Their energy is aplenty and spread through various publications and organizations, some as freelancers. [break] But their task is not simple in a media society where photographs more often than not, tend to come second to text and the power of images to tell stories, in their own rights, has yet to be accepted.
Photography as fine arts still remains elusive and a school solely dedicated to the art is no where near.Nonetheless, when photo fraternity is in its infancy here trying to find it’s identity, these young ones have much to shoulder in reshaping a future, of telling stories in visual literature. Meet, today, the daring new breed who are calling the shots:
Hari Maharjan, 30
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Vivitar N3500 / Camera Now: Nikon D80
Not to be mistaken with Hari Maharjan the guitarist of Hari Maharjan & Project, Hari the photographer is a quiet character who’s been working at Expatriate Community Services (ECS) for the past four years.
The setup at the ECS photography studio on Wednesday afternoon was a white backdrop with two glasses of wine, perched on a pedestal in the foreground. A pair of flash diffusers surrounded the construct.
“ECS emphasizes on using locally shot photographs rather than pulling out images from the Internet,” says Hari, 30, whose work spans from product and lifestyle to culture photography — in and outside of the studio.
A first-generation photographer in his family, Hari bought his photography equipment with the money that was given to him to run the family cold store.
“I used to buy everything behind their backs,” reveals Hari with a smile and shares that his family has now accepted his profession.
“I began taking pictures after I completed my SLC, mostly of landscapes and did a lot of night photography of cityscapes,” apprises the photographer whose only formal training is limited to a camera-handling lesson from fellow photographer Ashesh Dangol.
Unlike most photographers who hate to use flash while taking pictures, Hari has always been intrigued by flash photography.
“I was fascinated by flash because I couldn’t understand how to use it,” puts in Hari and elucidates, “Flash photography is challenging because you have to keep in mind the natural ambience of the given situation, instead of overriding it.”
Regarding the industry, Hari opines, “I think there’s a lot of scope for photographers with the increase of media houses and advertisement agencies. But there’s a need of a good photography school as well.”
Hari hardly has time to work on independent projects while working fulltime.
“The two subjects that I would like to document through pictures, when I have time, are the process of migration, and Nepal’s monuments,” he says and adds, “I also want to collect and archive old black and white portraits.”
When asked about his future plans and whether he would like to expand his profession internationally, Hari Maharjan asserts, “I think Nepal has many hidden treasures and I would like to show those gems to the world through my photographs, instead of working abroad.”
Naresh Shrestha, 31
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Olympus L20 / Current Camera: Nikon D200
Presently with The Himalayan Times (THT) in Kathmandu, Naresh Shrestha, 31, is among the fewest photographers dedicated to capturing the culture of Nepal through his lenses. The extent of his commitment is evident in the fact that he’s been working to complete a photography feature on the Shyaka Tyaka —a festival held only in Bhaktapur each year on the ninth day of Dashain or Nawami — for the past four years.
“Each year, I learnt something new about the festival and went back again and again to capture those moments,” says Naresh, who is known for his nocturnal photography of the cultural icons of Nepal. A very passionate and modest photographer, Naresh often travels out of Kathmandu, hikes and stays up all night to take pictures and also completes assignments for the paper during the day.
“The office often bears the costs of my travels. But once I get there, they usually want my pictures,” he reveals, adding that he has to use his own equipment even for official purposes. The last time Naresh went to take pictures of the Madhav Narayan Mela in Kathmandu during the night, it was so cold that he used the heat of his motorcycle’s silencer to keep his hands warm.
“I want to document the things that people don’t see during the day. For instance, what happens at night during the Machindranath Jatra,” explains Naresh and adds, “I like to do a whole series on one particular subject to tell a story, instead of taking only one picture. But time and money pose as huge constraints in what I want to achieve independently.”
At THT, Naresh’s assignments include daily events and news and lifestyle features. In contrast to Hari Maharjan at ECS, he doesn’t like flash photography. “I never enhance or edit my photos afterwards; all my images are final,” he states.
As a culture photographer Naresh carries a huge onus on his shoulders to preserve some of the dying rituals and festivals of Nepal. And he is, perhaps, as knowledgeable as any Nepali culture scholar, if not more.
For instance, “The Hanuman dance is no longer performed in Bhaktapur. But people in Baglung have continued it,” he informs. And “for the first time this year, the Asta Matrika Dance in Patan wasn’t held, owing to budget cuts.”
After finishing his SLC exams, Naresh joined art classes at the Kasthamandap Art Studio in Patan. When he couldn’t complete his outdoor sketches during the day, he would take photographs so that he could work on it later.
