yes, my daughter is also fond of photography. She’s doing B.Tech. and taking this talent to a next level. She loves clicking pictures and we discuss a lot about this.

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Other than photography I like to read books and have a library at my home. I’ve read almost all the writers. There are writers like Keats, Ruskin Bond, Faiz, Manto and Ghalib whom I like to read most. ‘Diwan-E-Ghalib’ is my favourite.

When you started doing photography, it was only done with roll cameras and now in the digital era it has totally changed and it’s become a part of daily life. How you’d describe this change?
Yes, earlier we used to do it manually and I still do it on manual mode, we used to note the numbers and used to first capture the scene in mind. But now you can delete the shots immediately if they aren’t good. Moreover smartphones have come which have good cameras. There was more patience in photographers back then.

Technical things to keep in mind while doing photography?
There’s nothing pre-planned. I haven’t done any professional training in photography but there are basic rule that you have to adjust or check the aperture, shutter-speed, white-balance and ISO of the camera before clicking any photo. 

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Being a chief booking supervisor, it consumes your whole day making you busy, how you manage to take out time for photography?
Ofcourse, it’s a busy job but still somehow I manage to give time to my hobby and spend some time among nature. I utilize weekends or holidays for this.

Any tips for budding photographers?
When I was a kid my father used to say that “see everything like a stranger, then you’ll find them all new, fresh and interesting. You get a new vision and an honest vision.” This is a rule I follow while clicking shots also.

Any life lesson you learnt from photography? As this field is so aesthetic.
This field is so vast, so artistic and it taught me to balance everything. Because life looks beautiful only when it has all colors in it. So understand every responsibility and maintain every relationship of yours. Like devices, you have memories in limited stock too.

When are you planning, to let know the world about your great talent?
I’m thinking of organizing an exhibition, which isn’t finalized yet. But sure they’ll out soon I’m just clubbing them.

Life is much more than the dramas people create around us. Ajay Sidhu has set a great example among us. So what are you waiting for? Grab your camera or smartphone and take a vacation to wake UP the photographer inside you.

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