“That’s how I began taking pictures,” he heartily recalls and continues, “It was by chance that Raj Bhai [Suwal] dai needed someone to take pictures during one of the Miss Nepal pageants, and that’s how my professional career kicked off.”
Rocky Prajapati, 26
First Camera: Nikon FM3 / Current Camera: Nikon 20D
Everyday, Rocky Prajapati, 26, commutes on his motorcycle from his home in Bhaktapur to Putali Sadak in Kathmandu, where he shares a studio with prominent contemporary photographer Kishor Kayastha. While Rocky is well known as the assistant photographer to Kayastha for the monthly fashion spreads featured in ECS Living, Rocky has also been creating his own niche as a freelance photographer and has a promising future.
“I started out as an amateur photographer nearly nine years back after I met Kishor,” says Rocky, who looks up to the latter as his mentor. “I started out by taking portraits of people because I’m very interested in depicting emotions,” puts in the down-to-earth lad dressed in casual jeans and Converse shoes.
Many may not know that at the age of 24, Rocky grabbed the position of a freelance photographer for UNICEF in Nepal where he worked for two years (2007-08).
“Photographers who are working fulltime at media houses rarely have time for their own independent projects, which is why I haven’t joined any, and prefer short-term projects,” says Rocky. “I don’t want to put my passions aside.”
Rocky’s most recent freelance works include the Hamra Hajurama project by photo.circle and documenting the rescue of circus children in Delhi for the Esther Benjamins Trust.
“It was a unique experience collaborating with writers at Hamra Hajurama,” shares Rocky, who traveled to Lumle for the project, and adds, “I feel that text and photos go hand in hand and neither is less important.”
Rocky also ventured with friends to the recent Gadhimai festival to take photographs.
“One of the themes that I’ll be working on is my travel experiences,” states Rocky, who is contemplating on whether he should work for Travel Times, a new upcoming Nepali tourism magazine.
“Photojournalism is just starting in Nepal, but with the quantity of photographers on the rise, I feel that there’s much potential to grow,” he opines and adds, “I feel that the increasing competitiveness will force photographers to take better pictures.”
In the future, Rocky hopes to work outside Nepal.
“I won’t be satisfied if I remain here. I hope to work for big companies such as National Geographic Magazine and Magnum,” says he and summarizes, “Frankly speaking, there isn’t much money in this field but I know I can survive.”
Kashish Das Shrestha, 27
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Pentax Spotmatic Asahi / Current Camera: Canon 5D, Canon G10
Fourth-generation photographer Kashish Das Shrestha, 27, brings out what we usually see in foreign press. After having photographed the Maoist conflict and musicians for some years in Nepal, today he covers international events from the New York Fashion Week to DJ Tiesto’s parties in Manhattan. He’s probably one of the very few Nepali photographers to capture the varieties of American life and culture.
For Kashish, photography is in his blood. His great grandfather established the Das Studio in 1927. His family owned the Das Color Lab, and once had over 10 branches in and outside Kathmandu, and pioneered postcards of Nepal. The documentary photographer grew up inspired by magazine like National Geographic, Life, and Rolling Stone.
Now based in New York and Kathmandu, Kashish frequently travels between the two cities. In New York, he takes up photography assignments from big organizations like Metro Daily and Red Bull; in Nepal, he freelances his skills and uses his income to research environment issues.
His first solo exhibition in 2009 showcased his work on a Bhutanese refugee family who was resettled in New York. UNHCR exhibited this series in all the seven Bhutanese refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang, and was later taken to Kathmandu, and finally to Geneva. In 2007, ASMAN hosted an exhibition of photographs by Kashish, his father, and his late grandfather.
A regular contributor to Republica’s weekend edition, The Week, Kashish was formerly the editor of Wave magazine, a radio show producer, and DJ on Image FM, and also the founding editor of Nepali Awaaz, a Nepali fortnightly from New York.
Kashish is currently exhibiting his second solo photo exhibition, “Marfa to Manhattan”, at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited – a series of images from the America he has seen in the last seven years.
Shruti Shrestha, 27
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Canon 20D / Present Camera: Canon 5D
One of the very few female photojournalists in Nepal, Shruti Shrestha, 27, already faces a challenge that her male counterparts rarely do: continuation of her career after marriage. The newlywed, however, isn’t deterred, and plans to continue her work as a photographer for Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd. as well as for the international wire service, Reuters.
“I was initially interested in TV journalism and hoped to produce and host television shows,” says Shruti, who took training on TV journalism. But on the lookout for a job, she landed up editing and archiving photographs for Kantipur Publications in 2005.
“Although it wasn’t what I wanted to do, I thought the opportunity would help me learn more about the media world,” she honestly reveals.
She did make the most of that one year, learning about the ins and outs of photography. And by 2006, her own career as a photojournalist took off, and along with it came a chance to work for Reuters.
“One of the advantages of being a woman was that I received a lot of encouragement from my colleagues. But there are challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining a personal life,” says Shruti, who takes pictures of political news for features, but wisely adds, “But then, if you enjoy your work, you don’t have to work for a single day.”
And she clearly loves her job.
Shifting the subject to the rise of digital cameras, Shruti asserts, “If you take a thousand pictures of a protest, it’s likely that at least two of them will turn out to be good—that’s the situation of photojournalism today. A rise in number of photographers doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality of works is improving.”
As she juggles between working for two organizations, she touches on the differences between the two.
“Each year, when Dashain comes around, Nepali papers print pictures of tika, jamara and the usual stuff. But when I’m submitting photos to Reuters, I can’t present the same subject again and again.” She points out the emphasis of international organizations on creativity and presentation of the subject matter.
“It’s easy to become technically sound within a few months, and therefore, the real challenge for a photojournalist is to find news where there’s no news,” states Shruti who feels that simply taking pictures of events is not photojournalism. “An issue that we photographers continually face is with reporters who think that photos act only as supplements to their texts; and we often have communication gaps due to that.”
A photo feature that Shruti has been planning to develop is about Shristi KC, a woman who became blind in her later years.
“Because of my daily assignments, I hardly get time to focus on my independent works,” regrets Shruti, who nonetheless managed to go to Gadhimai this year. An ambitious young woman, she determinedly expresses, “I hope to work on at least one international assignment as a photographer in the future.”
Bijay Gajmer, 24
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Olympus Trip300 / Current Camera: Nikon D50/Nikon D300
The youngest of photographers featured in this section, Bijay Gajmer is only two weeks shy from turning 25. But his journey so far has been nothing but interesting. Similar to the story of Sailendra Kharel’s, Bijay grouped up with four of his friends to open a web portal in his hometown of Dharan – www.viewdharan.com.
“Since I had taken some computer classes, I took charge of designing the website and uploading everything from events and news happening in Dharan,” he recounts and adds, “At first, we were all jointly collecting news and taking pictures because none of us knew who was good at what.”
As time passed, everyone realized that Bijay took the best photographs in the bunch, and slowly other local and national papers began soliciting his images. It’s not surprising that Bijay had a unique eye for photography because as a kid he had wanted to become an artist.
“I used to do watercolor paintings, and maybe that’s why my understanding of colors and composition turned out to be the best among us,” he modestly puts in.
With his mind made up to pursue photography professionally, Bijay quit all three of his jobs—one at a color lab, the other as the webmaster for viewdharan.com, and lastly, as an instructor at a computer institute – bought a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera and came to Kathmandu in 2006 to learn photography.
To his dismay, Bijay’s two-month wait for courses to begin at the Photojournalist Club (PJ) turned out to be fruitless.
“In the meantime, I worked as a web designer for Visit Nepal to make some pocket money, and then with the help of Chandra Shekhar [Karki] dai, I got a job as an intern photographer at the Rajdhani daily,” he reveals.
While he interned, he was offered to join Nepal Photo Agency (NPA) based in Dharan. The same year, his first photograph taken for NPA was printed by the Annapurna Post. The promising young photographer came back to Kathmandu in 2008 and has been working for Republica since April 2009. Along with working for the paper, he also teaches at the PJ Club.
Bijay credits the Internet as his biggest resource of learning. “My mama (maternal uncle) owned a cyber café, and I used to be there almost all the time,” shares the self-taught photographer, whose photo of Gufa Pokhari won the 5th Wildlife Conservation Nepal Photography Contest.
During the conflict period, one of the places Bijay visited was Bagale in Athrai where a heavy bombing had claimed 18 lives. “It was the first time I didn’t like my job because the psychological impact of the situation was severe, and for a while I couldn’t make myself take photos,” he recalls.
When asked why photographers send their best shots to international agencies instead of submitting them to national dailies, he states, “If papers here were to provide a space for ‘creative’ photographs they wouldn’t have to submit to the international media that stress on unconventional shots to straight forward ones.”
He asserts, “It isn’t that we lack good photojournalists; rather there is a lack of space for them to show their works in Nepal.”
NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati, 27
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Nikon FM10 / Current Camera: Canon 5D
Flipping through a huge book of photographs titled “This Day of Change” by Kodansha Courrier Japon, NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati finds the page where her works have been printed.
“All the photographs in this book were taken on the day of President Obama’s inauguration in an attempt to signify hope in one way or the other,” she explains, sipping coffee.
A total of 132 photographers from 70 countries were invited to take part in the venture, and NayanTara was one of them. Her photographs depict the life of girls who work in the dance bars of Nepal, a project she’s been working on for the past two and a half years.
“Many photographers who’ve tried to work on the same subject have asked me how I’m able to get access to the lives of these girls,” says NayanTara, and continues, “Well, that’s been one privilege of being a woman and working in this profession—the fact that I’ve been able to gain the trust of these women, which in turn has helped me to bring out an in-depth story.”
An International Relations major at Mount Holyoke College, NayanTara went on to complete a six-month course in Documentary Photography from the SALT Institute of Documentary Studies in the US before heading back to Kathmandu in 2006 to form photo. circle — an independent group that’s been promoting visual storytelling since its inception.
“When I started to work in Nepal, I thought that the photographers here didn’t care much,” she honestly opines and adds, “But after going through all the experiences of organizing, managing and fundraising for photo.circle workshops, I’ve come to realize the challenge of balancing managerial work against independent photography projects that I’ve wanted to pursue.”
Although NayanTaras photographs are highly narrative, she doesn’t prefer to call herself a documentary photographer. “I don’t have a fixed genre, but I know what I don’t do; I don’t take news photos,” she firmly asserts.
When asked about the enhancement of photographs, especially the trend of black and white photographs with high contrasts, NayanTara says, “It’s the intent of a documentary photographer to make the viewers empathize with the subject, and therefore, I feel that it’s okay to enhance an image. But of course, manipulation has its limits too.”
NayanTara already has a bunch of workshops in line for photo.circle in 2010. “photo.circle started out with a small goal to create a community for photographers, but now it’s taking shape and we have clearer directions,” she says. With its slogan of “Create.Share.Learn”, photo.cirlce has created a platform for several young photographers from Rocky Prajapati to Prateek Rajbhandari through their projects such as Hamro Hajurama.
“There’s much potential in the development of a voice and competence in human interest-documentary photography in Nepal. And instead of complaining about the lack of outlets, we need to take steps to create a platform as well as create works to put on that platform,” concludes a determined NayanTara.
Sailendra Kharel, 27
Subel Bhandari
First Camera: Yashica / Current Camera: Canon 350D
Originally from Birgunj, Sailendra Kharel, 27, is the first Nepali photojournalist to be nominated for the World Press Photojoops Swart Masterclass 2009, a prestigious annual event organized by World Press Photo.
Although he didn’t make it to the shortlist this time, Sailendra isn’t deterred to try again. The fact that he was selected to present his portfolio is in itself a great achievement.
“Nepali photographers have a pessimistic outlook but I think that we’re equally capable as international photojournalists,” says the energetic photographer, who’s been to the Koshi Tappu region three times in the past two years to document the lives of the flood victims.
“The photographs of current events published in newspapers have zero impact, which is why I’ve been working only on features which have stories to tell,” informs the retainer photographer of Kantipur Publications.
“A series of photographs has a power to tell a narrative, and in an age where people are becoming visually literate, a photojournalist’s challenge is to come up with images that have never been thought of,” puts in Sailendra, showing his recent group of photos in Forum, a magazine published by the Daily Star of Bangladesh. The spread features black and white pictures by Sailendra from Nepal’s conflict period.
Sailendra’s venture into photography began with an initiative with his friends in Birgunj.
“Six of us rented a house and started to air Birgunj TV. This was, of course, illegal and it was eventually shut down. I used to take pictures and videos for our short-lived channel,” recounts Sailendra. He came to Kathmandu in 2005 for a nine-month internship at Kantipur Publications, and after returning home, he was asked to join the team officially.
“I was based in Nepalgunj, and took photographs of the then ongoing conflict,” he apprises and recalls, “It was a difficult time because there was a lot of media censorship, and many of the pictures I took were never published.”
While his frustrations as a photojournalist remained, an opportunity to take part in a photo documentary workshop in 2007 opened up new windows for Sailendra to work on, besides taking news photos.
“I went to Cambodia the same year to attend a workshop, and I was very surprised by the way the photographers worked there because they didn’t focus on the technical details but on the subject matter,” he shares.
“I don’t believe in power and politics,” directly states Sailendra and adds, “And photojournalists should do more than take pictures and file them.”
Like many in his line of work, he also expresses the disrespect of journalists for photographers, and the fact that photographs are still treated as secondary elements to the texts.
Sailendra regards photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale as one of his icons because it was after what he said that inspired him to work on feature photographs. “A picture is everywhere. You should know how to freeze the moment,’ he quotes diligently.
